Wetting and Cooling Performance of Vegetable Oils during Quench Hardening

Abstract

Wetting kinetics, kinematics, and cooling performance of vegetable oils (sunflower, gingelly, palm, and coconut oils) during quenching of Inconel 600 probe were studied using goniometry, online video imaging, and cooling curve analysis. The results were compared with a conventional mineral oil quench medium. Improved wettability was obtained for vegetable oils with lower viscosity. Cooling curve analyses showed three stages of cooling for both mineral and vegetable oils. Video imaging of the quenching process and differential scanning calorimetry analysis confirmed that the first stage of cooling was caused by the formation of vapor film in mineral oil and due to the occurrence of a heated liquid layer around the quench probe surface in vegetable oils. Vegetable oils showed continuous boiling phenomenon during the convective cooling stage of quenching. The cooling performance of vegetable oils was found to depend on the concentration of mono-unsaturated fatty acid. The heat extracting capability of vegetable oils with lower mono-unsaturated fatty acid oils was found to be higher. However, no correlation was observed between fatty acid composition and uniformity of heat transfer. When compared to mineral oil quenching, vegetable oil quenching produced faster wetting kinematics and better cooling performance. © 2016 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.