Improvement of the flow rate distribution in quench tank by measurement and computer simulation

In order to investigate the flow rate distribution and improve the flow rate uniformity of the quenchant in a quench tank, the ultrasonic Doppler velocimeter (UDV) was adopted to measure the flow rate of quenchant with agitation, and then computational fluid dynamics (CFD) simulation had been carried out to simulate the flow rate distribution without/with flow baffles. According to the CFD simulation results, the structure and positions of flow baffles in the draft-tube were optimized to obtain the uniformity of flow rate in the quench zone, which were verified by experiments as well. The simulation and measurement results show that the UDV is suitable for measuring the flow rate of a large size quench tank. This research will provide a foundation for optimizing the structure design of flow baffles in production quench tanks.