JP2007309548A - Hot isotropic pressurizing device - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a hot isotropic pressurizing device of a simple structure capable of reducing a temperature distribution in a treatment chamber, in particular, increasing a cooling speed in a cooling process. <P>SOLUTION: This hot isotropic pressurizing device has a high-pressure container 2, an isolated chamber forming body received in the high-pressure container, and a treatment chamber forming body 4 received in the isolated chamber forming body, the isolated chamber forming body is provided with a passage 18 for communicating the inside and outside on its upper end, and a passage 19 for communicating the inside and outside and an opening/closing valve 7 for opening and closing the passage on its lower end, the treatment chamber forming body is opened at its upper end and provided with a fan 27 for ventilation on its lower end, and the opening/closing valve has a valve element 40 integrated with a motor 28 for driving the fan, and is opened and closed by moving the motor in its driving shaft 19 direction. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2008,JPO&INPIT

Description

  The present invention relates to a hot isostatic pressing apparatus that performs diffusion bonding of different materials, for example, in an inert gas atmosphere of high temperature and pressure.

Hot isostatic pressing (hereinafter sometimes referred to as “HIP method”) is performed in a cast product by processing at a temperature higher than the recrystallization temperature of the object to be processed in a high-pressure gas atmosphere of several tens to several hundreds of MPa. As a technique for eliminating residual pores in sintered products such as ceramics, effects such as improvement of mechanical characteristics, reduction of variation in characteristics, and improvement of yield have been confirmed, and they have been widely used industrially.
The structure of a normal hot isostatic press apparatus (hereinafter sometimes referred to as “HIP apparatus”) used for such a purpose is a vertical type like the hot isostatic press apparatus 101 shown in FIG. A resistance wire heating type electric furnace is housed inside a cylindrical high-pressure vessel 102. Inside the high-pressure vessel 102, resistance wire heating type heaters 103, 103, 103 are arranged in a plurality of stages in the vertical direction so as to surround the processing chamber 104. This is because the natural distribution of the gas for pressurization and heating tends to generate a temperature distribution in which the upper part is hot and the lower part is low. . In addition, the natural convection of the gas also causes the heat for heating and raising the temperature of the processing chamber 104 to be excessively dissipated outside the system. A structure that surrounds the processing chamber 104 and the heaters 103, 103, 103 is employed. The heat transferred to the high pressure vessel 102 through the heat insulating structure 105 is removed by the cooling water flowing through the water cooling jacket portion 106.

By the way, the hot isostatic press was invented in the middle of the 1950s, and for about 20 years thereafter, the temperature of the high-pressure vessel was soaked in the temperature and pressure holding process to allow stable operation. The effect of natural convection was noted. For this reason, research and development have been mainly conducted on an internal heater structure and a heat insulating structure for suppressing heat dissipation from the high-temperature processing chamber space to the inner surface of the high-pressure vessel, and the hot isostatic pressure shown in FIGS. A structure with a high heat insulating effect represented by the press devices 101 and 111 has been adopted.
A hot isostatic pressing device 101 shown in FIG. 14 has a cylindrical heat insulating structure 105 with an upper bottom provided with communication passages 107, 107 for communicating inside and outside at the bottom, and the heat shown in FIG. The isostatic pressing device 111 has a cylindrical heat insulating structure 113 with an upper bottom provided with communication passages 112 and 112 that are closed at the bottom and communicate with the inside and outside at the upper end.

The difference between the hot isostatic presses 101 and 111 shown in FIG. 14 and FIG. 15 is the difference in the way of thinking of natural convection due to the temperature difference between the inside and outside of the heat insulating structures 105 and 113. The heat insulation structure 105 shown in FIG. 14 has a heat insulation structure while eliminating the pressure difference due to the gas density difference between the inside and the outside of the heat insulation structure 105 by the communication passages 107 107 at the lower end of the heat insulation structure 105. Closing the upper portion of the body 105 suppresses convection in the high-pressure vessel 102 and prevents excessive heat dissipation to the outside 105 of the heat insulating structure.
On the other hand, the heat insulating structure 113 shown in FIG. 15 eliminates the pressure difference between the inside and outside of the heat insulating structure 113 by the communication paths 112 and 112 at the upper end of the heat insulating structure 113 and closes the lower part of the heat insulating structure 113 to thereby close the high pressure container. The convection in 114 is suppressed and excessive heat dissipation outside the heat insulating structure 113 is prevented.

By adopting a structure as shown in FIG. 14 and FIG. 15 as a hot isostatic pressing apparatus, in the temperature and pressure holding process, practical temperature equalization inside the high-pressure vessels 102 and 114 is achieved and stable operation is achieved. On the other hand, the structure shown in FIGS. 14 and 15 has a high heat insulation effect, so the cooling rate cannot be increased in the cooling step after the temperature-pressure holding step, and the cooling step is long. The problem of taking time has arisen.
Therefore, a method of dissipating heat using the convection of the gas in the high-pressure vessel in the cooling process while maintaining sufficient heat insulation performance in the temperature and pressure holding process was studied, and at first, natural convection due to the temperature difference (density difference) of the gas An attempt was made to use it.

  For example, in the hot isostatic pressing apparatus 101 as shown in FIG. 14, a flow path that connects the inside and the outside and a valve that opens and closes the flow path are provided at the upper end of the heat insulating structure 105, and the valve is opened and insulated in the cooling process. Natural convection is generated by a pressure difference between the inside and outside of the structure 105, and heat exchange by the inner surface of the high-pressure vessel 102 is used. Further, in the hot isostatic pressing device 111 as shown in FIG. 15, a flow path that communicates the inside and the outside and a valve that opens and closes the flow path are provided at the lower end of the heat insulating structure 113, and the valve is opened in the cooling process. Convection is generated and heat exchange by the inner surface of the high-pressure vessel 114 is used (Patent Document 1).

