High Pressure Gas Quenching
High pressure gas quenching is typically coupled to vacuum heat treating processes. Together, they provide clean, low-distortion parts for alloys that do not require the heat transfer rates provided by liquid quenching operations (oil, water, polymer). CFD can be used to assess the design of high pressure gas quenching systems and develop design modifications that provide more uniform treatment, leading to reduced distortion.
Velocity data collected with the test rig shown below compared well with CFD predicted velocity patterns. CFD data are shown on the same 16x12 grid as the test data (CFD grid resolution was finer).