EP0156545B1

EP0156545B1 - Heat treatment with an autoregulating heater

Info

Publication number: EP0156545B1
Application number: EP85301501A
Authority: EP
Inventors: Rodney L. Derbyshire; Paul F. Busch
Original assignee: Metcal Inc
Current assignee: Metcal Inc
Priority date: 1984-03-06
Filing date: 1985-03-05
Publication date: 1990-09-12
Anticipated expiration: 2005-03-05
Also published as: ATE56476T1; CA1265419A; EP0156545A2; DE3579605D1; WO1985004069A1; JPH0656793B2; EP0156545A3; JPS61501355A

Abstract

Apparatus and process for selectively heat treating at least a portion of an article in the field with autoregulated heating. The autoregulated heating is provided by a heater including at least a first magnetic material disposed along the portion of the article to be heat treated. The first magnetic material has a magnetic permeability which sharply changes at temperatures at or near the autoregulating (AR) temperature thereof. The changes in permeability result in corresponding changes in the skin depth of the first magnetic material and, hence, the heating produced therein responsive to a.c. current passing therethrough. By maintaining the a.c. current constant in amplitude and frequency, the first magnetic material and the portion of the article are regulated at substantially the AR temperature of the first magnetic material. By selecting the first magnetic material to have AR temperature substantially corresponding to the temperature at which metal anneals, tempers, hardens, softens, stress relieves or the like, heat treating at an autoregulated temperature is achieved. The autoregulated heater can be incorporated into the article or can be applied to the article thereafter, in each case permitting in field heat treating. Autoregulated heating can also be achieved by any of various multilayer structures to provide desired autoregulation effects.