However, the method of heat exchange by natural convection as in the hot isostatic pressing device disclosed in Patent Document 1 must be premised on the existence of a temperature distribution in the vertical direction in the processing chamber that is not preferable. In addition, in the heat exchange method by natural convection, for example, as disclosed in Patent Document 1, there are many cases where a side heater and a base heater are provided side by side for heating. The circumferential temperature distribution is not uniform. Furthermore, when cooling progresses and the temperature difference between the inside and outside of the high-pressure vessel decreases, there is a problem that the speed of convection in the high-pressure vessel is slowed down. The method of generating uniform convection and soaking is the mainstream of research and development. (Patent Document 2, Patent Document 3).
U.S. Pat. No. 4,217,087 U.S. Pat. No. 4,349,333 JP 2003-336972 A

For example, the hot isostatic pressing device disclosed in Patent Document 2 can be expected to increase the cooling rate in the cooling process by providing a fan, while providing a special gas flow inside the side heater and the base heater. Since it is necessary to have a complicated structure for formation, it is considered that storing and taking out the object to be processed becomes complicated, and maintenance of the hot isostatic pressing apparatus is not easy.
The hot isostatic pressing device disclosed in Patent Document 3 cannot cool the internal gas in the cooling process by directly contacting the inner surface of the high-pressure cylinder cooled by the cooling water of the jacket. When the temperature decreases, the cooling rate may decrease despite the fan being provided.

  The present invention has been made in view of the above-mentioned problems, and is a hot isostatic pressing device that can reduce the temperature distribution in the processing chamber in the HIP process and can increase the cooling rate particularly in the cooling process and has a simple structure. The purpose is to provide.

In order to achieve the above object, the present invention takes the following technical means.
That is, the hot isostatic pressing apparatus according to the present invention is a hot isostatic pressing apparatus for accommodating a processing object and processing the processing object with a high-temperature and high-pressure inert gas. A container, an isolation surface forming body accommodated in the high pressure container with an outer surface spaced from the inner surface of the high pressure container, and an outer surface accommodated in the isolation chamber forming body spaced from the inner surface of the isolation chamber forming body The isolation chamber forming body is provided with a passage in which one of the upper end and the lower end is opened or communicated with the one inside and outside, and the inside and outside communicate with the other of the upper end and the lower end. The processing chamber forming body is provided with a passage in which one of the upper end and the lower end is opened or communicated with the inside and the outside, and the other of the upper end and the lower end is provided. The fan is replaced It is provided for, the on-off valve is formed by being configured to open and close operation by moving the motor is integrated in the motor the valve body to drive the fan to the drive axis.

Preferably, a center of an opening portion of the passage opened and closed by the on-off valve to the isolation chamber forming body substantially coincides with an axis of the processing chamber forming body, and the rotation center of the fan is the processing chamber forming body. It is comprised so that it may substantially correspond to the axial center.
Preferably, the opening / closing valve is provided at a lower end of the isolation chamber forming body, the fan is provided at a lower end of the processing chamber forming body, and the valve body of the opening / closing valve connects the motor and the fan. The drive shaft is integrated with the motor in a state where the drive shaft penetrates rotatably.
Another hot isostatic pressing apparatus according to the present invention is a hot isostatic pressing apparatus for accommodating a processing object and processing the processing object with a high-temperature and high-pressure inert gas. A container, an isolation surface forming body accommodated in the high pressure container with an outer surface spaced from the inner surface of the high pressure container, and an outer surface accommodated in the isolation chamber forming body spaced from the inner surface of the isolation chamber forming body The isolation chamber forming body is provided with a passage in which one of the upper end and the lower end is opened or communicated with the one inside and outside, and the inside and outside communicate with the other of the upper end and the lower end. The processing chamber forming body is provided with a passage where one of the upper ends is opened or the upper end is connected to the inside and outside, and a fan is provided at the lower end for ventilation. Provided on the on-off valve. The center of the opening of the passage to be opened and closed to the isolation chamber forming body is provided so as to substantially coincide with the axial center of the processing chamber forming body, and the rotation center of the fan is aligned with the axial center of the processing chamber forming body. It arrange | positions so that it may correspond substantially and it drives with a motor.

  You may comprise the said fan connected with the said motor by either the combination of a sprocket and a chain, the combination of a pulley and a belt, or the combination of a gear.

  According to the present invention, it is possible to provide a hot isostatic pressing device that can reduce the temperature distribution in the processing chamber in the HIP processing and increase the cooling rate particularly in the cooling step and has a simple structure.

FIG. 1 is a front sectional view of a hot isostatic pressing device 1 according to the present invention, and FIG. 2 is a partial front sectional view of a lower portion of the hot isostatic pressing device 1.
In FIG. 1, a hot isostatic pressing apparatus 1 includes a high-pressure vessel 2, a heat insulating structure 3, a processing chamber forming body 4, a heater 5, a stirring device 6, a cooling control valve 7, and the like.
The high-pressure vessel 2 includes a pressure-resistant cylindrical portion 8, an upper lid 9 that closes the upper end of the pressure-resistant cylindrical portion 8, and a lower lid 10 that closes the lower end of the pressure-resistant cylindrical portion 8. The high-pressure vessel 2 is provided with seal rings 11 and 11 at a fitting portion between the pressure-resistant cylindrical portion 8 and the upper lid 9 and a fitting portion between the pressure-resistant cylindrical portion 8 and the lower lid 10, so that the pressure is several tens to 100 MPa or more. Can withstand. A jacket 12 for circulating cooling water is provided on the outer periphery of the pressure-resistant cylindrical portion 8. Arranged inside the lower lid 10 are an argon gas introduction path 13 and a liquid argon introduction path 14, which are independent of each other and communicate with the inside and outside of the high-pressure vessel 2.

