Method and apparatus for quenching of materials in vacuum furnace

摘要

A method of quenching a material by injecting a cryogenic fluid into a cooling stream and simultaneously venting gas from the cooling stream, in order to maintain a desired target pressure in a chamber containing the material. In a examplary application of the method, the quenching is a step in the heat-treatment of a metal and the chamber is part of a vacuum furnace. Also disclosed is a method of supplying a cryogenic fluid to a process in which the amount of cryogenic fluid necessary to perform the process is transferred from a storage vessel to a supply vessel via a supply line, after which the supply line is closed. An elevated pressure is maintained by vaporization of a relatively small amount of the cryogenic fluid that is allowed to build in a pressure vessel that is in fluid communication with the supply vessel.

主权项

1. A method of quenching a material, the method comprising:
injecting a cryogenic fluid into a first stream of a cooling system that is adapted to circulate the cryogenic fluid through a heat exchanger and a chamber containing the material, the first stream being located upstream from the chamber and downstream from the heat exchanger, the amount of cryogenic fluid injected into the first stream being sufficient to cause the chamber to exceed a target pressure if no cryogenic fluid is vented from the cooling system; circulating the cryogenic fluid through the heat exchanger and the chamber containing the material; and venting a sufficient amount of the cryogenic fluid from a second stream of the cooling system in order to maintain a pressure in the chamber that is no greater than a target pressure.