Thermal stability of geometrically complex-shaped smart susceptors

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-10893580-B2
Application number	US-201815884976-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Jan 31, 2018
Priority date	Jan 31, 2018
Publication date	Jan 12, 2021
Grant date	Jan 12, 2021

Abstract

A smart susceptor assembly including an electromagnetic flux source such as one or more inductors, a geometrically complex-shaped susceptor having one or more contours, and a cladding on or over the susceptor. The cladding can alter both the thermal performance and the electrical operation of the smart susceptor assembly. With regard to thermal performance, the cladding can function as a passive heat exchanger to dissipate thermal energy across the surface of the susceptor. With regard to electrical operation, the cladding can provide a current path after portions of the susceptor heat and become low or non-magnetic.

First claim

The invention claimed is:

1. A smart susceptor assembly, comprising:
an electromagnetic flux field source configured to generate an electromagnetic flux field;
a susceptor comprising one or more contours and positioned adjacent to the electromagnetic flux field source, wherein the susceptor comprises a leveling temperature and a Curie temperature; and
an electrically conductive cladding positioned on or over the susceptor and electrically coupled to the susceptor,
wherein:
the electrically conductive cladding is thermally conductive;
the susceptor and the electrically conductive cladding provide a receptacle configured to receive a flowable material to be heated within the receptacle during a heating process; and
the smart susceptor assembly comprises only one leveling temperature and only one Curie temperature.

2. The smart susceptor assembly of claim 1 , wherein the smart susceptor assembly is configured to transfer a flow of electrical current from the susceptor to the electrically conductive cladding prior to a region of the susceptor exceeding the Curie temperature.

3. The smart susceptor assembly of claim 2 , wherein the electrically conductive cladding prevents a thermal overheating in the susceptor during operation of the smart susceptor assembly.

4. The smart susceptor assembly of claim 1 , wherein the electromagnetic flux field source comprises at least one linear induction coil, wherein any portion of the linear induction coil that has a magnetic field influence on any portion of the susceptor during operation of the smart susceptor assembly is straight or linear.

5. The smart susceptor assembly of claim 1 , wherein:
the electrically conductive cladding comprises at least one of copper, silver, gold, bronze, and/or non-magnetic copper-nickel;
the electrically conductive cladding has a thickness of about 0.53 millimeters (mm) to about 9.525 mm; and
the susceptor comprises at least one of an iron alloy, a nickel alloy, a cobalt alloy, and/or a ferrous nickel-cobalt alloy.

6. The smart susceptor assembly of claim 1 , wherein the cladding physically contacts the susceptor.

7. The smart susceptor assembly of claim 6 , wherein the cladding is formed over at least 25% of a surface of the susceptor.

8. The smart susceptor assembly of claim 6 , wherein the cladding is formed over 100% of a surface of the susceptor.

9. The smart susceptor assembly of claim 1 , wherein:
the electromagnetic flux field source comprises one or more induction coils; and
at least one of the one or more induction coils is a linear induction coil, wherein any portion of the linear induction coil that has a magnetic field influence on any portion of the susceptor during operation of the smart susceptor is straight or linear.

10. A smart susceptor assembly, comprising:
an electromagnetic flux field source configured to generate an electromagnetic flux field;
a susceptor comprising one or more contours and positioned adjacent to the electromagnetic flux field source wherein:
at a temperature of 75° F. and an applied field of about 5 oersted (Oe) to about 350 Oe, the susceptor has a magnetic permeability of about 50 Newtons per amp squared (N/A 2 ) to about 800 N/A 2 ; and
at a leveling temperature of the susceptor and the applied field of about 5 Oe to about 350 Oe, the susceptor has a magnetic permeability of about 1 Oe to about 1.5 Oe; and
an electrically conductive cladding positioned on or over the susceptor and electrically coupled to the susceptor, wherein the electrically conductive cladding has a magnetic permeability of about 1 to about 1.5 at a temperature of 75° F. and at the leveling temperature of the susceptor,
wherein:
the electrically conductive cladding is thermally conductive;
the susceptor and the electrically conductive cladding provide a receptacle configured to receive a material to be heated within the receptacle during a heating process; and
the smart susceptor assembly comprises only one leveling temperature and only one Curie temperature.

11. The smart susceptor assembly of claim 10 , wherein:
the electrically conductive cladding comprises at least one of copper, silver, gold, bronze, and/or non-magnetic copper-nickel; and
the susceptor comprises at least one of an iron alloy, a nickel alloy, a cobalt alloy, and/or a ferrous nickel-cobalt alloy.

12. The smart susceptor assembly of claim 11 , wherein:
the electrically conductive cladding has a thickness of about 0.53 millimeters (mm) to about 9.525 mm;
the electromagnetic flux field source comprises one or more induction coils; and
at least one of the one or more induction coils is a linear induction coil, wherein any portion of the linear induction coil that has a magnetic field influence on any portion of the susceptor during operation of the smart susceptor is straight or linear.

13. A method for heating a material, comprising:
positioning a material in proximity to a susceptor of a smart susceptor assembly, wherein:
the smart susceptor assembly comprises an electrically conductive cladding electrically coupled to the susceptor;
the electrically conductive cladding is thermally conductive;
the susceptor comprises one or more contours and is positioned adjacent to an electromagnetic flux field source of the smart susceptor assembly;
the smart susceptor assembly comprises only one leveling temperature and only one Curie temperature; and
the susceptor and the electrically conductive cladding provide a receptacle configured to receive a material to be heated within the receptacle;

placing the material to be heated within the receptacle;
emitting an electromagnetic flux field from the electromagnetic flux field source onto the susceptor thereby flowing a current through the susceptor and heating the susceptor toward a leveling temperature of the susceptor; and
transferring a current flow from the susceptor to the electrically conductive cladding prior to a temperature of a region of the susceptor exceeding a Curie temperature of the susceptor.

14. The method of claim 13 , further comprising transferring at least a portion of the current that flows through the susceptor to the electrically conductive cladding as the temperature of the region of the susceptor reaches the leveling temperature.

15. The method of claim 13 , further comprising applying a first current to one or more linear induction coils, thereby resulting in the emitting the electromagnetic flux field from the electromagnetic flux field source, wherein any portion of the linear induction coil that has a magnetic field influence on any portion of the susceptor during operation of the smart susceptor assembly is straight or linear.

16. The method of claim 15 , further comprising applying a second current that is lower than the first current to the one or more induction coils subsequent to the applying of the first current.

17. The method of claim 16 , wherein the first current is about 1500 amps (A) to about 1700 A and the second current is about 500 A to about 700 A.

18. The method of claim 13 , wherein the electrically conductive cladding comprises at least one of copper silver, gold, bronze, and non-magnetic copper-nickel.

19. The method of claim 18 , wherein the electrically conductive cladding has a thickness of about 0.53 millimeters (mm) to about 9.525 mm.

20. The method of claim 13 , wherein:
at a temperature of 75° F. and an applied field of about 5 oersted (Oe) to about 350 Oe, the susceptor has a magnetic permeability of about 50 Newtons per amp sq

Assignees

• Boeing Co

Inventors

• Henson Landon K
• Matsen Marc R
• Hull John R
• Firth Lee C
• Olaniyan Tunde A

Classifications

• H05B6/105 Primary

  using a susceptor · CPC title

• H05B2206/023

  using the curie point of the material in which heating current is being generated to control the heating temperature · CPC title

• H05B6/40

  Establishing desired heat distribution, e.g. to heat particular parts of workpieces · CPC title