The heat insulating structure 3 includes a structure body 15, a lid 16, a lower lid cover 17, and the like.
The structure body 15 is a cylinder having an outer diameter smaller than the inner diameter of the pressure-resistant cylindrical portion 8, and has an upper end integrated with the lid 16 and a lower end integrated with the lower lid cover 17. A lid 16 is integrated with the structure body 15 so as to be openable and closable, and a plurality of upper gas passages 18 and 18 are provided at the joint portion between the structure body 15 and the lid 16 to communicate the inside and outside of the heat insulating structure 3. . A plurality of lower gas passages 19, 19 are provided at the joint portion between the structure body 15 and the lower lid cover 17 to communicate the inside and outside of the heat insulating structure 3. The structure body 15 is fixed to the lower lid 10 via the lower lid cover 17.

The isolation chamber forming body in the present invention includes the structure body 15 and the lid 16.
The processing chamber forming body 4 includes a rectifying cylinder 20, shelves 21a to 21d, a casing 22, and the like.
The rectifying cylinder 20 is a cylinder having an outer diameter smaller than the inner diameter of the structure body 15, and is accommodated inside the structure body 15 with an appropriate gap between the upper end and the inner surface of the lid 16. . The upper end of the flow straightening cylinder 20 is opened and the lower end is continuous with the casing 22. The rectifying cylinder 20 supports four shelf plates 21a to 21d arranged horizontally at substantially equal intervals from the lower end thereof. The rectifying cylinder 20 is fixed to the structure body 15 by a bracket or the like (not shown). The rectifying cylinder 20 may be configured to include a plurality of passages that do not open the upper end but provide a lid to communicate the inside and outside of the rectifying cylinder 20.

In the following description, the space inside the rectifying cylinder 20 is referred to as a “processing chamber 23”.
The shelf boards 21a to 21d are for placing a processing object W on which a hot isostatic pressing process (hereinafter sometimes referred to as “HIP process”) is performed. The shelf plates 21a to 21d are provided with a plurality of holes 24a,..., 24a, 24b,..., 24b, 24c,. Is configured to be able to move in the vertical direction without hindrance.
The casing 22 has a cylindrical shape that is disposed below the rectifying cylinder 20 and extends the rectifying cylinder 20, and includes a fan outer frame portion 26 that has a substantially circular fan hole 25 at the lower end. The center of the fan hole 25 substantially coincides with the axial center of the flow straightening cylinder 20, that is, the axial center of the processing chamber forming body 4.

The heater 5 is provided inside the casing 22 below the bottom shelf 21a.
The stirring device 6 includes a fan 27 and a motor 28. The fan 27 is for ventilating the processing chamber 23, and is a general axial flow type propeller fan having inclined blades. The rotation center is located in the fan hole 25 and the axis of the processing chamber forming body 4. Arranged so that they are approximately the same. The fan 27 is connected to a motor 28 disposed below by a drive shaft 29 and driven. The motor 28 is accommodated in a motor hole 30 provided in the lower lid 10.
In general, a high-pressure vessel of a hot isostatic press apparatus has a feature that a gas having a low temperature tends to stay near the lower lid when the temperature becomes high. It can prevent that 28 is heated too much.

The cooling control valve 7 is formed by a bottom plate 32, a valve body member 33 and a valve driving actuator 34. The bottom plate 32 is provided with a circular hole 39 whose center is substantially coincident with the axis of the processing chamber forming body 4 in the disc, and the vicinity of the edge of the circular hole 39 functions as a valve seat. The bottom plate 32 is disposed substantially horizontally below the fan outer frame portion 26 with a gap between the bottom plate 32 and the fan outer frame portion 26, and is fixed to the structure body 15.
The valve body member 33 includes a thick disc-shaped valve body portion 40 and a columnar support portion 41 protruding downward from the center of the lower surface of the valve body portion 40, and a through hole 42 passes through the center thereof. .

The cooling control valve 7 corresponds to “an on-off valve that opens and closes a passage communicating the inside and the outside” provided in the isolation chamber forming body in the present invention.
In the valve body member 33, the drive shaft 29 is passed through the through hole 42 and the protruding end of the support portion 41 is fixed to the motor 28. That is, the valve body member 33 is configured so as to move up and down in the high-pressure vessel 2 integrally with the fan 27 and the motor 28. The valve body member 33 opens and closes the hole 39 when the peripheral portion of the upper surface of the valve body portion 40 abuts or leaves the vicinity of the edge of the hole 39 of the bottom plate 32. The fan 27 moves up and down in the fan hole 25 as the cooling control valve 7 is opened and closed. However, since the fan 27 is an axial flow fan, suction and discharge can be performed without any trouble. A seal ring 43 is provided around the edge of the upper surface of the valve body 40 to maintain airtightness when the cooling control valve 7 is closed.

  The valve drive actuator 34 is a fluid pressure cylinder that is operated by gas pressure. The tip of the rod 35 is fixed to the lower end of the motor 28, is disposed below the motor 28, and is accommodated in the motor hole 30. The expansion port 36 of the valve drive actuator 34 communicates with the working argon introduction path 37, and the contraction port 38 opens into the hot isostatic pressing device 1. A push-up spring 31 that is a coil spring is provided on the outer periphery of the rod 35 between the valve drive actuator 34 and the motor 28. The push-up spring 31 urges the motor hole 30 upward to be described later. In the temperature / pressure holding step (# 16) of the HIP process, the cooling control valve 7 is kept closed.

