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Quenching – Mastering the Process
D. Scott MacKenzie, PhD, FASMNovember 2011
Quenching Oil Selection
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Quenching – Mastering the Process
• Real loads are complex– Important to meet properties
and reduce distortion– No quantitative method to
understand interaction of fluid flow and part
– Often understanding is “Trial and Error”
– Experience trims the Heuristic tree
– Heat transfer mechanism is complex
• Multiple heat transfer regimes
• Time and Temperature dependent phase transformations
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Quenching – Mastering the Process
• Mechanism of Quenching– Quenching occurs in three stages
• Vapor Phase– Formation of vapor film around the part– Heat transfer is slow– Heat transfer occurs primarily through radiation and conduction through
vapor• Nucleate Boiling Phase
– High heat extraction rates– Heat removal by bubble formation and contact of cool quenchant on
part surface• Convection Phase
– Starts at below boiling temperature of quenchant– Slow heat transfer
– Governs Properties and Distortion
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Quenching – Mastering the Process
Vapor Phase NucleateBoiling Phase
Convection Phase
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Quenching – Mastering the Process
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Quenching – Mastering the Process
• Metallurgical Effects– Carbon Content and Hardenability
• Avoid the nose or knee of the TTT curve• Cooling rate depends on hardenability of steel• Maximum hardness attainable is dependant on % Carbon
present– Cooling Rates
• Cooling rate is limited by thickness of part– Limited by thermal diffusivity– Excessive cooling rates may cause cracking or distortion– Higher cooling rates yield higher thermal gradients
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Quenching – Mastering the Process
• Quenching Mediums– Many different types
• Water• Brine• Caustic• Polymer• Oils• Molten Salts• Gases
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Quench Oil Composition - Overview
• Composition governed by– Price– Stability– Quenching performance
• Quenching performance governed by– Acceptable flash temperature– Low sludge forming tendency– Thermal and oxidation stability– Appropriate heat transfer
charectoristics• Best quench oils
– Maximum cooling rate to achieve maximum hardness
– Minimal deposition of sludge– Maximum thermal and oxidation
stability• Presently favors mineral oils
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Quench Oils Composition - Overview
• Composition affects quenching performance– Straight mineral oils exhibit wide variation in quenching
performance– Formulated oils can produce even wider range of cooling rates
• Volatility of quench oil– Decreases as average molecular size increases– Inversely proportional to flash point
• Quench severity directly related to “wettability”– Wettability is measured by contact angle– As viscosity increases
• As contact angle decreases Cooling rate is decreased– Additive packages also change wettability characteristics
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Quenching – Mastering the Process
• Selection of proper quench oil is dependant of many factors:
– Part• Alloy• Geometry and section size• Metallurgical Properties• Distortion• Cleanliness
– Furnace• Type of Furnace• Method of Quenching• Temperature
– Cost• Initial Cost• Long Term Costs
– Additives– Staining– Drag-out– Environmental
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Quenching – Mastering the Process
• Divided By operational temperature
– “Cold” Oils (80° - 200°F)– Martempering Oils (200° - 450°F)
• “Cold” Oils– Typically three different speeds
• Fast (7-9 GMQS)• Medium (10-13 GMQS)• Normal (14-16+ GMQS)
• Martempering Oils– Applicable to high alloy, or
carburized distortion prone parts– Slower than Cold Oils (Typically
20+ GMQS)
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Quenching – Mastering the Process
• “Cold” Oils– Normal Speed
• Low rates of cooling• Applicable to high hardenability
steels– Tool and High-Alloyed Steels
– Medium Speed• Intermediate quenching
characteristics• Medium to high hardenability
requirements• Applicable to widest variety of
steels– High-Speed
• Applicable to low hardenability steels
• Carburized or Carbo-nitrided• Large cross-sections
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Quenching – Mastering the Process
• Martempering Oils– Quenching workpiece into
quenchant maintained at about 100°-200°C
– Part maintained in quenchant until thermal equilibrium is established
– Substantially reduces distortion by reducing thermal gradients
– Special Formulations• Special Base Stocks
– High oxidation resistance– High thermal stability– High flash points
• Large variety of viscosities (200-2500 SUS)
• Complex anti-oxidant packages
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Quenching – Mastering the Process
• Quench Oil Composition– Complex mixture of
constituents• Paraffinic• Naphthenic• Open-chain and Cyclic
Derivatives– Sulfur hetrocycles– Oxygen hetrocycles– Nitrogen hetrocycles
– Specific composition depends on source of crude (Western U.S., Eastern U.S., Middle East, North Sea, Venezuela, etc.)
