Comparative Study of Wetting and Cooling Performance of Polymer–Salt Hybrid Quench Medium With Conventional Quench Media

Abstract

Wetting kinetics, kinematics, and cooling performance of a polymer–salt hybrid quenchant were investigated. The rewetting phenomenon for brine, water, polymer, and polymer–salt hybrid solutions was characterized as rapid uniform, fast non-uniform, slow uniform, and fast uniform processes, respectively. A dimensionless rewetting time was proposed to assess the nature of the wetting front. The hybrid quenchant showed higher heat transfer during vapor and transition boiling and lower heat transfer during nucleate boiling and convective cooling. The presence of salt in the hybrid solution resulted in early destabilization of the vapor film and an increase in wetting front velocity and rewetting temperature. The polymer constituent delayed the rewetting phenomenon.