The valve drive actuator 34 may be an actuator such as a hydraulic drive or an electric motor drive instead of a gas pressure drive.
Between the bottom plate 32 and the lower lid cover 17, an argon gas inlet 44 that communicates with the argon gas introduction path 13 and a liquid argon inlet 45 that communicates with the liquid argon introduction path 14 are opened.
Next, the HIP process of the nickel-base superalloy material performed under the processing conditions of a temperature of about 1200 ° C. and a pressure of about 100 MPa by the hot isostatic pressing apparatus 1 will be described.

FIG. 3 is a flowchart of the HIP process, FIG. 4 is a diagram showing changes in temperature and pressure of the HIP process, and FIGS. 5 to 8 are diagrams showing the movement of argon gas in the hot isostatic pressing apparatus 1.
First, the upper lid 9 and the lid 16 of the heat insulating structure 3 are opened upward, and the processing object W is placed on the shelf plates 21 a to 21 d of the processing chamber 23. The lid 16 is closed, and the upper lid 9 of the high-pressure vessel 2 is closed with care so as to withstand high pressure (# 11).
Subsequently, the air in the hot isostatic press apparatus 1 is exhausted by a vacuum pump (not shown) connected to the argon gas introduction path 13 (# 12). When a vacuum gauge (not shown) attached to the line to the high-pressure vessel 2 or the vacuum pump becomes below a predetermined pressure, the evacuation operation is finished, and the argon gas decompressed to about 1 MPa is heated via the argon gas introduction path 13. Injecting into the isostatic press 1. When the pressure of a pressure gauge (not shown) attached to the high pressure vessel 2 becomes substantially equal to the supply pressure of the argon gas, the argon gas injection is stopped, and the argon gas in the hot isostatic press apparatus 1 is passed through the argon gas introduction path. Release via 13. Such an operation of replacing the residual air in the hot isostatic pressing apparatus 1 with argon gas is performed twice or three times (# 13).

Thereafter, argon gas having a supply pressure of about 10 MPa is injected into the hot isostatic pressing device 1 via the argon gas introduction path 13 (differential pressure injection, # 14).
When the pressure in the hot isostatic pressing device 1 and the supply pressure of the argon gas are substantially equal and the pressure increase in the hot isostatic pressing device 1 is stopped, the heater 5 is energized to start heating, Argon gas pressurized by a compressor (not shown) is supplied into the hot isostatic press 1 (# 15). Further, the motor 28 is activated to rotate the fan 27.
The argon gas supplied into the hot isostatic pressing device 1 from the argon gas inlet 44 passes between the pressure-resistant cylindrical portion 8 and the heat insulating structure 3 from the lower gas passages 19 and 19 with reference to FIG. It rises and enters the inside of the heat insulating structure 3 from the upper gas passages 18 and 18. Inside the heat insulating structure 3, the argon gas forms an ascending gas flow inside the processing chamber 23 and a descending gas flow outside the processing chamber 23 by forced convection due to rotation of the fan 27 and natural convection due to heating by the heater 5, Circulates inside and outside the processing chamber 23. That is, the descending gas flow outside the processing chamber 23 hits the bottom plate 32 in the vicinity of the lower end of the heat insulating structure 3 and flows inward, and is sucked into the fan 27 and circulates in the processing chamber 23 in which the processing object W is stored. Thus, a soaking state is realized.

Since the argon gas heated by the heater 5 has buoyancy, the fan 27 does not require a large head difference function and an axial flow method is suitable.
Each shelf plate 21a-21d is provided with a number of holes 24a, ..., 24a, 24b, ..., 24b, 24c, ..., 24c, 24d, ..., 24d. It is performed smoothly without being obstructed by 21a to 21d, and the processing object W is efficiently heated.
When the pressure in the hot isostatic pressing device 1 measured by a pressure gauge (not shown) reaches a predetermined pressure (100 MPa), the supply of argon gas is stopped. Further, when the temperature of the processing chamber 23 measured by a thermometer (not shown) reaches a predetermined temperature (1200 ° C.), the temperature rise is stopped and the temperature is switched to hold by turning the heater 5 on and off.

The hot isostatic press 1 is filled with argon gas and held for a predetermined time with the temperature in the processing chamber 23 being substantially constant (# 16). Even in such a temperature and pressure holding state, the argon gas in the heat insulating structure 3 is circulated by the fan 27, and the processing object W is maintained at a constant temperature by the temperature-controlled argon gas.
In this temperature and pressure maintaining step (# 16), the gas flow naturally flows in a loop as shown in FIG. 6 by the rising flow of the high pressure gas heated by the heater 5 and lightened. The fan 27 is for accelerating this gas flow, and since the argon gas inside the heat insulating structure 3 has the buoyancy, the fan 27 does not need a large head difference function and an axial flow method is suitable. ing. In some cases, it is possible to weaken the gas flow by reversing the fan 27. In any case, it is an excellent heating method in that natural convection is promoted by forced convection by the fan 27 in order to achieve soaking, that is, a natural phenomenon is used.

  In each process from the exhaust (# 12) in the high-pressure vessel 2 to the temperature / pressure holding process (# 16), the cooling control valve 7 is closed. The closed state of the cooling control valve 7 is maintained by opening the closing valve 46 provided in the external piping that connects the external piping for supplying argon gas to the argon gas introducing passage 13 and the working argon introducing passage. The In these steps (# 12 to # 16) excluding the temperature and pressure holding step (# 16), the closing valve 47 provided in the external pipe for supplying argon gas to the argon gas introduction path 13 is opened to drive the valve. The pressure in the contraction side cylinder chamber (lower side in FIG. 2) of the actuator 34 and the pressure in the expansion side cylinder chamber are the same. Due to the difference in the pressure receiving area of the piston (contraction side> extension side), the valve body member 33 The cooling control valve 7 is kept closed by being pressed against the bottom plate 32.

