Method and apparatus for the automatic monitoring of operating safety and for controlling the progress of the process in a vacuum heat-treatment oven
US5362031A · kind A · utility
Assignee
Inventors
Key dates
| Filing date | Apr 7, 1993 |
| Grant date | Nov 8, 1994 |
| Priority date | — |
| Expiry date | Apr 7, 2013 |
Classification
- Technology area (CPC F)Mechanical Engineering; Lighting; Heating
- CPC primaryF27B2005/167
- WIPO fieldThermal processes and apparatus
- WIPO sectorMechanical engineering
Abstract
In a vacuum heat treating oven operating with hydrogen under pressure as the cooling medium, especially for the quenching of greatly heated metal workpieces (5), a method is provided for the automatic control of the progress of the process and for monitoring safety of operation. The housing (4) of the heat treating oven is for this purpose connected to gas inlet lines (9 and 10), one for the admission of the cooling gas and one for the admission of the flushing gas (H.sub.2 and N.sub.2, respectively), and also to a vacuum line (17) and to a gas outlet line (11) into each of which gas sensors (24, 39, 42) are inserted, which during the quenching process signal the gas concentration to a central processing unit (41) which also is connected to pressure sensors (19, 20) and a gas sensor (21) which issue additional signals concerning the gas pressures prevailing in each instant in the interior of the housing (4) or gas inlet line (10) and concerning the gas concentration in the environment of the oven to the central processing unit (41), which then in turn, according to preset programs, actuates the gas inlet and gas outlet valves (25, 30, and 18, 28, respectively) and turns on or off t…
Source: USPTO / EPO open patent data. Objective bibliographic and citation counts.