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8:38 pm
May 13, 2010
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I am thinking of running a coil of copper tubing around the bottom of my quench tank which is a 14" round barrel that is 27" deep to cool the quenching oil and maybe to warm it before use. I sub out most of my production HT but I do have a job that I do in house and I would like to bring more in house at some point. When I was heat treating this job recently the oil was getting hot enough that I was concerned that it would not be cooling the steel fast enough and perhaps even getting higher than the tempering temperature (425). I was just going to run tap water through the coil because I don't have to do this that often. Has anyone done something similar?
I am concerned with getting a good seal around the tubing coming out the side of the barrel so I am thinking about running them up the side of the barrel inside the barrel. But I am concerned about damaging the tubing on the side. I have a basket that fits fairly tightly in the barrel and does not go all the way to the bottom so I am not concerned about damaging the coil. Does anyone have any suggestions for a through the barrel fitting that I can use on a curved thin wall barrel?
10:06 pm
August 23, 2010
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Weld a heavy pipe coupling in the wall of the tank and connect tubes as usual. inside and out. Make sure to not use cast fittings.
10:17 pm
NWBA Member
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April 26, 2010
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I've done exactly as you propose. Mine was with beer, not quenching oil, so my temps were a couple hundred F lower than yours. And my container is only six gallons.
A straight copper tube runs down to the coil, the other up from the coil. Tops of the straight pieces are bent over the side of the container and hook to hoses. Inlet can be any old hose. Outlet needs to be a hot-water hose. Tubing is 1/4 inch. Water goes in at 60F and exits scalding hot. 6 gallons of beer go from just below boiling to 72F in about four minutes.
You'll have more volume and higher temperatures, but oil has a much lower specific heat than water does. Your results should be on the same order of magnitude.
You need not worry about damaging the tubing. Not like you're going to be banging on it or something.
No matter where you go... there you are.
2:54 am
May 13, 2010
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Well I would much rather be cooling beer than oil but good to hear it works. I don't want to try and weld to the tank, it is pretty thin to weld and obviously oil soaked. If I can find a screw together fitting I will use that but otherwise I am just going out the top of the barrel. I guess the other advantage to doing it that way is I don't have to empty the barrel.
1:25 pm
July 10, 2010
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Here is a picture of a oil quench tank at a bit sharpening buisness. They use a radiator core, pumped the oil through it and just put a fan blowing on it to keep it cool. It worked well in the heat of a Phoenix summer which you usually have over 100 days of 100 degree temps.
2:18 pm
March 22, 2010
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mmm... My tank is not anywhere near that big and I have yet to have issues with the oil getting too hot.... Of course I know the reason is with induction heating I get such a short local heat when sharpening that there is not as much heat being put into the oil... Its amazing to me so see how much better the bits that I have sharpened come back than the ones that were done prior to my starting.... Mine seem far less prone to breakage and have less mushrooming all at the same time... Im still just learing though... Ive only done about 2500-3000 bits.... After 25,000 (which should come about November) I'll really have a feel for it
You would probably have to make some shaped washers or try and flatten enough of your drum but these might work...
http://www.bulkheadfittings.or.....tings.html
I think I would be inclined to try and make a thru the tank connection just to keep the lines protected and away from whats going in and out of the tank.. I also think I would be inclined to start from scratch as trying to work with something that has been full of oil forever would just not be any fun...
I suppose even if you where going to start from scratch though doing the over the wall out the top setup would be good as a proof of concept to figure out if the coil would do the trick...
Whatever you are, be a good one.
Abraham Lincoln
9:42 pm
May 13, 2010
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I am holding off on replacing the tank for now because if I get a small industrial over under heat treat furnace I am told a lot of them have a built in tank.
10:15 pm
June 24, 2010
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If you had a 16" (or so) round barrel, you could use it as a water jacket. It would only need to be a few inches tall to transfer heat better than a coil inside the oil tank would.
10:28 pm
May 13, 2010
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Mike B;10491 wrote: If you had a 16" (or so) round barrel, you could use it as a water jacket. It would only need to be a few inches tall to transfer heat better than a coil inside the oil tank would.
That is a great idea. And I just have to run a hose to it and let the water boil off. I don't need the oil that cool. I will have to do a little looking around for a slightly larger barrel.
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