Also, during the opening / closing operation of the blocking valve 46 and the blocking valve 47 performed in the exhaust (# 12) and argon gas replacement (# 13), and in the temperature control in the temperature-pressure holding step (# 16) in which argon gas is sealed Even when the pressure in the high-pressure vessel 2 temporarily rises to cause the valve drive actuator 34 to contract, the closed state of the cooling control valve 7 is maintained by the urging force of the push-up spring 31.
After maintaining the pressure in the hot isostatic pressing apparatus 1 and the temperature of the processing chamber 23 for a predetermined time, cooling is performed.

The cooling process is performed in at least three stages depending on the temperature. In the cooling step, the cooling water flows through the jacket 12 and the pressure-resistant cylindrical portion 8 is cooled to increase the cooling rate.
The first cooling is started by completely stopping the heating by the heater 5 at the end of holding, that is, in a state where the argon gas is confined in the hot isostatic pressing apparatus 1. As shown in FIG. 6, the argon gas in the heat insulating structure 3 circulates inside the heat insulating structure 3 as shown in FIG. 6, and is cooled by heat dissipation by heat conduction via the structure main body 15 and the lid 16. The processing object W is cooled by the cooled argon gas (# 17).

  In particular, in the initial cooling stage where the temperature of the processing chamber 23 is close to a predetermined temperature (1200 ° C.) at which the HIP process is performed, the inner surface of the pressure-resistant cylindrical portion 8 cooled with the cooling water of the jacket 12 and the hot isostatic press 1 When the argon gas is cooled while circulating the argon gas on the inner surface of the pressure-resistant cylindrical portion 8, there is a risk that a large temperature distribution is generated in the processing chamber 23 due to the rapidly cooled argon gas. Therefore, the hole 39 of the bottom plate 32 is closed by the cooling control valve 7 and descends between the pressure-resistant cylindrical portion 8 and the heat insulating structure 3 from the upper gas passages 18 and 18, and the hole 39 of the bottom plate 32 is opened from the lower gas passages 19 and 19. The generation of a circulation flow that reaches the processing chamber 23 via the passage is prevented, and rapid cooling of the argon gas, that is, the generation of the temperature distribution in the processing chamber 23 is prevented (natural cooling).

In the first stage of cooling, the pressure in the hot isostatic pressing device 1 naturally decreases according to Boyle's law (see FIG. 3).
When the temperature of the processing chamber 23 reaches around 800 ° C. (the pressure at this time is about 80 MPa) at which the cooling rate by natural cooling is slowed down, the motor 28 is lowered to open the cooling control valve 7 (# 18), and forced (Convection) Start cooling. The motor 28 is lowered by lowering the pressure of the working argon introduction path 37 and causing the valve drive actuator 34 to contract. The pressure of the working argon introduction passage 37 is lowered by lowering the secondary pressure (supply pressure) of an argon gas supply device (not shown) connected via the blocking valve 46. The pressure of the working argon introduction path 37 may be lowered by opening the stop valve 48.

As the cooling control valve 7 is opened, the argon gas in the hot isostatic press 1 is sent from the processing chamber 23 to the upper gas passages 18 and 18 and the pressure-resistant cylindrical portion 8 as shown in FIG. And a heat insulating structure 3, a circulating flow is generated that returns to the processing chamber 23 via the lower gas passages 19, 19, the cooling control valve 7 and the fan 27. The argon gas circulating through this path is removed by the inner surface of the pressure-resistant cylindrical portion 8 that is directly cooled by the cooling water flowing in the jacket 12, and the processing object W is cooled by the removed argon gas.
Since the fan 27 is an axial flow system, even if the fan 27 moves up and down as the cooling control valve 7 opens and closes, the discharge amount and the discharge direction do not change and a predetermined function can be exhibited.

Since the valve body member 33 is configured to open and close the hole 39 of the bottom plate 32 by moving up and down in the hot isostatic pressing device 1 integrally with the fan 27 and the motor 28, the fan 27 and It becomes possible to arrange the opening / closing portion at the center of the hot isostatic pressing device 1, and to flow the argon gas in the processing chamber 23 without causing a drift and stagnation portion, thereby preventing the occurrence of temperature distribution. it can.
When the temperature in the processing chamber 23 is in the range of 500 to 800 ° C., a large amount of such high-temperature argon gas flows between the pressure-resistant cylindrical portion 8 and the heat insulating structure 3 from the upper gas passages 18 and 18. There is a risk that the portions near the upper gas passages 18 and 18 of the pressure-resistant cylindrical portion 8 are locally overheated. In order to avoid such a situation, the adjustment of the amount of argon gas flowing out from the upper gas passages 18 between the pressure-resistant cylindrical portion 8 and the heat insulating structure 3 is performed by adjusting the opening / closing operation or opening degree of the cooling control valve 7. Is done. The adjustment of the amount of the argon gas can be performed by using the control of the rotation speed of the fan 27 together. When the opening degree of the cooling control valve 7 is adjusted more strictly, it is conceivable to use an electric motor driven actuator instead of a fluid pressure cylinder for the valve driving actuator 34.

In order to suppress local overheating of the pressure-resistant cylindrical portion 8, it is also recommended to attach a skirt member to the lid 16 so as to cover the opening portions of the upper gas passages 18, 18 in the pressure-resistant cylindrical portion 8.
When the temperature in the processing chamber 23 becomes 500 ° C. or lower, the cooling rate decreases. Therefore, the rotation speed of the fan 27 is increased to promote cooling, and the cooling control valve 7 is fully opened.
The cooling in the next stage is performed after the temperature in the processing chamber 23 is cooled to around 300 ° C. (the pressure at this time is about 40 MPa).
When the temperature in the processing chamber 23 reaches around 300 ° C., the cooling rate is extremely reduced only by heat removal by the inner surface of the pressure-resistant cylindrical portion 8 that has been cooled by the cooling water and has reached a temperature of around 100 ° C. Therefore, as shown in FIG. 8, liquid argon is injected into the hot isostatic pressing device 1 from the liquid argon inlet 45 through the liquid argon introduction path 14 to promote cooling of the processing object W. (# 19).