Description

In the field of metallurgy, heat treatment is employed to achieve numerous results. In a broad sense heat treatment includes any thermal treatment intended to control properties. With respect to metal alloys, such as steel, tempering and annealing are particularly well known methods of heat treatment.
Heat treating to achieve a desired alteration of properties is often times a process that is performed optimally at a specific temperature. In order to maintain control over temperature during such heat treatment, temperature chambers and complex heater/thermostat arrangements are generally employed.
Typically, heat treating is performed before an article is sent to the field-the properties of the article being defined at the mill, factory, or other producing facility. However, at the time of installation of the article or after the article has been in use for a period of time, it may be deemed desirable to effectuate changes in the metallurgical properties of the article in the fieid, or in situ, without the need for a temperature chamber, oven or heater-thermostat arrangement. For example, where a pipe section along a pipeline is subject to cold temperatures and attendant degradation of properties, it is often desirable to service the pipe section by heat treatment in the field without the need for removing the section. Similarly, when stress, fatigue, or temperature adversely affect a section of pipe along a pipeline or a strut along a bridge or the like, heat treatment in the field is often desirable. In addition, steels exposed to heavy neutron irradiation are generally embrittled.
In these and other situations, it is often found that only portions of an article require heat treatment and that, in fact, the heat treatment should be confined to only those portions and that those portions be heated to a uniform temperature. That is, it may be that only part of an article is to be hardened, softened, strengthened, stress-relieved, tempered, annealed, or otherwise treated-in which case it is desired that heat treating be localized.
In DE-A-1135586 there is disclosed a process for annealing a coated steel sheet in which an a.c. current is induced in the steel, thereby creating a Joule heating effect, and because the steel is a magnetic material having a Curie point autoregulation of the heat input can be achieved to sustain a temperature in the region of the Curie point. However, such technology is of very limited application because it can only be employed when the temperature of autoregulation, which is of course determined by the nature of the steel, is high enough to achieve the required annealing. That is to say, if the Curie temperature lies below the temperature that must be reached to achieve the desired heat treatment the process fails.
It is therefore an object of the present invention to overcome the very restricted nature of the prior process and provide a new solution which not only can be employed in the field after an article has been installed, and perhaps after extended use of that article, but also is not dependent on the Curie point of the material of the article.
According to the present invention, there is provided a process for altering the metallurgical properties of a metal article by a heat treatment, such as hardening, annealing, tempering or stress-relieving, characterised by the steps of: selecting a magnetic material having a Curie temperature that lies in the temperature region of the heat treatment to be applied to the article and which has a magnetic permeability which greatly exceeds 1 at temperatures below said Curie temperature, placing a layer of said magnetic material in thermal interchange relationship with said article, and passing an a.c. current of substantially constant amplitude through said magnetic material layer sufficient to generate enough Joule heating to raise the temperature of said magnetic material to about its Curie temperature, thereby providing a heater that supplies the heat for said heat treatment and auto-regulates substantially at the correct temperature level for said heat treatment.
As discussed in U.S. Patent 4,256,945 to Carter and Krumme, and entitled "AUTOREGULATING HEATER", the heat generated is inversely related to the temperature of the heater. The inverse relationship between the temperature of the heater and the heat generated thereby renders the heater autoregulating or self-regulating so that a controlled application of heating can be effected to heat treat a metal article in the field to a temperature determined by an autoregulating heater.
In one embodiment an autoregulating heater is provided along an article to be heat treated, wherein the heater has at least two thermally conductive layers-one comprising a magnetic layer and another comprising a low resistance nonmagnetic layer-wherein the magnetic layer has an AR temperature which substantially corresponds to the desired temperature for heat treatment of the article. According to this embodiment, a.c. current flows primarily through a shallow depth of the magnetic layer below the AR temperature and into the low resistance non-magnetic layer above the AR temperature, thereby greatly reducing heat generation at temperatures above the AR temperature. Autoregulation at a temperature substantially corresponding to the desired heat treatment temperature is achieved at generally several degrees less than the Curie point of the magnetic layer. Moreover, by properly defining the thickness of the low resistance non-magnetic layer a shielding effect is achieved for applications in which the generation of signals outside the heater is not desired.
In a further embodiment, a plurality of magnetic layers are provided in an autoregulating heater that is disposed along and transfers heat to an article in the field that is to be heat treated. In accordance with this embodiment, regulation at different AR temperatures-corresponding to the different magnetic layers-can be achieved. In this way, an article may be heat treated at any of several temperatures. Where heat treating, such as tempering, may include a plurality of stages-each characterized by given temperature and time specifications-this embodiment enables selected regulation at selectable temperatures. Interposing a low resistance non-magnetic layer between and in contact with two magnetic layers may also be employed in the auto-regulating heater to enable selectable temperature regulation in heat treatment an article in the field.
Any one of the autoregulating heaters set forth above may be incorporated into the article or portion thereof that is to be heat treated. The article-heater combination may be installed and, as required, the heater may be actuated by connecting a.c. current thereto to effectuate heat treatment in the field.
Alternatively, an autoregulating heater may be wrapped about a selected portion of a metal article in the field and the heater autoregulates at a corresponding AR temperature of a magnetic layer thereof-the magnetic layer being selected to have an AR temperature substantially corresponding to the desired heat treating temperature.
The invention thus provides an efficient, practical heat treatment without requiring an oven furnace, or complex heater/thermostat in a controlled atmosphere; and heat treatment that is conveniently performed in the field.
Such autoregulated heating of an article can be employed to obtain, retain, and/or regain desired metallurgical properties therein by heat treating to harden, soften, relieve stress, temper, anneal, strengthen, or otherwise render the metallurgical properties of the article more appropriate for its function or end use. For example, the invention contemplates relieving stress in articles or portions thereof which have been over-hardened in the field or which have been rendered brittle due to exposure to radiation or which have been heavily work hardened due to machining or which have undergone fatigue cycling while in the field which might lead to fracture or failure. Also, the invention contemplates heat treating tooled steel in the field and surface treating an article by nitriding or carburizing at a proper heat treating temperature.
Techniques according to the invention will now be described by way of example and with reference to the accompanying drawings in which:-

Figure I is an illustration of pipe being heat treated in situ by an autoregulating heater in accordance with the invention.
Figures II and III are cross-section views of two alternative types of autoregulating heaters.
Figure IV is a front perspective view of an embodiment of the invention that is illustrated in Figure III.
Figure V is a view illustrating an embodiment of the invention wherein a spring is heat treated.
Figure VI is a front perspective view of a three-layer pipe which comprises both the article to be heat treated and an autoregulating heater which selectively controls the temperature of heat treatment.

