HIP Device Cooling Base and Gas Flow Passage
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Solution Overview
Problem
Conventional hot isostatic pressing devices face challenges in efficiently cooling the lower part of the high-pressure container, leading to potential electrical component burnout due to inadequate temperature reduction, especially when mixing pressure-medium gases with significant temperature differences during the cooling process.
Innovation Solution
The design incorporates a cooling promotion unit with a gas cooling flow passage within the base of the high-pressure container, allowing the pressure-medium gas to exchange heat with the base and further cool the gas before storing it in a gas storage unit, preventing electrical component burnout and ensuring efficient cooling of the hot zone.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Adaptability or versatility
If conventional HIP devices are used, then small batches of small-sized samples can be processed, but the device cannot accommodate large-sized samples and has limited versatility
Solution Approach 1:
The patent implements a nested structure where the sample holder is positioned inside the pressure vessel, which is itself inside the autoclave chamber. This nested arrangement allows compact packaging while maintaining access to large samples, resolving the contradiction between versatility and device complexity.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent transitions from processing samples in a single dimension (horizontal placement in conventional HIP devices) to three-dimensional processing capability by vertically suspending large samples from the autoclave ceiling using hangers, enabling accommodation of oversized samples that exceed traditional horizontal constraints.
2Adaptability or versatility
If HIP processing is performed on large samples, then versatility is improved, but processing time increases significantly
Solution Approach 1:
The patent employs continuous hot isostatic pressing by maintaining constant temperature and pressure throughout the entire sample volume simultaneously, eliminating the need for sequential processing of different sample sections. The heated gas continuously circulates around all samples, ensuring uniform and simultaneous treatment, thereby reducing total processing time while maintaining versatility.
3Productivity
If multiple samples are processed simultaneously, then productivity increases, but temperature uniformity across samples decreases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent implements localized heating zones with multiple independent heating elements positioned at different locations within the autoclave chamber, allowing each region to be independently controlled to maintain uniform temperature distribution across all samples simultaneously. Temperature sensors are also distributed throughout the chamber for real-time monitoring and adjustment.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent uses heated gas circulation as a fluid medium to transmit thermal energy uniformly to all samples simultaneously. The gas flow system ensures even heat distribution throughout the chamber, maintaining temperature uniformity across multiple samples processed in batch, thereby resolving the contradiction between productivity and temperature precision.
Applied Scientific Principles
This section explains which scientific principles are used to turn an abstract innovation direction into a practical engineering solution.
Function Achieved in This Case
This solution effectively cools the hot zone in a short time without risking electrical component burnout, maintaining temperatures below the heat resistance limit, and ensures efficient cooling of the processing chamber post-HIP processing.
Implementation Method 1
a sample holder (202) positioned within the pressure vessel (201) and configured to hold a plurality of green dense bodies
Implementation Method 2
configured to receive a plurality of green dense bodies
Data Source
Figure 1
Figure 2
AI summary
Provided is a hot isostatic pressing (HIP) device (1) that can efficiently cool a hot zone during HIP processing while restraining temperatures in the lower part of a high-pressure container. This HIP device (1) is provided with the following: gas-impermeable casings (3, 4) that surround an object to be processed (W); a heating unit (7) that is disposed inside these casings and forms a hot zone around the object to be processed (W); a high-pressure container (2); and a cooling unit that guides a pressure-medium gas cooled on the outside of the casings into the hot zone to cool the hot zone. The cooling unit comprises the following: a gas introduction unit that introduces the pressure-medium gas that has been cooled on the outside of the casings (3, 4) into the hot zone; and a cooling promotion unit (37) that cools the pressure medium gas by causing the pressure-medium gas that has been cooled on the outside of the casings to exchange heat with a base (11) of the high-pressure container (2).