The boiling point of liquid argon is as extremely low as −185 to 186 ° C., and when it is injected in a liquid state, it evaporates inside the hot isostatic pressing device 1. At that time, the vaporization latent heat is taken away from the surroundings and the temperature of the argon gas is increased. Reduce. The argon gas whose temperature has been lowered is sent into the processing chamber 23 by the fan 27 and cools the processing object W efficiently.
The release of the argon gas to the outside performed when the pressure is excessively increased is that the released argon gas is completely vaporized and absorbs the heat in the hot isostatic press device 1 to increase the temperature. Therefore, it is preferable that the liquid argon inlet 45 is provided at a location away from the argon squirt inlet 44.

The hot isostatic press apparatus 1 vaporizes liquid argon and lowers the temperature of the argon gas by the heat of vaporization, and the fan 27 causes the argon gas in the hot isostatic press apparatus 1 with the cooling control valve 7 opened. By forced convection, the time required for cooling from around 300 ° C. to around 100 ° C. can be greatly shortened.
The liquid argon injection is terminated when the temperature in the processing chamber 23 is lowered to 100 to 150 ° C., and cooling in the final stage is performed.
The final stage of cooling is performed by releasing the argon gas in the hot isostatic pressing apparatus 1 having a pressure of 35 to 45 MPa (# 20). By releasing high-pressure argon gas to the outside, the argon gas in the hot isostatic pressing apparatus 1 rapidly expands in an adiabatic state, and the temperature rapidly increases based on the first law of thermodynamics (adiabatic expansion). descend. Due to the cooling effect by such adiabatic expansion, when the pressure in the hot isostatic pressing apparatus 1 is reduced to near atmospheric pressure, the temperature of the processing object W is set to near room temperature (removal of the processing object W (# 21 The discharge of the high-pressure argon gas is efficient for cooling the workpiece W.

Thus, the time required for cooling the processing chamber 23 from 100 to 150 ° C. to the temperature at which the processing object W can be taken out by releasing the high-pressure argon gas in the hot isostatic pressing apparatus 1. It can be greatly shortened.
In the second stage of cooling, when the forced convection by the fan 27 performed by opening the cooling control valve 7 and the injection of liquid argon (# 19) are not adopted, the temperature of the processing chamber 23 is reduced to 100 ° C. or lower. It takes several tens of times longer to cool than the above method.
The hot isostatic pressing device 1 is configured so that the stirring device 6 and the cooling control valve 7 can be moved integrally, and is aligned with the axial center of the processing chamber forming body 4, so that at any position in the axial direction. In addition, the flow of argon gas having a cross section perpendicular to the axial direction can be made uniform without deviation (a part of the flow velocity is increased), and heating and cooling of the placed processing target W can be performed uniformly and efficiently. Can be done.

FIG. 9 is a front sectional view of a hot isostatic pressing device 1B according to another embodiment, and FIG. 10 is a partial front sectional view of a lower portion of the hot isostatic pressing device 1B.
In the hot isotropic pressure press apparatus 1B, the part having the same reference numeral as that of the hot isostatic press apparatus 1 (FIG. 1) has substantially the same configuration as the hot isostatic press apparatus 1. Hereinafter, with reference to FIG. 9, a configuration different from the hot isostatic pressing device 1 in the hot isostatic pressing device 1 </ b> B will be mainly described.
The hot isostatic pressing apparatus 1B includes a high-pressure vessel 2B, a heat insulating structure 3, a processing chamber forming body 4, a heater 5, a stirring device 6B, a cooling control valve 7B, and the like.

The high-pressure vessel 2 </ b> B includes a pressure-resistant cylindrical portion 8, an upper lid 9 that closes the upper end of the pressure-resistant cylindrical portion 8, and a lower lid 10 </ b> B that closes the lower end of the pressure-resistant cylindrical portion 8. In the lower lid 10B, there are provided a separate argon gas introduction path 13 and liquid argon introduction path 14 for communicating the inside and outside of the high-pressure vessel 2 and an operating argon introduction path 37B for operating the cooling control valve 7B. Yes.
The heat insulating structure 3 includes a structure body 15, a lid 16, a lower lid cover 17, and the like.
The isolation chamber forming body in the present invention includes the structure body 15 and the lid 16.
The processing chamber forming body 4 includes a rectifying cylinder 20, shelves 21a to 21d, a casing 22, and the like.

The configurations of the heat insulating structure 3, the flow straightening cylinder 20, and the heater 5 are substantially the same as those in the hot isostatic pressing apparatus 1.
The stirring device 6B includes a fan 27, a motor 28, and a power transmission device 49B.
The fan is disposed in the circular fan hole 25 so that the rotation axis substantially coincides with the axis of the processing chamber forming body 4. Functions and configurations of the fan 27 and the motor 28 are the same as those in the hot isostatic pressing apparatus 1. The motor 28 is fixed and accommodated in a motor hole 30B provided at a position shifted from the center in the lower lid 10B.

The power transmission device 49B includes a drive sprocket 50B, a driven sprocket 51B, and a chain 52B, as well shown in FIG. The drive sprocket 50B is attached to the drive shaft 29B of the motor 28, and the driven sprocket 51B is attached to the rotation shaft of the fan 27. The chain 52B connects the drive sprocket 50B and the driven sprocket 51B, and transmits the rotation of the motor 28 to the fan 27 to indirectly drive the fan 27.
The cooling control valve 7B includes a bottom plate 32, a valve body portion 40B, and a valve driving actuator 34B. The bottom plate 32 has a circular hole 39 whose center substantially coincides with the axis of the processing chamber forming body 4, the vicinity of the edge of the circular hole 39 functions as a valve seat, and the arrangement thereof. This is the same as the bottom plate 32 in the hot isostatic pressing apparatus 1.

