Agitated Quench Heat Transfer – An Experimental Characterization

The rapid heat transfer that occurs during immersion quenching is key to many heat treating operations. In order to control the undesirable effects that may occur during this process, such as distortion and bulk residual stress, a method is needed to predict the heat flux rates on the quenched part. CFD models offer a good framework for making such predictions, but most available codes have insufficient boiling models. Development of improved models depends on having sufficient experimental data for characterizing the heat transfer physics during quenching operations.

To improve the understanding of the quenching heat transfer physics, a flow boiling test facility has been constructed. An overview is provided of the design and capabilities of that facility is presented, along with selected data for a range of operational conditions and quench media.