COLD FLOW SIMULATION OF QUENCHING MEDIA IN AGITATED QUENCH TANK WITH DIFFERENT CONFIGURATIONS USING CFD SOFTWARE

In the business of heat treatment quenching process has great role to play. Cooling of the parts at rapid rate but in controlled manner is very essential to obtain the optimum desired mechanical properties. The quenching system with agitation arrangement circulates the quenchant in effective manner and shortens the quenching time. Many parameters like type of quenching media used, design of quenching tank, bath temperature, agitation system etc. decides the final mechanical properties of work piece. Quench tank design depends on many components of system like draft tube impeller, structural aspects of flow directing baffles and many more. Use of draft tube impellers will results in directional fluid flow around a part surface being quenched The circulation of quenching media in tank depends on many parameters such as use of draft tube , type of impeller used & position of impeller, flow separators in the draft tube In the present study tank with two agitator system was considered for analysis. Initially the design is kept simple. Simple pipes are used to direct the flow of quenching fluid. Then bend pipe is introduced in the system and the flow patterns & pressure on the job were analyzed. After that initially one flow deflector was used and then three deflectors were used to carry out the analysis. Results of the analysis are in good agreement with the published literature.