Referring to Figure I, a metal pipe section 100 is shown coupled between two other pipe sections 102 and 104. The pipe section 100 is located along a pipeline 106 which, preferably, carries a fluid-such as oil or gas. When so employed, the pipe section 100 is often times exposed to numerous conditions that may adversely affect the structure and properties thereof. For example, thermal changes may result in stressing the pipe section 100. In addition, welds along the pipe section 100 may require stress relief after field welding. To relieve such stress or otherwise enhance the metallurgical properties of the pipe section 100, an autoregulating heater 110 for heat treating the pipe section 100 in the field (in situ) is provided. In this regard, it must be realized that accurate heat treating control is important to avoid overheating or underheating which seriously detracts from the heat treatment. As discussed below, the autoregulating heater 110 may be of various forms-in each case the autoregulating heater 110 (a) being disposed along the pipe section 100 (or other workpiece) in the field along a length that is to be heat treated and (b) regulating at a temperature appropriate to heat treat the section 100 in the field. Moreover, the autoregulating heater 100 is of a nature which permits the maintaining of a uniform temperature locally along the length L of the pipe section 100 to be heat treated.
Referring still to Figure I, an a.c. current source 112 is shown. The source 112 provides a "constant" current which, preferably, is at a selected fixed frequency. The current is applied to enable the current to flow through a heating structure 114.
Several embodiments of heating structure 114 are illustrated in Figures II and III. In Figure II, the pipe section 200 is shown encompassed by a single magnetic layer 202. The magnetic layer 202 has a clamp member 204 which enables the magnetic layer 202 to be wrapped and held around the pipe section 200 in the field. The magnetic layer 202 has a prescribed resistivity (p) and a permeability (p) which varies sharply-at points above and below an autoregulation (AR) temperature. The AR temperature is typically a few degrees lower than the conventionally defined-Curie temperature of the magnetic layer 200. A sample table of magnetic materials is set forth below.
As is well known, the permeability (p) of the magnetic layer 202 corresponds substantially to the effective permeability well below the AR temperature and approximately one above the AR temperature. This variation in permeability changes the skin depth which is proportional to √ρ/µf. That is, as temperature increases to above the AR temperature, the permeability falls to one from, for example, 400 which results in the skin depth increasing by a factor of 20. The increase in skin depth, in turn, results in an increase in the cross-section through which a.c. current is primarily confined. In this regard, it is noted that a.c. current distribution relative to depth in a magnetic material is an exponential function, namely current falls off at the rate of 1-e^tt/S.D. where t is thickness and S.D. is skin depth. Accordingly, 63.2% of the current is confined to one skin depth. That is, where 1²R is the heat generated and where 1² is considered relatively "constant", changes in R primarily determine changes in heat generation. Hence, as the temperature of the magnetic layer 202 increases above the AR temperature, the 1²R heat generated drops. Conversely, as the temperature drops below the AR temperature, the 1²R heat increases in accordance with skin depth changes. This effect is what characterizes a heater as autoregulating or self-regulating.
It should be noted that according to the invention a current is considered "constant" if the change in current (Δl) and change in resistance (ΔR) follow the relationship:
Still referring to Figure II, it is noted then that as "constant" a.c. current is applied to the magnetic layer 202 the current is confined to a shallow depth about the outer periphery thereof when the temperature of the magnetic layer 202 is below the AR temperature thereof. As the temperature increases and exceeds the AR temperature, the skin depth spreads to deeper thicknesses and current thereby flows through a larger cross-section. The heat generated is thereby reduced.
In that the magnetic layer 202 is thermally conductive, the heat generated thereby when the skin depth is shallow is transferred to the pipe section 200. Moreover, since each portion of the magnetic layer 202 generates heat in response to its temperature, the heat is distributed so that greater heat is supplied to colder areas and less heat is supplied to warmer areas. Thus, heat from the magnetic layer 202 serves to raise the temperature of the length L (see Figure I) to a uniform level. In accordance with the invention as embodied in Figure II, the uniform level substantially corresponds to the AR temperature of the magnetic layer 202 and the temperature at which the desired heat treatment of the length L is effectuated.
Specifically, the AR temperature of the first magnetic layer 202 is selectable to correspond to the tempering temperature or the annealing temperature of the pipe section 100. In this regard it is noted that auto-regulation temperatures-near the Curie points-as high as 1120°C (the Curie temperature of Cobalt) are readily achievable by proper selection of magnetic alloy for the magnetic layer 202.
The heat treatment of steel and other metals (e.g. alloys) from which the pipe section 100 can be made is typically performed at temperatures below the auto-regulation upper limits. Accordingly, the proper selection of an alloy wherein AR temperature substantially corresponds to the desired heat treatment temperature can be made.
