Progress On the Development of a Comprehensive Quenching Model

Computational Fluid Dynamics (CFD) has been increasingly applied to heat treating processes in order to provide better part uniformity and to reduce residual stress and distortion. To date, most simulations of quenching processes have focused on the isothermal, single phase flow in the quench tank due to the complexity of modeling boiling phenomena and the lack of good boiling models for application to industrial scale models.

A preliminary method has been developed for modeling flow situations that include boiling flow, with specific application to quenching situations. The key features of this approach are nucleate and film boiling models that are based on a “wall model” concept, along with a transition model that switches between these two boiling models based on a combination of parameters, including wall temperature, fluid temperature, and fluid velocity patterns. Correlation of the proposed model against test data for a simplified geometry is presented. Future directions for the development of this model are discussed.