"Characterizing Water Quenching Systems With a Quench Probe"

Quench probes have been used effectively to characterize the quality of quenchants for many years. For this purpose a variety of commercial probes, as well as the necessary hardware for determining the time – temperature data for a set of standardized test conditions, are available for purchase. The type of information obtained from such probes provides a good basis for comparing media, characterizing general cooling capabilities, and checking media condition over time. However, these data do not adequately characterize the actual production quenching process in terms of heat transfer behavior. Faced with the need to characterize water quenching practices, including conventional and intensives practices, a quench probe was developed. This paper describes that probe, the data collection hardware, the data gathered for both intensive quenching and conventional water quenching, and the heat transfer coefficients determined for these processes. Process sensitivities are investigated and highlight some intricacies of quenching.