The valve body portion 40B is formed of a thick disk, and a seal ring 43 is provided around the edge of the upper surface of the valve body portion 40B in order to maintain airtightness when the cooling control valve 7B is closed. .
The valve drive actuator 34B is a fluid pressure cylinder that operates by gas pressure, and the tip of the rod 35B is fixedly integrated with the valve body 40B so that the valve body 40B moves up and down by expansion and contraction of the rod 35B. Yes. A push-up spring 31B that biases the valve body portion 40B upward is provided between the rod side cover of the valve drive actuator 34B and the valve body portion 40B. The expansion port 36B of the valve drive actuator 34B communicates with the working argon introduction path 37B, and the contraction port 38B opens into the hot isostatic press 1B. A part of the valve drive actuator 34B is accommodated in the lower lid 10B, and the rod 35B penetrates the lower lid cover 17 together with the push-up spring 31B, and the tip thereof is integrated with the valve body portion 40B.

As a method for transmitting power between the motor 28 and the fan 27, a method using a pulley and a belt, or an indirect driving method using meshing gears may be adopted in addition to the method using a sprocket and a chain as described above. Drive mechanisms using sprockets and chains are recommended because they are all made of metal and are less susceptible to damage in high temperature environments.
Each process of the HIP process by the hot isostatic press apparatus 1B includes, for example, each process (# 11 to # 21) in the HIP process of the nickel-base superalloy material by the hot isostatic press apparatus 1 described above. It is done in exactly the same way.

The hot isostatic pressing apparatus 1 can be configured as shown in FIGS.
In FIG. 11, the hot isostatic pressing device 1 </ b> C is provided with a fan 27 </ b> C that opens the lower part of the casing 22 </ b> C and ventilates the processing chamber 23 </ b> C. The rotation center of the fan 27C substantially coincides with the axis of the processing chamber forming body 4C. The upper end of the heat insulating structure 3C is open, and the processing chamber forming body 4C is accommodated in the structure main body 15C with a space between the inner surface and the outer surface of the structure main body 15C. The bottom plate 32, the circular hole 39 provided in the bottom plate 32, and the valve body member 33 for opening and closing the hole 39 are the same as those in the hot isostatic pressing apparatus 1. The drive shaft 29C of the motor 28 passes through a through hole 42 provided at the center of the valve body member 33 in a rotatable manner and is connected to the upper fan 27C.

The structure body 15C may be provided with a cover corresponding to the cover 16 in the hot isostatic pressing apparatus 1, and may be provided with a plurality of upper gas passages that communicate the inside and outside of the structure body 15C.
In FIG. 12, the hot isostatic press apparatus 1D is provided with a fan 27D that opens the lower part of the casing 22D and ventilates the processing chamber 23D in the same manner as the hot isostatic press apparatus 1C. The rotation center of the fan 27D substantially coincides with the axis of the processing chamber forming body 4D. Further, a cooling control valve 7D having substantially the same configuration as the cooling control valve 7 in the hot isostatic pressing device 1 is provided at the upper end of the structure body 15D. In the cooling control valve 7D, a thick disc-like valve body portion 40D is fixed to the drive shaft 29D and rotates together with the fan 27D. The valve body portion 40D can obtain a practical closed state in the HIP process during the closing operation. The hole 39D is provided in the axial center of the processing chamber forming body 4D.

  In FIG. 13, the hot isostatic pressing device 1 </ b> E is provided with a fan 27 for ventilating the inside of the processing chamber forming body 4 at the lower end of the casing 22, similarly to the hot isostatic pressing device 1. A motor 28 for driving the fan 27 is accommodated in a motor hole 30E provided in the lower lid 10E. A cooling control valve 7E having substantially the same configuration as that of the cooling control valve 7B in the hot isostatic pressing device 1B is provided at the upper end of the structure body 15E. The center of the hole 39E of the upper plate 32D constituting the cooling control valve 7E substantially coincides with the axis of the processing chamber forming body 4. The fan 27 is directly connected to the motor 28, but may be indirectly driven like the fan 27 in the hot isostatic pressing apparatus 1B.

11 to 13, the same reference numerals as those in the hot isostatic press devices 1 and 1B (FIGS. 1 and 9) have substantially the same configuration as the hot isostatic press devices 1 and 1B. is there. The operations of the fans 27C, 27D, 27 and the cooling control valves 7C, 7D, 7E of the hot isostatic press devices 1C, 1D, 1E during the HIP process are as follows. The operation of the cooling control valve 7 is the same as that during HIP processing.
In HIP processing by hot isostatic pressing devices 1, 1B, 1C, 1D, and 1E, (1) a longer cycle time, particularly a cooling time in a temperature range of 300 ° C. or less, which has been a problem in the past. The problem of lengthening and (2) the problem of occurrence of temperature distribution (temperature difference) in the upper and lower portions of the processing chamber 23 in the cooling process are solved, and the processing object W can be taken out of the HIP apparatus in a short cooling time. This makes it possible to reduce the occupation time of the HIP device.

