Heat Treat Industry News
February 08, 2010
Atmosphere Furnace Leak-Determination Procedure: Copper, Steel, Stainless Steel Test
The question is often asked, “Do I have an air leak or a water leak in my furnace, and how can I tell them apart?” Fortunately, there is a really simple test procedure that yields very accurate results. Here’s how it works.
Test Procedure:
The test can be run in any style of furnace. Here we illustrate the procedure for a continuous mesh-belt furnace running a dissociated ammonia (75% hydrogen, 25% nitrogen) atmosphere. The test involves gathering clean, relatively thin cross-section samples made of steel, copper and (if available) stainless steel. Many people simply use steel shim stock and cut a small length of copper tubing and, if necessary, sand the surface so that it is bright and shiny for this test.
The furnace temperature is lowered to 1800-1850ºF (980-1010ºC) and the belt speed reduced so as to assure a dwell time in the high heat and cooling chamber of at least 20 minutes. CAUTION: Pure copper has a melting point of around 1981ºF (1083ºC), so care must be taken not to approach this temperature.
Interpreting the Results:
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