Hot isostatic pressing device

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-2020025446-A1
Application number	US-201816499425-A
Country	US
Kind code	A1
Filing date	Mar 27, 2018
Priority date	Apr 7, 2017
Publication date	Jan 23, 2020
Grant date	—

Abstract

Provided is a hot isostatic pressing (HIP) device that improves the heat uniformity of a hot zone during a pressurization process of an object being processed. This HIP device (100) is provided with: an outer casing (4) having an open outer opening part (4H); an inner casing (5) having an open inn opening part (5H); a heat-insulating body (R) disposed between the outer casing (4) and the inner casing (5); a gas flow generation part (30); and a plurality of first gas conduits (12), A hot zone (P) in which a pressurization process is performed is formed inside the inner casing (5). During the pressurization process, a low-temperature pressurization medium gas which has been generated by the gas flow generation part (30) and has passed through the first gas conduits (12) moves upward in an inner flow passage (L1) between the casings, and then flows into the hot zone (P) from the inner opening part (5H), Even when the pressurization medium gas leaks from the vicinity of a bottom all part (20) and flows into the hot zone (P), the heat uniformity of the hot zone (P) is maintained.

First claim

1 . A hot isostatic pressing device for performing isostatic pressing processing for a workpiece by means of pressure-medium gas, comprising:
a high-pressure container including an inner peripheral surface extending along an upper-to-lower direction, a body internal space defined by the inner peripheral surface being formed inside the high-pressure container; an inner casing arranged in the body internal space and including a gas-impermeable inner peripheral wall portion extending along the upper-to-lower direction to surround a hot zone for pressing the workpiece, an inner opening allowing permeation of the pressure-medium gas opening at an upper portion of the inner casing; a gas-impermeable heat insulating body arranged to surround the inner casing in the body internal space, the heat insulating body having a heat insulating body peripheral wall portion extending along the upper-to-lower direction to surround the inner peripheral wall portion through a pressure-medium gas passage and a heat insulating body upper wall portion connected to the heat insulating body peripheral wall portion to close an upper portion of the heat insulating body peripheral wall portion and arranged above the inner opening through the pressure-medium gas passage; an outer casing arranged to surround the heat insulating body in the body internal space, the outer casing including a gas-impermeable outer peripheral wall portion extending along the upper-to-lower direction to surround the heat insulating body peripheral wall portion through the pressure-medium gas passage and an outer opening allowing permeation of the pressure-medium gas opening at an upper portion of the outer casing; a heating unit arranged in the hot zone to generate heat; a bottom wall portion including a support portion supporting a lower end portion of the outer peripheral wall portion, a lower end portion of the inner peripheral wall portion, and a lower end portion of the heat insulating body peripheral wall portion and a mount portion defining a lower portion of the hot zone and having an upper portion allowing mounting of the workpiece and sealing the hot zone from below; multiple communication pipes blocked from a space between the inner peripheral wall portion and the heat insulating body peripheral wall portion and each forming the pressure-medium gas passage penetrating the heat insulating body peripheral wall portion to allow a space between the heat insulating body peripheral wall portion and the outer peripheral wall portion and a lower end portion of the hot zone to communicate with each other; multiple introduction pipes allowing a lower portion of the space between the inner peripheral wall portion and the heat insulating body peripheral wall portion and a portion of the body internal space below the bottom wall portion to communicate with each other; and a gas flow generation unit arranged below the bottom wall portion in the body internal space and configured to generate a pressure-medium gas flow flowing into the multiple introduction pipes upon pressing processing for performing the isostatic pressing processing for the workpiece mounted on the mount portion.

2 . The hot isostatic pressing device according to claim 1 , wherein
the gas flow generation unit generates the pressure-medium gas flow such that after the pressure-medium gas flow having flowed into the space between the inner peripheral wall portion and the heat insulating body peripheral wall portion through the multiple introduction pipes has ascended along the inner peripheral wall portion and the heat insulating body peripheral wall portion and has flowed into the hot zone through the inner opening, the pressure-medium gas flow descends in the hot zone and further flows into the space between the outer peripheral wall portion and the heat insulating body peripheral wall portion through the multiple communication pipes.

3 . The hot isostatic pressing device according to claim 1 , wherein
the inner casing further includes an inner upper wall portion connected to the inner peripheral wall portion to close an upper portion of the inner peripheral wall portion, and the inner opening opens at the inner upper wall portion, and the outer casing further includes an outer upper wall portion connected to the outer peripheral wall portion to close an upper portion of the outer peripheral wall portion, and the outer opening opens at the outer upper wall portion.

4 . The hot isostatic pressing device according to claim 1 , wherein
the gas flow generation unit forms, upon the pressing processing, a pressure-medium gas circulation flow in the body internal space such that after the pressure-medium gas having flowed into the space between the outer peripheral wall portion and the heat insulating body peripheral wall portion through the multiple communication pipes has ascended along the heat insulating body peripheral wall portion and the outer peripheral wall portion, the pressure-medium gas flows out of the outer casing through the outer opening, further descends through between the inner peripheral surface of the high-pressure container and the outer peripheral wall portion, and flows again into the multiple introduction pipes.

5 . The hot isostatic pressing device according to claim 4 , wherein
the gas flow generation unit forms the pressure-medium gas circulation flow in the body internal space after the pressing processing for the workpiece has ended, thereby executing rapid cooling processing for the hot zone.

6 . The hot isostatic pressing device according to claim 5 , wherein
the gas flow generation unit generates the pressure-medium gas flow such that a flow rate of the pressure-medium gas passing through the introduction pipes upon execution of the rapid cooling processing is greater than a flow rate of the pressure-medium gas passing through the introduction pipes upon the pressing processing.

7 . The hot isostatic pressing device according to claim 5 , further comprising:
multiple junction pipes allowing the multiple communication pipes and the gas flow generation unit to communicate with each other through at least one of the space between the heat insulating body peripheral wall portion and the outer peripheral wall portion and the lower end portion of the hot zone, the junction pipes allowing, upon the rapid cooling processing, the pressure-medium gas flow generated by the gas flow generation unit to join the pressure-medium gas having descended in the hot zone after the pressure-medium gas has passed through the introduction pipes in advance.

8 . The hot isostatic pressing device according to claim 2 , wherein
the inner casing further includes an inner upper wall portion connected to the inner peripheral wall portion to close an upper portion of the inner peripheral wall portion, and the inner opening opens at the inner upper wall portion, and the outer casing further includes an outer upper wall portion connected to the outer peripheral wall portion to close an upper portion of the outer peripheral wall portion, and the outer opening opens at the outer upper wall portion.

9 . The hot isostatic pressing device according to claim 2 , wherein
the gas flow generation unit forms, upon the pressing processing, a pressure-medium gas circulation flow in the body internal space such that after the pressure-medium gas having flowed into the space between the outer peripheral wall portion and the heat insulating body peripheral wall portion through the multiple communication pipes has ascended along the heat insulating body peripheral wall portion and the outer peripheral wall portion, the pressure-medium gas flows out of the outer casing through the outer opening, further descends through between the inne

Assignees

• Kobe Steel Ltd

Inventors

• Nakai Tomomitsu
• Watanabe Katsumi
• Masuoka Itaru
• Yoneda Makoto

Classifications

• F27D7/06

  Forming or maintaining special atmospheres or vacuum within heating chambers (supplying steam, vapour, gases or liquids F27D7/02) · CPC title

• B22F2003/153

  apparatus specific to HIP · CPC title

• B22F3/003

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

• C04B35/6455

  Hot isostatic pressing · CPC title

• F27B2009/124

  Cooling · CPC title