Methods of cooling an electrically conductive sheet during transverse flux induction heat treatment
The present invention, in some embodiments, is a method the includes obtaining a sheet of a non-ferrous alloys as feedstock having a first edge and a second edge, heating the feedstock using a transverse flux induction heating system to form a heat treated product and concomitant with the heating step, cooling at least one of the first edge and the second edge of the feedstock by cross-flowing at least one fluid across the at least one of the first edge and the second edge of the feedstock.
1 . A method comprising:
(a) obtaining a sheet as feedstock,
wherein the sheet is a non-ferrous alloy, and
wherein the feedstock has a first edge and a second edge;
wherein the first edge is opposite the second edge across a width of the sheet;
(b) heating the feedstock using a transverse flux induction heating system having at least one transverse flux induction heater in the system to form a heat treated product;
(c) concomitant with the heating step (b), while the feedstock is being heated within the at least one transverse flux induction heater and passing through the transverse flux induction heating system, cooling in the heater at least one of the first edge and the second edge of the feedstock by cross-flowing at least one fluid across the at least one of the first edge and the second edge of the feedstock;
(i) wherein the at least one fluid comprises liquid water droplets generating water vapor;
(ii) wherein the cross-flowing comprises flowing parallel to a plane of the sheet toward a sheet centerline, wherein the at least one fluid is delivered from at least one nozzle positioned apart from a side surface of the sheet in a direction parallel to the plane while the feedstock is being heated within and passing through the at least one transverse flux induction heater in the transverse flux induction heating system; and
(iii) wherein the cooling step (c) produces a higher heat transfer at the at least one of the first edge and the second edge compared to a center portion of the sheet.
2 . The method of claim 1 , wherein the at least one fluid is at least one of helium, hydrogen, or air.
3 . The method of claim 1 , wherein the at least one fluid is air.
4 . The method of claim 3 , wherein the air further comprises the liquid water droplets.
5 . The method of claim 1 , wherein the non-ferrous alloy is selected from the group consisting of aluminum alloys, magnesium alloys, titanium alloys, copper alloys, nickel alloys, zinc alloys and tin alloys.
6 . The method of claim 5 , wherein the non-ferrous alloy is an aluminum alloy selected from the group consisting of 1xxx, 2xxx, 3xxx, 4xxx, 5xxx, 6xxx, 7xxx, and 8xxx series aluminum alloys.
7 . The method of claim 6 , wherein the aluminum alloy is selected from the group consisting of 2xxx, 5xxx, 6xxx, and 7xxx series aluminum alloys.
8 . The method of claim 1 , wherein the transverse flux induction heating system comprises a plurality of transverse flux induction heaters.
9 . The method of claim 8 , wherein the cooling step is conducted between at least two of the plurality of transverse flux induction heaters.
10 . The method of claim 8 , wherein the cooling step is conducted after the feedstock is heated by at least one of the plurality of transverse flux induction heaters.
11 . The method of claim 8 , wherein the cooling step is conducted after the feedstock is heated by more than half of the plurality of transverse flux induction heaters.