System and method for thermally stress screening products

An improved method for thermal stress screening products by using a single type of liquid for alternately transferring heat to and from the product, the method including the steps of:

• placing the product in a chamber;
• flowing cold liquid along a closed loop flow path and into the chamber;
• circulating liquid through a heat exchanger and maintaining the temperature of the liquid substantially at a predetermined value during product cold test;
• draining substantially the entirety of the cold liquid from the chamber along the closed loop flow path;
• flowing drained cold liquid through a closed conditioning loop to reduce the temperature thereof;
• flowing hot liquid into the same chamber;
• draining substantially the entirety of the hot liquid from the chamber;
• and,
• flowing the drained hot liquid through another closed conditioning loop to raise the temperature thereof.

An improved method for thermally stress screening products including the steps of:

• providing a single thermal transfer piping network connectable to a first chamber or to a second chamber;
• placing a first group of products into the first chamber;
• flowing cold liquid from the network into the first chamber;
• circulating liquid through a heat exchanger and maintaining the temperature of the liquid substantially at a predetermined value during product cold test;
• draining the cold liquid from the first chamber back into the network at the end of a product cold test;
• flowing hot liquid from the network into the same chamber;
• and,
• in any order with respect to the placing, flowing and draining steps, the step of:
• placing a second group of products into the second chamber;
• and further including the steps of:
• flowing cold liquid from the network into the second chamber;
• draining the cold liquid from the second chamber back into the network;
• and,
• flowing hot liquid from the network into the second chamber.