A Simulation study of the cooling of an isolated metal sphere in aqueous media (quenching)

Abstract

A quantitative study is carried of a metal cooling process in aqueous and water-polymer cooling liquids. In the study, an original spherical hot probe with a heat-insulated stem is used to simulate the cooling conditions of the operating part of the probe and to correspond to the cooling conditions of an isolated sphere. It has been shown that in this case the process consists of distinct consecutive stages, each of which can be studied separately in a quantitative way. The cooling process in all stages is described with a simple exponential relationship containing two parameters. One of these is the effective temperature of the cooling medium; the other is a time constant of the cooling process uniquely related to the heat dissipation coefficient. In the film boiling stage the effective temperature can be much lower than the nominal temperature; moreover, for cooling in cold water it is found to be lower than the absolute temperature, which indicates the dominant contribution of convection to the heat dissipation. The effective temperature of the medium is a monotonously increasing function of the nominal temperature and rises with rising liquid viscosity. Dependence of the cooling process time constant on the liquid temperature is influenced by two competing processes affecting convection, namely, by variations with temperature of the density and viscosity of a liquid. The effect of diminishing density becomes prevalent at temperatures of the liquid above ≈80°C.