Development of Quench Tank Agitation Design Using CFD Modeling

The Corry Forge Company, a division of the Ellwood Group Inc., has developed a new quench system for heat treatment of large-scale power generation, nuclear, and subsea oil & gas open die forgings up to 25 tons. In order to optimize the uniformity and severity of quenchant flow and heat transfer rates, Airflow Sciences Corporation employed CFD methodology to assess the flow and mixing generated by the agitation systems. Using an iterative CFD design approach, a final design of the tank geometry, flow capacity, agitation vectors, and mechanical systems was developed that shows significant performance gains over the base design. Physical trials validated improvements in the magnitude, uniformity, and repeatability of quenchant flow and heat transfer rates. An overview is provided of the CFD design process along with key CFD results and quenching trial data.