Quenching – Mastering the Process

Quenching Oil Selection

D. Scott MacKenzie, PhD, FASM

November 2011

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Quenching – Mastering the Process

• Real loads are complex

– Important to meet properties
and reduce distortion
– No quantitative method to
understand interaction of fluid
flow and part
– Often understanding is “Trial
and Error”
– Experience trims the Heuristic
tree
– Heat transfer mechanism is
complex
• Multiple heat transfer
regimes
• Time and Temperature
dependent phase
transformations

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Quenching – Mastering the Process

• Mechanism of Quenching
– Quenching occurs in three stages
• Vapor Phase
– Formation of vapor film around the part
– Heat transfer is slow
– Heat transfer occurs primarily through radiation and conduction through
vapor
• Nucleate Boiling Phase
– High heat extraction rates
– Heat removal by bubble formation and contact of cool quenchant on
part surface
• Convection Phase
– Starts at below boiling temperature of quenchant
– Slow heat transfer
– Governs Properties and Distortion

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Quenching – Mastering the Process

Vapor Phase Nucleate Convection

Boiling Phase Phase

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Quenching – Mastering the Process

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Quenching – Mastering the Process

• Metallurgical Effects
– Carbon Content and Hardenability
• Avoid the nose or knee of the TTT curve
• Cooling rate depends on hardenability of steel
• Maximum hardness attainable is dependant on % Carbon
present
– Cooling Rates
• Cooling rate is limited by thickness of part
– Limited by thermal diffusivity
– Excessive cooling rates may cause cracking or distortion
– Higher cooling rates yield higher thermal gradients

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Quenching – Mastering the Process

• Quenching Mediums
– Many different types
• Water
• Brine
• Caustic
• Polymer
• Oils
• Molten Salts
• Gases

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Quench Oil Composition - Overview

• Composition governed by
– Price
– Stability
– Quenching performance
• Quenching performance governed by
– Acceptable flash temperature
– Low sludge forming tendency
– Thermal and oxidation stability
– Appropriate heat transfer
charectoristics
• Best quench oils
– Maximum cooling rate to achieve
maximum hardness
– Minimal deposition of sludge
– Maximum thermal and oxidation
stability
• Presently favors mineral oils

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Quench Oils Composition - Overview

• Composition affects quenching performance

– Straight mineral oils exhibit wide variation in quenching
performance
– Formulated oils can produce even wider range of cooling rates
• Volatility of quench oil
– Decreases as average molecular size increases
– Inversely proportional to flash point
• Quench severity directly related to “wettability”
– Wettability is measured by contact angle
– As viscosity increases
• As contact angle decreases Cooling rate is decreased
– Additive packages also change wettability characteristics

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Quenching – Mastering the Process

• Selection of proper quench oil is

dependant of many factors:
– Part
• Alloy
• Geometry and section size
• Metallurgical Properties
• Distortion
• Cleanliness
– Furnace
• Type of Furnace
• Method of Quenching
• Temperature
– Cost
• Initial Cost
• Long Term Costs
– Additives
– Staining
– Drag-out
– Environmental

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Quenching – Mastering the Process

• Divided By operational
temperature
– “Cold” Oils (80° - 200°F)
– Martempering Oils (200° - 450°F)
• “Cold” Oils
– Typically three different speeds
• Fast (7-9 GMQS)
• Medium (10-13 GMQS)
• Normal (14-16+ GMQS)
• Martempering Oils
– Applicable to high alloy, or
carburized distortion prone parts
– Slower than Cold Oils (Typically
20+ GMQS)

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Quenching – Mastering the Process

• “Cold” Oils
– Normal Speed
• Low rates of cooling
• Applicable to high hardenability
steels
– Tool and High-Alloyed Steels
– Medium Speed
• Intermediate quenching
characteristics
• Medium to high hardenability
requirements
• Applicable to widest variety of
steels
– High-Speed
• Applicable to low hardenability
steels
• Carburized or Carbo-nitrided
• Large cross-sections

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Quenching – Mastering the Process

