We all know that cooling off the right way matters. Your friend may be hot, but dumping a bucket of ice on them just might cause your friendship to crack. The same applies to heat treating. The methods and modes of cooling operations can make or break our bank and equipment.
Heat Treat Today has coalesced technical information across articles and podcast episodes from key experts, including a case study comparing the efficiency of different cooling technologies, a Heat Treat Radio episode full of purchasing guidance and the updates on the latest technologies, and finally a helpful comparative of cooling systems for the automotive industry.
Discover more about these three topics in today’s Technical Tuesday original content feature.
Intelligent Cooling System Improves Operations for Alloy Manufacturer: A Case Study
There’s only one constant about technology: It’s always evolving — revealing new innovations and opportunities. And as these new technologies come to light, heat treating operations have new opportunities to reduce cost, increase efficiency, and ensure consistent, optimized part quality, regardless of the job parameters. With the introduction of new process cooling technologies to the heat treating market, previously unexplored systems become viable solutions for unanswered operating challenges. Gary Burdardt, market development manager with Frigel North America, authored a case study to explore new technologies in cooling operations.
“Located on the East Coast, the manufacturer needed to find an alternative process cooling solution for its vacuum furnace cooling operation. It had been using air-cooled chillers, but the costs of continuous operation were too high. Operating as a batch furnace, the heat load of this particular application was specified to be approximately 200 tons, and process cooling water temperature, which was specified at 70°F, presented a significant challenge.”
Read the full article here: Intelligent Cooling System Improves Operations for Alloy Manufacturer: A Case Study
Heat Treat Radio #100: Cooling Off the Heat (Treat)!
Keeping your heat treat equipment cool is as critical as it is an oxymoron. If you have old cooling systems or are looking to purchase new ones, hear from Matt Reed, director of Sales and Technologies at Dry Coolers, as he shares purchasing considerations, maintenance, and latest technologies with Heat Treat Radio host, Doug Glenn. Learn about the importance of flow, sediment build up, hot spots, and more!
“Vacuum furnaces, around the 1960s and 1970s, when they were being developed, focused on heat treating materials. Cooling is required because you’ve got these inner walled jackets in the furnace, jackets in the heads, you’ve got diffusion pumps, mechanical pumps — all these ancillary pieces of equipment that require cooling. Originally, you could use city water and flow city water right through the furnace. Customers soon find out that that’s a lot of water consumption, so the next step was to look at an evaporative cooling tower. You start recirculating evaporative cooling tower water directly through the furnaces.”
Read the full article here: Heat Treat Radio #100: Cooling Off the Heat (Treat)!
Choosing the Right Cooling System
Deciding on a process cooling system for your automotive heat treat requires intentional consideration. In this article Bob Smith, director of product management at Thermal Care, offers practical and valuable guidance on three options: fluid coolers, cooling towers, and chillers.
“When considering which type of process fluid cooling system is best for your automotive heat treat application, it is important to determine the process fluid medium, desired temperature, and the significance of operating cost versus initial investment. There are often multiple solutions to a process cooling application, and the following is intended to provide a basic outline of the types of systems available and where they are best used.”
Read the full article here: Choosing the Right Cooling System
