Ipsen, Cherry Valley, Ill., recently designed and built a vertical high-pressure quenching furnace, complete with twin cooling systems and a work volume of 350 cubic feet. During the testing phase, the furnace quenched with 1000 horsepower (0.75 megawatts) – a remarkable achievement that began as an idea just months earlier.
As is typical with a custom build, the customer came to Ipsen with specific requirements: the company needed a large furnace with a very aggressive cooling rate. During the design phase, Ipsen’s engineering team determined that twin cooling systems providing 1000 horsepower quenching capability was the right solution due to process requirements and the geometry and cross-section of the parts.
Ipsen engineers, alongside the customer, looked on during the testing phase. “We saw the furnace backfill and then go into quench,” says Craig Moller, Chief Engineer. “It took us a minute to realize we were experiencing a ground-breaking design and test, with cooling curves that we’ve never seen for a furnace of this size.”
Ipsen engineers and manufactures innovative, highly technical thermal processing systems for unique or special applications. The opportunity to create custom solutions allows Ipsen to continue advancing technology and grow its portfolio of product offerings.