• Martempering Oils
– Quenching workpiece into
quenchant maintained at about
100°-200°C
– Part maintained in quenchant until
thermal equilibrium is established
– Substantially reduces distortion by
reducing thermal gradients
– Special Formulations
• Special Base Stocks
– High oxidation resistance
– High thermal stability
– High flash points
• Large variety of viscosities
(200-2500 SUS)
• Complex anti-oxidant packages

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Quenching – Mastering the Process

• Quench Oil Composition

– Complex mixture of
constituents
• Paraffinic
• Naphthenic
• Open-chain and Cyclic
Derivatives
– Sulfur hetrocycles
– Oxygen hetrocycles
– Nitrogen hetrocycles
– Specific composition depends
on source of crude (Western
U.S., Eastern U.S., Middle East,
North Sea, Venezuela, etc.)
– Compositional variation affects
quenching performance

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Quench Oils Composition - Overview

• Naphthenic Grades
– Exhibit inferior cooling
characteristics
– Greater deposit-forming
tendency (staining)
– High sludging tendency
• Oxidize at faster rate
• Lower thermal stability
– Lower flash points
• Paraffinic Grades
– Superior cooling curves
– Lower staining tendency References:
R-J Windgassen, Metalworking Fluids Today, Society of
• Oxidize at slower rates Tribologist and Lubrication Engineers, Feb 1989
• Increased thermal stability G.E. Totton, C.E. Bates and N.A. Clinton, Handbook of
– Higher flash temperatures Quenchants and Quenching Technology, ASM
International, 1993

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Quench Oil Composition – Base Oils

• Base oils
– Double Hydro-treated
– Refined Paraffinic Mineral
Oils
– Refined Napthenic Mineral
Oils
– Re-refined mineral Oils
– Reclaimed Mineral Oils
– Vegetable and Ester-based
Oils
• All are used in commercial
quenchants

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Quench Oil Composition – Base Oils

• Double Hydrotreated Oils

– Advantages
• Thermal and oxidative
stability
• Higher flash point
• Infers longer life
• Visual Appearance
• Marginal improvement in
cooling curves for same
viscosity
– Disadvantages
• Cost
• Oil color not indicative of
staining

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Quench Oil Composition – Base Oils

• Refined Paraffinic Base Oils

– Most common used base oil
– Advantages
• Better flash points than Napthenic oils
• Good thermal and oxidative stability
• Wide range of viscosities available (70-2500 SUS)
• Lower staining (imparts light gray color – depends on additive package)
• Hydrophobic
– Better splitting
– Water displacing
– Disadvantages
• Increasing cost
– Due to global demand
– Local refinery shut-downs due to maintenance

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Quench Oil Composition – Base Oils

• Refined Napthenic Base Oils

– Advantages
• Readily available
• Cost
• Wide variety of viscosities available (100-2500 SUS)
– Disadvantages
• Less thermal and oxidative stability
• Lower flash point temperatures
• Lower life and quicker degradation
• Hydrophillic
– Emulsifying
– Not split well
– Bad for quench oil due to water absorption
• Cost advantage decreasing due to global demand

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Quench Oil Composition – Base Oils

• Re-refined Paraffinic Base Oils

– Oils are recovered and passed thru cracker
• Specific viscosities are recovered
• Pulled from narrow heights from column
– Advantages
• All advantages of paraffinic base oils
– Dependent on supplier/source and quality of re-refiner
• Generally less expensive than virgin base oils
– Disadvantages
• Limited source of supply
– High demand due to “eco-friendly”
– Recycling reduces supply and availability
– Dependent on supplier/source and quality of re-refiner
• Limited viscosity range (generally ± 100 SUS)
• Cost advantage narrowing because of demand

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Quench Oil Composition – Base Oils

• Reclaimed Oils – Disadvantages

– Oils recovered from many sources • “You get what you pay for…”
• Coolants • Presence of heavy metals
• Motor oils • Source unknown
– Multiple grades (including used
• Greases motor oil, coolants, etc.)
– Filtered and blended to give – Different mix of light and heavy
specific viscosity ends
– Viscosity is usually only
– Advantage requirement
• Cheap • Lack of process repeatability
• Poor life
– Precursors to oxidation present
(free radicals)
– Mixture of blended products
• Overall process cost increases
– More cleaning required
– Higher drag-out
– Reduced life

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Quench Oil Composition – Base Oils