Where heat treating is normally conducted for a given period of time, it is further noted that the source 112 may be selectively switched on and off to provide the desired heat treatment period. Alternatively, the heater may have plug or contact elements to which the source 112 can be selectively connected or disconnected as desired.
Referring again to Figure 1, it is observed that the source 112 is connected to the pipe section 100 and the magnetic layer 110. In this embodiment the pipe section 100 may be a low resistance non-magnetic material. As the skin depth of the magnetic layer 110 increases, current will eventually spread to the pipe section 100. The resistance R thereby drops sharply and little 1²R heat is produced. If needed, a circuit (not shown) may be provided to protect the source 112. The magnetic layer 110, it is noted; has a thickness defined to enable current to spread into pipe section 100 when temperatures rise above the Curie temperature. Preferably the magnetic layer is 1.0 to 1.8 skin depths (at the effective permeability) in thickness although other thicknesses may be employed.
Still referring to Figure if the pipe section 100 is not of a low resistance material, the source 112 would be connected directly across the magnetic layer 110 which, as desired, may include coupling elements (not shown) for receiving leads from the source 112.
Turning now to Figure III, pipe section 300 is encircled by a heater 301 that includes a low resistance layer 302 (e.g. copper) which is encircled by magnetic layer 304. The layers 302 and 304 are in contact with each other and are each thermally conductive. An a.c. current is applied to the heater 301, the current being primarily confined to a shallow depth below the AR temperature and the current spreading to flow along the low resistance path above the AR temperature. The pipe section 300 has heat supplied thereto by the autoregulating heater 301.
Figure IV shows the connection of substantially constant a.c. current to an autoregulating heater 400 which is similar to heater 301. A source 402 supplies a.c. current which is initially confined to the outer skin of an outer magnetic layer 404. The inner layer comprises a low resistance, non-magnetic layer 406 which encompasses a solid article 408-such as a pipe, strut, girder, or the like. When the magnetic layer 404 is below its AR temperature-which is typically several degrees below the Curie point-considerable heat is generated therein. As the temperature climbs to the AR temperature, a.c. current penetrates into the low resistance layer 406 resulting in a decrease in generated heat. That is, as is known in the art, the a.c. current flows mainly along the outer surface of layer 404-the surface adjacent the circuit loop-when the temperature is below the AR temperature. When the temperature reaches the AR temperature, the a.c. current spreads through the layer 404, which preferably has a thickness of several skin depths when the layer 406 is at its effective permeability, and into the layer 406 resulting in less 1²R heat.
A connection of a.c. to the embodiment of Figure II may be made in a manner similar to that shown in Figure IV. Moreover, the heater of Figure II may also encircle a solid article-rather than the hollow article shown therein-to achieve the heat treatment thereof. Such heat treatment includes tempering, annealing, strengthening, increasing ductility, relieving stress, or otherwise affecting the metallurgical properties of a metal member. The heat treatment may be effected during assembly, repair or servicing of the metal member to obtain, retain, or regain desired properties.
Referring now to Figure V, a spring 500 comprises a Beryllium-copper layer 502 and a magnetic alloy layer 504. The Beryllium-copper layer 502 in a soft and ductile condition may be formed and fit to be placed in a desired location. After placement, the magnetic alloy layer 504 has a.c. current supplied thereto by a source 506-which results in the heater 500 initially increasing in temperature. The temperature is regulated at the Curie temperature of the layer 504. The regulated temperature substantially corresponds to the temperature at which the Beryllium-copper layer 502 hardens to a strong, spring-temper condition. This heat treating is preferably conducted for several minutes at about 400°C. Other alloys, such as aluminum and magnesium alloys may also be hardened by such short, low temperature treating. Due to their high inherent conductivity, fabricating such alloys into the heater is contemplated by the invention.
In addition to hardening, it is noted that alloys may soften if heated too hot or too long. Accordingly, the invention contemplates softening as well in situ.
Figure VI shows a three layer pipe 700 including two concentric magnetic layers 702, 704 with a non- magnetic layer 706 therebetween. A "constant" a.c. source 708 is switchably connectable so that current flows along either the outer surface or inner surface of the pipe 700 when below the AR temperature of layer 702 or of layer 704 respectively. The pipe 700 thus comprises both the article to be heat treated and auto-regulating heaters disposed to effect heat treatment.
In any of the embodiments, it is further noted, heat treatment may be performed repeatedly as required by simply connecting the a.c. source and applying current to the heater.
Moreover, in yet another embodiment of heat treating in the field, the invention contemplates heating a metal by any of the various mechanisms discussed above and flushing the heated metal in the field with a gas to effectuate nitriding or carburizing. Carburizing and nitriding are known forms of surface-treating which, in accordance with the invention, are performed in the field, when the article is at the autoregulated temperature.
Given the above teachings, it is noted that insulation and circuit protection may be included in the various embodiments by one of skill in the art.

