Quenching: Brine and Caustic

Research output: Chapter in Book/Report/Conference proceedingChapter

Abstract

The addition of salts (brine) and caustic soda (NaOH) to water is employed to increase its cooling capacity.
Small additions of salts decrease the vapor film duration (inherent of water quenching), and at optimal
concentrations, it might be eliminated. The vapor film stage is not desirable on steel quenching due to the
low heat transfer and nonuniform cooling that leads to distortion and cracking, mainly because of the uneven
thermal and transformational stresses generated through the quenched part. These aqueous solutions can
increase the heat transfer coefficient from two to five times while promoting a more uniform cooling and are
commonly employed when low-hardenability steels are quenched. For interrupted quenching where high
cooling rates are required to produce a shell–core-type microstructure, these solutions could also be used.
The effect of various aqueous solutions (NaCl, NaOH, LiCl, KCl, NaNO2, NaNO3, CaCl2, NaSO4, and
MgSO4) on the heat transfer mechanisms as well as on the heat flux during quenching is reviewed.
Original languageEnglish
Title of host publicationEncyclopedia of Iron, Steel, and Their Alloys
Place of PublicationUnited States of America
PublisherTaylor and Francis
Pages2824-2833
Number of pages10
Volume1
Edition1
ISBN (Electronic)9781466511040
DOIs
Publication statusPublished - Jan 2016

Publication series

NameMetals and Alloys Encyclopedia Collection
PublisherTaylor & Francis

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