METHOD AND APPARATUS FOR QUENCHING STEEL PIPES

摘要

An apparatus is provided for quenching a hollow-bodied piece of steel with an opening at each end thereof, such as a steel pipe, which comprises exterior quenching means (70) and interior quenching means. The exterior quenching means includes means for directing a cooling medium from a cooling medium source in a substantially circumferential flow pattern around the exterior of a steel pipe. In one embodiment the exterior quenching means includes means for separately directing a cooling medium in a substantially circumferential flow pattern at variable flow rates around the exterior segments of a steel pipe. The flow rate around each pipe segment may be varied with the thickness of the segment. The exterior cooling means may comprise a plurality of deflector plates (141) to achieve the circumferentially directed flow of the cooling medium about the pipe. The interior quenching means includes means for injecting a gas into a cooling medium to insure sufficient turbulence in the cooling medium as it passes through the interior of the pipe so that heat transfer from the pipe to the cooling medium is facilitated.