Claims

1. A process for altering the metallurgical properties of a metal article by a heat treatment, such as hardening, annealing, tempering or stress-relieving, characterised by the steps of: selecting a magnetic material having a Curie temperature that lies in the temperature region of the heat treatment to be applied to the article and which has a magnetic permeability which greatly exceeds 1 at temperatures below said Curie temperature, placing a layer of said magnetic material in thermal interchange relationship with said article, and passing an a.c. current of substantially constant amplitude through said magnetic material layer sufficient to generate enough Joule heating to raise the temperature of said magnetic material to about its Curie temperature, thereby providing a heater that supplies the heat for said heat treatment and auto- regulates substantially at the correct temperature level for said heat treatment.

2. A process according to Claim 1, wherein the magnetic material layer is placed directly in contact with the article to be heat treated.

3. A process according to Claim 1, wherein a layer of non-magnetic heat-conducting low-electrical resistance material, such as copper, is interposed between the magnetic material layer and the article to be heat-treated.

4. A process according to Claim 1 or Claim 2, wherein a second a.c. electric current conducting magnetic material layer is also placed in thermal interchange relationship with said article to be heat treated, said second magnetic material layer having a higher Curie temperature than said first layer.

5. A process according to Claim 4, wherein the two magnetic material layers are applied to opposite surfaces of said article and the a.c. supply is switchable from one layer to the other.

6. A process according to any preceding claim wherein a part only of the article is to be heat-treated and the autoregulating heater layer or layers are so dimensioned and placed as to heat substantially only that part.

7. A process according to any preceding claim, wherein the auto-regulating heater layer or layers are separate from and are wrapped around the article to be heat-treated, for heat-treating the article in the field or after installation.

8. A process according to any preceding claim, wherein the article to be heat-treated is initially in a ductile state and the heat treatment serves to harden it after installation in a field situation.

9. A process according to any preceding claim, wherein the heat treatment of the article includes a surface treatment carried out in a field situation.

10. A process according to Claim 9, wherein the surface treatment comprises nitriding or carburizing.