[T4] Hot Isostatic Pressing

[17C-T4-03] Fully Coupled and Efficient Simulation of a Hot Isostatic Pressing Furnace with Components

Z. Yan¹, Y. Liu¹, Z. Lv², *J. Li², W. Qi², A. Eklund² (1.Simtec Soft Sweden AB, Sweden, 2.CISRI HIPEX Technology Co., Ltd., China)

キーワード：Hot isostatic pressing, 50% loading, 3D full-scale Computational Fluid Dynamics simulation, Gas flow, Heat transfer, Thermal radiation, Gas pressure

Hot Isostatic Pressing (HIP) is an increasingly essential heat treatment process used for densifying and enhancing the material properties of components in aerospace, energy, medical, and additive manufacturing. Understanding part shrinkage and deviations during the HIP process is critical, and thus, computer simulation of the relevant processes is indispensable for designing optimal furnaces and efficient production cycles. In this study, an innovative, fully coupled, and highly efficient three-dimensional Computational Fluid Dynamics (CFD) simulation method was employed to model a complete 10-hour HIP cycle. This cycle includes heating, holding, and cooling phases for a full-scale furnace operating with components at 50% loading of titanium alloys, utilizing the given furnace power. This approach addresses the common convergence issues and the time-consuming nature of traditional simulations. The detailed and full-scale 3D calculation provides a comprehensive understanding of thermal gradients, gas flow dynamics, pressure build-up, thermal radiative heat transfer, convective heat transfer, and conjugate heat conduction in solids. The simulated temperature and pressure outcomes show very good agreement with the experimental results. By closely replicating real-world conditions, this approach avoids the common pitfalls of error-prone simplifications, thereby laying a solid foundation for optimizing HIP furnace design and operations.