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US 8,986,600 B2Granted
Spray quench systems for heat treated metal products
AssigneeThermatool Corp.
InventorsMichael A. Nallen, Paul F. Scott
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
A spray quench system is provided with one or more spray quench rings that eject a controlled volume of quenchant spray onto a workpiece passing through the quench rings. Supply of the quenchant to the quench rings is coordinated with control of the quench rings to selectively change the pressure, quenchant spray exit velocity from the quench rings, flow rate or pattern of the quenchant spray onto the workpiece depending upon mass cooling requirements as the workpiece passes through the quench rings.
Claims21
A spray quench system for quenching a workpiece, the spray quench system comprising:
- a supply of a quenchant to one or more quench rings, each of the one or more quench rings comprising:
- an outer ring element having at least one exterior opening for connection to the supply of the quenchant to an interior region of the outer ring element;
- an inner ring element at least partially inserted into the outer ring element;
- a quench ring plenum formed from the interior region of the outer ring element in combination with an interior region of the inner ring element for receiving the supply of the quenchant from the at least one exterior opening;
- an outlet passage from the quench ring plenum formed between an adjacent facing edges of the outer ring element and the inner ring element for receiving the quenchant from the quench ring plenum and ejecting the quenchant received from the quench ring plenum in a conical volume to make contact with a surface region of the workpiece;
- and
- one or more fasteners joining the inner ring element and the outer ring element.
4 more elements
A method of quenching a workpiece with a spray quench system, the method comprising:
- passing the workpiece through a quench ring assembly comprising one or more quench rings, each of the one or more quench rings having an outer ring element at least partially inserted into an inner ring element, and the outer ring element and the inner ring element joined together by one or more fasteners, the outer ring element having at least one exterior opening to an interior region of the outer ring element;
- supplying a quenchant to the at least one exterior opening of each one of the one or more quench rings, the at least one exterior opening in communication with a quench ring plenum formed from the interior region of the outer ring element in combination with an interior region of the inner ring element for receiving the quenchant from the at least one exterior opening, the quench ring plenum in communication with an outlet passage from the quench ring plenum formed between an adjacent facing edges of the outer ring element and the inner ring element for receiving the quenchant from the quench ring plenum;
- and
- ejecting the quenchant from the output passage of each of the one or more quench rings in a conical volume to make contact with a surface of the workpiece.
1 more element
A method of quenching a workpiece with a spray quench system, the method comprising:
- passing the workpiece through a quench ring assembly comprising one or more quench rings, each of the one or more quench rings having an outer ring element at least partially inserted into an inner ring element, and the outer ring element and the inner ring element joined together by one or more fasteners, the outer ring element having at least one exterior opening to an interior region of the outer ring element;
- a quench ring plenum formed from the interior region of the outer ring element in combination with an interior region of the inner ring element for receiving a quenchant from the at least one exterior opening;
- an outlet passage from the quench ring plenum formed between an adjacent facing edges of the outer ring element and the inner ring element for receiving the quenchant from the quench ring plenum and ejecting the quenchant received from the quench ring plenum in a conical volume to make contact with a surface region of the workpiece;
- supplying a quenchant from at least one variable displacement pump, a single uniform flow, high pressure pump or a quenchant manifold supplied with quenchant from a fixed displacement pump to the at least one exterior opening of each one of the one or more quench rings, the at least one exterior opening in communication with a quench ring plenum formed from the interior region of the outer ring element in combination with an interior region of the inner ring element for receiving the quenchant from the at least one exterior opening, the quench ring plenum in communication with an outlet passage from the quench ring plenum formed between an adjacent facing edges of the outer ring element and the inner ring element for receiving the quenchant from the quench ring plenum;
- and
- ejecting the quenchant from the output passage of each of the one or more quench rings in a conical volume to make contact with a surface of the workpiece.
3 more elements
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.