– Compositional variation affects quenching performance
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Quench Oils Composition - Overview
• Naphthenic Grades– Exhibit inferior cooling
characteristics– Greater deposit-forming
tendency (staining)– High sludging tendency
• Oxidize at faster rate• Lower thermal stability
– Lower flash points• Paraffinic Grades
– Superior cooling curves– Lower staining tendency
• Oxidize at slower rates• Increased thermal stability
– Higher flash temperatures
References:
R-J Windgassen, Metalworking Fluids Today, Society of Tribologist and Lubrication Engineers, Feb 1989
G.E. Totton, C.E. Bates and N.A. Clinton, Handbook of Quenchants and Quenching Technology, ASM International, 1993
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Quench Oil Composition – Base Oils
• Base oils– Double Hydro-treated– Refined Paraffinic Mineral
Oils– Refined Napthenic Mineral
Oils– Re-refined mineral Oils– Reclaimed Mineral Oils– Vegetable and Ester-based
Oils• All are used in commercial
quenchants
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Quench Oil Composition – Base Oils
• Double Hydrotreated Oils– Advantages
• Thermal and oxidative stability
• Higher flash point• Infers longer life• Visual Appearance• Marginal improvement in
cooling curves for same viscosity
– Disadvantages• Cost
• Oil color not indicative of staining
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Quench Oil Composition – Base Oils
• Refined Paraffinic Base Oils– Most common used base oil– Advantages
• Better flash points than Napthenic oils• Good thermal and oxidative stability• Wide range of viscosities available (70-2500 SUS)• Lower staining (imparts light gray color – depends on additive package)• Hydrophobic
– Better splitting– Water displacing
– Disadvantages• Increasing cost
– Due to global demand– Local refinery shut-downs due to maintenance
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Quench Oil Composition – Base Oils
• Refined Napthenic Base Oils– Advantages
• Readily available• Cost• Wide variety of viscosities available (100-2500 SUS)
– Disadvantages• Less thermal and oxidative stability• Lower flash point temperatures• Lower life and quicker degradation• Hydrophillic
– Emulsifying– Not split well– Bad for quench oil due to water absorption
• Cost advantage decreasing due to global demand
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Quench Oil Composition – Base Oils
• Re-refined Paraffinic Base Oils– Oils are recovered and passed thru cracker
• Specific viscosities are recovered• Pulled from narrow heights from column
– Advantages• All advantages of paraffinic base oils
– Dependent on supplier/source and quality of re-refiner• Generally less expensive than virgin base oils
– Disadvantages• Limited source of supply
– High demand due to “eco-friendly”– Recycling reduces supply and availability– Dependent on supplier/source and quality of re-refiner
• Limited viscosity range (generally ± 100 SUS)• Cost advantage narrowing because of demand
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Quench Oil Composition – Base Oils
• Reclaimed Oils– Oils recovered from many sources
• Coolants• Motor oils• Greases
– Filtered and blended to give specific viscosity
– Advantage• Cheap
– Disadvantages• “You get what you pay for…”• Presence of heavy metals• Source unknown
– Multiple grades (including used motor oil, coolants, etc.)
