Axiom Heat Treatment (Axiom HT) sought to develop new technology, Axitherm, in an industry bereft of technical or method advancements in over 20 years.
An R&D plan was put in place utilizing ASME Sec VIII as guiding principle for the project and to prove the concepts that included engineering design and fabricating of temporary convection sections to be installed over the Sec VIII set heated area. The convection section panels and brackets had a special coating applied that would help utilize conductive heat from applied electrical resistance heating elements, capturing thermal energy inside the sections and dissipating it throughout the heated area, while still achieving required temperature profiles to meet industry standards and specifications.
The gap between the component being heated and the convection sections would allow for a manifold to sit inside the gap, the manifold would protrude through a dedicated panel that would allow convection heat to be added through the manifold into the gap to assist in temperature profiles.
At the completion of the heat cycle the same manifold would be utilized to have a cryogenic solution added allowing a cooling effect of the metal to reduce a normally uncontrolled and schedule sapping time from 800 degrees to 120 degrees in under four hours.
The R&D project's objective was to prove the safety and efficacy of the new equipment and method (Axitherm) reducing the total Kw power required and effecting a decreased cooling time of a heat treatment cycle after the metal design criteria had been met.
Key metrics
- Prove soak and thermal gradient temperatures could be achieved
- Prove results with internal convection panels and external heat set up
- Prove 800 to 120 degrees in under four hours using a cryogenic solution
- Prove results with external convection panels and internal heat set up
- Prove installation fixing methods for brackets and panels
Results and analysis - December 2020
Utilizing the convection boxes attached to the structure by using a pin and clip method was sufficient to hold the convection boxes in place during the heating and cooling.
Internal and external convection boxes resulted in almost identical heating and cool down results, proving conclusively their use reduces the total required kW of heat required while also achieving code stipulated temperature profiles.
The cryogenic solution also achieved it desired results droving temperatures to cool from a target of 800 to 120 degrees in under four hours.
For more information, visit axiomht.com or call (833) AXI-HEAT (294-4328).