• Vegetable and Ester-based Base Oils

– Advantages
• “Eco-Friendly”
• Renewable
• Can be used at wide range of temperatures
• Excellent cooling curve
– Unstable vapor phase
– High nucleate boiling rates and temperatures
– Curves often superior to mineral oils
• High flash temperatures
• High thermal and oxidative stability
– Disadvantages
• Limited supply
– Bio-fuels and cyclic availability (crop production)
• Cleaning requires specialized cleaners
• Different smell
• Cost

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Quench Oil Composition – Base Oils

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Quench Oil Composition – Additive Packages

• Desired results
– High thermal and oxidative stability
• Low sludge and staining tendency
• Formation of organic acids minimized
as oil ages
– Low viscosity to minimize drag-out
– Cooling curve
• High cooling rates to achieve maximum
hardness
• Unstable vapor phase to achieve high
cooling rates
– Avoid formation of upper
transformation products
• High temperature transition between
nucleate boiling and convection
– Minimize distortion and residual
stresses
– Improve wetting
• Function of the additive package

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Quench Oil Composition – Additive Packages

• Additive packages have two

functions
– Speed improvers
– Thermal and oxidative stability
– Additives have dramatic effect on
quenchant properties
– Magnitude of effect is dependent
on additive package
• Packages usually proprietary
• Not appropriate to mix additive
packages from different
quenchant suppliers
• Some additives prone to selective
drag-out after quenching
• May degrade during use,
depending on robustness

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Quench Oil Composition – Additive Packages

• Speed improvers
– Quenching rates increase with
increasing wettability
– Additives that increase wettability
improve quench speed
– Different types of additives
– Most common is sulfonate-type
• Barium sulfonate was most common
– No longer used
– Older quench tanks may still contain
Barium
• Now Sodium and Potassium sulfonates
used
• Good speed improvers and oxidation
stabilizers
– Hydrocarbon based
• Cost
• Used in high-end quenchants
• Robust

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Quench Oil Composition – Additive Packages

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Quench Oil Composition – Additive Packages

• Thermal and Oxidation Stability

– Provided by additive package
– Reduces production of sludge
– Minimizes formation of
organic acids upon aging
– Additive package usually
chosen to act as both speed
improver and thermal stability
– May be consumed over time.
– Oil generally dumped because
of staining

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Quench Oil Composition – Additive Packages

• Oxidation
– Results from build-up of
organic acids
– Measured by several methods
• Precipitation Number
• Total Acid Number
• Sludge Content
• Viscosity
– Changes cooling curve
• Increases speed
• Decreased vapor phase
stability
– Increased staining
• Additive package minimizes
changes

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Oil Degradation

• Quench oils degrade

– Exposure to high temperatures
– Aggravated by
• Residues on parts
• Washer residues from reclaimed
• High watt density heaters
• Excessive peak temperatures
– Robust additive packages prolong
quenchant life
• Exhibited by:
– Part staining
– Higher quench rates
• Monitored
– TAN
– Viscosity

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Oil Degradation

The presence of calcium and sulfur in the stain shows that the
material is baked on quench oil. Oil is near end of life.

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Quenching Products from Houghton

Below is a sampling of Houghton quenchants. However, you should

consult a Houghton expert for the right product for your application.

Cold Quenching Oils Aqueous Quenchants

Houghto-Quench K Aqua-Quench 140
Houghto-Quench G Aqua-Quench 145
Houghto-Quench 3440 Aqua-Quench 245
Houghto-Quench 3430 Aqua-Quench 251
Dasco Quench LPA 15 Aqua-Quench 260
Dasco Quench LBA 15 Aqua-Quench 3699
Aqua-Quench C
Hot Quenching Oils
Mar-Temp 355 Email cfaulkner@houghtonintl.com
Dasco Quench MPA 60 for more information.

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About Houghton
• World’s leading manufacturer of industrial fluids, specialty
chemicals, oils and lubricants since 1865
• Largest and fastest growing global supplier of metalworking fluids,
specialty hydraulic fluids and services
• Unrivaled scope and depth in metalworking fluids industry
providing turnkey support with chemical management services
• Headquartered in Valley Forge, Pennsylvania, USA
with global sales revenues nearing $1B

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