– Different mix of light and heavy ends
– Viscosity is usually only requirement
• Lack of process repeatability• Poor life
– Precursors to oxidation present (free radicals)
– Mixture of blended products
• Overall process cost increases– More cleaning required– Higher drag-out– Reduced life
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Quench Oil Composition – Base Oils
• Vegetable and Ester-based Base Oils– Advantages
• “Eco-Friendly”• Renewable• Can be used at wide range of temperatures• Excellent cooling curve
– Unstable vapor phase– High nucleate boiling rates and temperatures– Curves often superior to mineral oils
• High flash temperatures• High thermal and oxidative stability
– Disadvantages• Limited supply
– Bio-fuels and cyclic availability (crop production)• Cleaning requires specialized cleaners• Different smell• Cost
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Quench Oil Composition – Base Oils
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Quench Oil Composition – Additive Packages
• Desired results– High thermal and oxidative stability
• Low sludge and staining tendency• Formation of organic acids minimized as
oil ages– Low viscosity to minimize drag-out– Cooling curve
• High cooling rates to achieve maximum hardness
• Unstable vapor phase to achieve high cooling rates
– Avoid formation of upper transformation products
• High temperature transition between nucleate boiling and convection
– Minimize distortion and residual stresses
– Improve wetting
• Function of the additive package
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Quench Oil Composition – Additive Packages
• Additive packages have two functions
– Speed improvers– Thermal and oxidative stability– Additives have dramatic effect on
quenchant properties– Magnitude of effect is dependent
on additive package• Packages usually proprietary• Not appropriate to mix additive
packages from different quenchant suppliers
• Some additives prone to selective drag-out after quenching
• May degrade during use, depending on robustness
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Quench Oil Composition – Additive Packages
• Speed improvers– Quenching rates increase with
increasing wettability– Additives that increase wettability
improve quench speed– Different types of additives– Most common is sulfonate-type
• Barium sulfonate was most common– No longer used– Older quench tanks may still contain
Barium• Now Sodium and Potassium sulfonates
used• Good speed improvers and oxidation
stabilizers– Hydrocarbon based
• Cost• Used in high-end quenchants• Robust
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Quench Oil Composition – Additive Packages
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Quench Oil Composition – Additive Packages
• Thermal and Oxidation Stability– Provided by additive package– Reduces production of sludge– Minimizes formation of
organic acids upon aging– Additive package usually
chosen to act as both speed improver and thermal stability
– May be consumed over time.– Oil generally dumped because
of staining
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Quench Oil Composition – Additive Packages
• Oxidation– Results from build-up of
organic acids– Measured by several methods
• Precipitation Number• Total Acid Number• Sludge Content• Viscosity
– Changes cooling curve• Increases speed • Decreased vapor phase
stability– Increased staining
• Additive package minimizes changes
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Oil Degradation
• Quench oils degrade– Exposure to high temperatures– Aggravated by
• Residues on parts• Washer residues from reclaimed• High watt density heaters• Excessive peak temperatures
– Robust additive packages prolong quenchant life
• Exhibited by:– Part staining– Higher quench rates
• Monitored– TAN– Viscosity
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Oil Degradation
The presence of calcium and sulfur in the stain shows that the material is baked on quench oil. Oil is near end of life.
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Quenching Products from Houghton
Cold Quenching OilsHoughto-Quench KHoughto-Quench GHoughto-Quench 3440Houghto-Quench 3430Dasco Quench LPA 15Dasco Quench LBA 15
Aqueous QuenchantsAqua-Quench 140Aqua-Quench 145Aqua-Quench 245Aqua-Quench 251Aqua-Quench 260Aqua-Quench 3699Aqua-Quench C
Email [email protected] more information.
Hot Quenching OilsMar-Temp 355Dasco Quench MPA 60
Below is a sampling of Houghton quenchants. However, you should consult a Houghton expert for the right product for your application.
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About Houghton
• World’s leading manufacturer of industrial fluids, specialty chemicals, oils and lubricants since 1865
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