US 12,085,341 B2
Apparatus and process for predicting metal heat treatment system failures
William Disler, Wixom, MI (US)
Assigned to AFC-Holcroft, L.L.C., Wixom, MI (US)
Filed by AFC-Holcroft, L.L.C., Wixom, MI (US)
Filed on Mar. 15, 2022, as Appl. No. 17/654,932.
Prior Publication US 2023/0296322 A1, Sep. 21, 2023
Int. Cl. C21D 9/00 (2006.01); C21D 11/00 (2006.01); F27D 21/00 (2006.01)
CPC F27D 21/0014 (2013.01) [C21D 11/00 (2013.01); F27D 2021/0057 (2013.01)] 17 Claims
OG exemplary drawing
 
1. An industrial metal heat treatment system, comprising:
a furnace casing defining a furnace chamber;
a heating element within the furnace chamber for heating the furnace chamber to a heat treatment temperature;
an endothermic gas inlet to the furnace chamber;
a quench chamber including a vestibule adjacent the heating chamber, and a quench bath positioning below the vestibule;
an inner door movable between a closed position for isolating the furnace chamber from the quench chamber, and an open position to allow transfer of a process load from the furnace chamber to the quench chamber;
a load transfer device for moving the process load from the furnace chamber to the vestibule;
at least one quench bath agitator; and
at least one sensor for collecting non-process control data characteristic of an operational status of a component of the system to establish benchmark performance data during a baseline process cycle.