Method and apparatus for controlling the decarburization of steel components in a furnace
AssigneesAmerican Air Liquide, Inc., L'Air Liquide, Societe Anonyme pour l'Etude et l'Exploitation des Procedes Georges Claude
InventorsYannick Rancon, Hunter Spoon
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Abstract
The invention relates to a method for controlling the decarburization of steel components in a furnace during heat treating processes. The concentration of CO2 and/or CO in the furnace is monitored in a first batch in order to determine periods of elevated CO2/CO concentrations, and inert gas is injected in subsequent batches during the previously determined periods of elevated CO2/CO concentrations.
Claims40
A method of controlling the decarburization of multiple batches of steel components during a heat treating process in a furnace, said components being made from a compositionally identical lot of steel and said components having a similar decarburization specification, the method comprising:
- heat treating at least one batch of components,
- measuring and recording the concentration of CO2/CO during the heat treating process to thereby develop a CO2/CO concentration profile indicating times in the heat treating process when the CO2/CO concentration is elevated above a predetermined level,
- heat treating subsequent batches of components, and
- injecting an inert gas into the furnace at a flow rate of at least about 2 renewals per hour at said times of said elevated concentrations in the CO2CO according to the CO2/CO concentration profile.
A method for controlling the decarburization of metal components during a heat treating process in a furnace, the method comprising:
- heating a batch of metal components in a furnace using a process defined by selected process conditions, said selected process conditions comprising at least one of temperature, flow rates, load, metal grade, and decarburization specification;
- and
- injecting an inert gas into the furnace during at least one period of elevated CO2/CO concentration of the process;
- wherein said at least one period of elevated CO2/CO concentration is determined by monitoring the CO2/CO concentration during a previous batch of the process run under the same said selected process conditions.
A method for controlling the decarburization of steel components during a heat treating process in a furnace, the method comprising:
- defining a decarburization specification for the steel components;
- heat treating the steel components in the furnace under selected process conditions, said selected process conditions comprising at least one of temperature, flow rates, load, metal grade, and decarburization specification;
- monitoring the CO2/CO concentration during the process and establishing a CO2/CO concentration profile for the process;
- determining the decarburization results of the process;
- defining at least one period of elevated CO2/CO concentration based upon said decarburization specification and said decarburization results;
- and
- in subsequent process batches performed under the same said selected process conditions, injecting an inert gas into the furnace during said at least one period of elevated CO2/CO concentration.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.