Prestige Thermal Equipment considers four primary factors for all Quench Furnaces:
1.Bath Temperature Uniformity - This is essential for consistent metallurgical properties.
Internal heating of the bath can be accomplished electrically by using either immersion heaters or electrodes. Gas-fired immersion tubes can also be employed. It is important to automatically dissipate heat from work being quenched by either internal or external cooling means. For light duty, forced air or air/water can be directed to the exterior of the pot. For heavy duty, controlled cooling is provided by internal coils, using water or air/water injection.
2.Proper Agitation of the bath - Thorough agitation is necessary to remove heat quickly and efficiently from the work. Constant or variable speed propeller agitation provides a uniform flow through the workload being quenched.
3. Removal of bath contaminants - To achieve optimum hardness and other physical properties, foreign contaminations must be removed. This is accomplished by a continuous filtering and automatic dumping system such as the Prestige Thermal Equipment Sludge Dumper. Comprised of a scoop-shaped filter basket connected to a driving cylinder mounted adjacent to the furnace wall, the basket is automatically raised up and out of the bath - automating chloride removal. Readily installed on new furnaces, the mechanism can also be retrofitted on existing salt baths.
4. Water addition to the quench bath - For isothermal quenching of heavier sections, water increases quenching power. Small amounts of water added to a nitrate-nitrite salt drives vapor from the bath as hot work enters and gives a faster cooling rate. Both manual and automatic systems are available for adjusting the frequency and duration of water additions.
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