In recent years, hot isostatic pressing equipment for production has been increased to 1 m or more in diameter of the processing chamber from the viewpoint of reducing processing costs due to the scale-up effect, while the cost is increased due to the longer processing time associated with the increase in size. The problem has become obvious. In addition, in such a large hot isostatic pressing device, the processing object cannot be transferred to the next process unless the temperature is about 50 ° C. or less even after the HIP process is completed. There is a problem that the effect (scale merit) is not enjoyed.
Further, in recent years, it is estimated that the processing object has become larger, and in the near future, an ultra-large hot isostatic pressing apparatus having a processing chamber diameter of 2 m will be put to practical use. It is essential to eliminate this problem. The hot isostatic presses 1, 1B, 1C, and 1D described above solve these problems and contribute greatly to the spread of future ultra-large hot isostatic presses, contributing to industrial development. However, it is extremely large.

In the above-described embodiment, nitrogen gas (liquefied nitrogen) or helium gas (liquefied helium) can be used as the pressurizing gas and liquefied gas.
In addition, each configuration or overall structure, shape, size, number of hot isostatic pressing devices 1, 1B, 1C, 1D, 1E and hot isostatic pressing devices 1, 1B, 1C, 1D, 1E, The material and the like can be appropriately changed in accordance with the spirit of the present invention.

  INDUSTRIAL APPLICABILITY The present invention can be used in a hot isostatic pressing apparatus that performs diffusion bonding of different materials, for example, in an inert gas atmosphere at high temperature and high pressure.

It is front sectional drawing of the hot isostatic press apparatus which concerns on this invention. It is a partial front sectional view of the lower part of the hot isostatic pressing apparatus. It is a flowchart of a HIP process. It is a figure which shows the temperature and pressure change of a HIP process. It is a figure which shows the motion of argon in the hot isostatic press apparatus in a HIP process. It is a figure which shows the motion of argon in the hot isostatic press apparatus in a HIP process. It is a figure which shows the motion of argon in the hot isostatic press apparatus in a HIP process. It is a figure which shows the motion of argon in the hot isostatic press apparatus in a HIP process. It is front sectional drawing of the hot isostatic press apparatus in other embodiment. It is a partial front sectional view of the lower part of the hot isostatic pressing apparatus in other embodiments. It is front sectional drawing of the hot isostatic press apparatus in other embodiment. It is front sectional drawing of the hot isostatic press apparatus in other embodiment. It is front sectional drawing of the hot isostatic press apparatus in other embodiment. It is a figure which shows the structure of the conventional hot isostatic pressing apparatus. It is a figure which shows the structure of the conventional hot isostatic pressing apparatus.

Explanation of symbols

1, 1B, 1C, 1D, 1E Hot isostatic pressing device 2, 2B High pressure vessel 4, 4C, 4D Processing chamber forming body 7, 7C, 7D Cooling control valve 15, 15C, 15D, 15E Isolation chamber forming body ( Structure body)
16 Isolation chamber formation (lid)
18 passage (upper gas passage)
19, 19C, 19D Drive shaft 27, 27C, 27D Fan 28 Motor 39, 39D, 39E Passage (circular hole in bottom plate)
40 Valve body (valve body)

Claims (5)

A hot isostatic pressing device for accommodating a processing object and processing the processing object with a high-temperature and high-pressure inert gas,
A high pressure vessel;
An isolation chamber forming body having an outer surface spaced from the inner surface of the high-pressure vessel and accommodated in the high-pressure vessel;
A treatment chamber forming body having an outer surface spaced from the inner surface of the isolation chamber forming body and accommodated in the isolation chamber forming body,
The isolation chamber forming body is:
One of the upper end and the lower end is opened, or a passage is provided for communicating the inside and the outside to the one,
And a passage for communicating the inside and the outside to the other of the upper end or the lower end and an on-off valve for opening and closing the passage are provided,
The processing chamber forming body includes:
One of the upper end and the lower end is opened, or a passage is provided for communicating the inside and the outside to the one,
And a fan is provided for ventilation on the other of the upper end or the lower end,
The on-off valve is
A hot isostatic press apparatus characterized in that a valve body is integrated with a motor that drives the fan, and is configured to open and close by moving the motor in the direction of the drive shaft. The center of the opening to the isolation chamber forming body of the passage opened and closed by the on-off valve is substantially coincident with the axis of the processing chamber forming body,
The fan is configured such that the rotation center substantially coincides with the axis of the processing chamber forming body,
The hot isostatic pressing apparatus according to claim 1. The on-off valve is provided at a lower end of the isolation chamber forming body;
The fan is provided at a lower end of the processing chamber forming body;
The valve body of the on-off valve is
The hot isostatic press apparatus according to claim 1 or 2, wherein a drive shaft that connects the motor and the fan is rotatably integrated with the motor. A hot isostatic pressing device for containing a processing object and processing the processing object with a high-temperature and high-pressure inert gas,
A high pressure vessel;
An isolation chamber forming body having an outer surface spaced from the inner surface of the high-pressure vessel and accommodated in the high-pressure vessel;
A treatment chamber forming body having an outer surface spaced from the inner surface of the isolation chamber forming body and accommodated in the isolation chamber forming body,
The isolation chamber forming body is:
One of the upper end and the lower end is opened, or a passage is provided for communicating the inside and the outside to the one,
And a passage for communicating the inside and the outside to the other of the upper end or the lower end and an on-off valve for opening and closing the passage are provided,
The processing chamber forming body includes:
One of the upper ends is opened or a passage is provided at the upper end to communicate the inside and outside.
And a fan is provided at the lower end for ventilation,
The center of the opening part to the isolation chamber forming body of the passage opened and closed by the on-off valve is provided so as to substantially coincide with the axis of the processing chamber forming body,
The hot isostatic press apparatus is characterized in that the fan is disposed such that a rotation center substantially coincides with an axis of the processing chamber forming body and is driven by a motor. The fan
The hot isostatic pressing apparatus according to claim 4, wherein the hot isostatic pressing apparatus is driven by being connected to the motor by any one of a combination of a sprocket and a chain, a combination of a pulley and a belt, or a combination of gears.

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