The one constant in heat treatment in Gastonia, NC is the use of heat to forge a bond. While some methods of heat treatment don’t require temperatures as high as traditional welding, heat is still present in the process (if only as a byproduct). Therefore, along with heat comes another constant of heat treatment: the need to cool objects quickly and efficiently.
In the past, metallurgists have primarily relied on three competing methods to achieve their cooling goals. All of them pale in comparison to intelligent process cooling.
What is intelligent process cooling
Intelligent process cooling (IPC) involves a large closed-loop water chamber in which heat is neither allowed to enter nor escape. This chamber works alongside smaller cooling tanks to provide cold water when and where it’s needed. The modular nature of IPC setups means that business owners can adjust and grow as needed with minimal hassle.
Even more impressively, IPC installations can reduce water usage and chemical expenditure while providing flexible solutions designed to meet your needs.
The problem with conventional methods
Until now, the three principal means of cooling heat treatment projects were evaporative cooling towers, dry coolers and central chillers. IPC soundly beats each one of them, regardless of your needs for heat treatment in Gastonia, NC:
- Evaporative cooling towers use freshwater to cool projects. When the project heats the water, it is flushed into the tower and evaporated, releasing the heat. Not only can evaporative cooling towers only provide water cooled to 85 degrees Fahrenheit, but they also expend a tremendous amount of water. The closed loop of an IPC setup, by comparison, eliminates water waste while offering cooling water at a variety of different temperatures.
- Dry coolers use the air itself to cool projects. Though this process eliminates water expenditure, it relies heavily on the environment surrounding it. A dry cooling setup can only provide air that’s 10 degrees warmer than the air around it. In other words, using a dry cooler is challenging in warm weather. In cold weather, antifreeze agents need to be employed. IPC, meanwhile, uses fewer chemicals and is applicable regardless of the environment.
- Central chillers pump cooling water through a multi-chambered system. Much like an evaporative cooling tower, the water, once warmed, is returned to a central chiller, where the heat is transferred into a chemical refrigerant and expelled into the air. Unlike IPC, the temperature in central chillers is constant, and once again, chemical elements come into play.
“Efficient” is one word often used to describe intelligent process cooling. “Easy to use” is another. Time and again, IPC proves itself more efficient and environmentally friendly than the competition.
State-of-the-art care
At J. F. Heat Treating Inc., we’re committed to staying on the cutting edge of heat treatment in Gastonia, NC. That’s a commitment we pass on to our valued clients and customers. We specialize in the hardening and carbonizing of steel products, as well as a huge variety of services for the manufacturing and fabrication industries. Aging, quenching, annealing, cleaning, peening—we do it all, and with a dedication to quality and customer service. Give us a call today to discover the difference that J.F. Heat Treating Inc. delivers.