Insulation enclosure with varying thermal properties

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-2016288202-A1
Application number	US-201414439051-A
Country	US
Kind code	A1
Filing date	Jun 25, 2014
Priority date	Jun 25, 2014
Publication date	Oct 6, 2016
Grant date	—

Abstract

An example insulation enclosure for cooling a mold includes a support structure having a top end, a bottom end, and an interior, the bottom end defining an opening for receiving a mold within the interior of the support structure, and insulation material supported by the support structure and extending at least from the bottom end to the top end, wherein one or more thermal properties of at least one of the support structure and the insulation material varies longitudinally from the bottom end to the top end. In some cases, the one or more thermal properties are further varied about a circumference of the support structure.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1 . An insulation enclosure, comprising:
a support structure having a top end, a bottom end, and an interior, the bottom end defining an opening for receiving a mold; and insulation material supported by the support structure and extending at least from the bottom end to the top end, wherein one or more thermal properties of at least one of the support structure and the insulation material varies longitudinally from the bottom end to the top end.

2 . The insulation enclosure of claim 1 , wherein the support structure includes at least one of an outer frame and an inner frame.

3 . The insulation enclosure of claim 2 , wherein the support structure comprises the outer and inner frames and the insulation material is positioned within a cavity defined between the outer and inner frames.

4 . The insulation enclosure of claim 3 , wherein the insulation enclosure further comprises an insulative coating positioned on at least one of the inner frame and the outer frame.

5 . The insulation enclosure of claim 1 , wherein the support structure is made of a material selected from the group consisting of a metal, a metal mesh, ceramic, a composite material, and any combination thereof.

6 . The insulation enclosure of claim 1 , wherein the insulation material is a material selected from the group consisting of ceramics, ceramic fibers, ceramic fabrics, ceramic wools, ceramic beads, ceramic blocks, moldable ceramics, woven ceramics, cast ceramics, fire bricks, carbon fibers, graphite blocks, shaped graphite blocks, polymer beads, polymer fibers, polymer fabrics, nanocomposites, fluids in a jacket, metal fabrics, metal foams, metal wools, metal castings, any composite thereof, and any combination thereof.

7 . The insulation enclosure of claim 1 , further comprising a reflective coating positioned on an inner surface of the support structure.

8 . The insulation enclosure of claim 1 , wherein the one or more thermal properties are selected from the group consisting of thermal resistance, thermal conductivity, specific heat capacity, density, thermal diffusivity, temperature, surface characteristics, emissivity, absorptivity, and any combination thereof.

9 . The insulation enclosure of claim 1 , wherein the one or more thermal properties is thermal resistance and the thermal resistance of at least one of the support structure and the insulation material increases longitudinally from the bottom end to the top end.

10 . The insulation enclosure of claim 1 , wherein the one or more thermal properties is thermal conductivity and the thermal conductivity of at least one of the support structure and the insulation material decreases longitudinally from the bottom end to the top end.

11 . The insulation enclosure of claim 1 , further comprising one or more heating elements in thermal communication with the mold, wherein the one or more thermal properties is temperature and the one or more heating elements increases the temperature of at least one of the support structure and the insulation material longitudinally from the bottom end to the top end.

12 . The insulation enclosure of claim 11 , wherein the one or more heating elements is selected from the group consisting of a heating element, a heat exchanger, a radiant heater, an electric heater, an infrared heater, an induction heater, a heating band, heated coils, a heated fluid, an exothermic chemical reaction, and any combination thereof.

13 . The insulation enclosure of claim 11 , wherein the one or more heating elements is embedded within the insulation material.

14 . The insulation enclosure of claim 13 , wherein the one or more heating elements comprises a plurality of independently controlled heating coils.

15 . The insulation enclosure of claim 13 , wherein the one or more heating elements comprises a heating coil wrapped multiple revolutions about or within the support structure, and wherein a density of the revolutions of the heating coil is greater at the top end than the bottom end.

16 . The insulation enclosure of claim 1 , wherein the one or more thermal properties of at least one of the support structure and the insulation material are further varied about a circumference of the support structure.

17 . The insulation enclosure of claim 16 , wherein the one or more thermal properties include thermal resistance and thermal conductivity of at least one of the support structure and the insulation material.

18 . A method, comprising:
removing a mold from a furnace, the mold having a top and a bottom; placing the mold on a thermal heat sink with the bottom adjacent the thermal heat sink; lowering an insulation enclosure around the mold, the insulation enclosure including a support structure having a top end, a bottom end, and an interior for receiving the mold via an opening defined in the bottom end, the insulation enclosure further including insulation material supported by the support structure and extending at least from the bottom end to the top end; varying one or more thermal properties of at least one of the support structure and the insulation material longitudinally from the bottom end to the top end; and cooling the mold axially upward from the bottom to the top.

19 . The method of claim 18 , wherein the one or more thermal properties are selected from the group consisting of thermal resistance, thermal conductivity, specific heat capacity, density, thermal diffusivity, temperature, surface characteristics, emissivity, absorptivity, and any combination thereof.

20 . The method of claim 18 , wherein the one or more thermal properties are one or both of thermal resistance and thermal conductivity, the method further comprising arranging the insulation material such that a value of the one or more thermal properties of at least one of the support structures increases from the bottom end to the top end.

Assignees

• Halliburton Energy Services Inc

Inventors

• Cook Iii Grant O
• Thomas Jeff G
• Ownby Clayton A

Classifications

• E21B10/42

  Rotary drag type drill bits with teeth, blades or like cutting elements, e.g. fork-type bits, fish tail bits (characterised by wear resisting parts E21B10/46; by conduits or nozzles for drilling fluid E21B10/60; by detachable or adjustable parts E21B10/62) · CPC title

• B22F3/003 Primary

  Apparatus, e.g. furnaces (in general F27B) · CPC title

• B22F2005/001

  Cutting tools, earth boring or grinding tool other than table ware · CPC title

• B22F2999/00

  Aspects linked to processes or compositions used in powder metallurgy · CPC title

• B22D27/045 Primary

  Directionally solidified castings · CPC title