One of, if not the biggest variable in the heat treatment of components is achieving a consistent and repeatable cooling process. New quenching oil does a great job of providing the needed cooling at a known rate. The challenge with oil in general is that it breaks down over time and its properties change. The biggest killer of oil is HEAT! For quench oil, these changes affect the oil's cooling curve, which change the performance of the hardening and strength of the part. Surface finish can also be affected because contaminates can be deposited on the treated part. The high heat from the process produces a bunch of contaminates, which gum up the whole system. This in turn, requires lots of maintenance and increases the risk of oil self-ignition. A properly designed fine filtration system can significantly reduce these effects, while improving quality and reducing operating cost. This paper will focus on what happens to quenching oil over time. How does it change the cooling curve of the oil and the impact on the quality of the heat treatment? The types of contaminates that are produced and their impact on the process will be explained. The shortcomings of a standard filter system will be explained. The benefits of adding a fine filtration system that keeps the oil as clean as possible will be shown. Finally we will show how to design a great fine quenching oil filtration system.
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