Metallurgy – Heat treatment

We support industrial key players in metallurgy in the design, optimization and modernization of high added value heat treatment equipment.

Our expertise covers the design of industrial furnaces, the improvement of energy performance, the control of controlled atmospheres and the optimization of complex metallurgical processes. We work with both equipment manufacturers and industrial users faced with issues of quality, productivity and reduction of operating costs.

Our areas of intervention

Low Pressure Carburizing (LPC)

Low pressure carburizing is today one of the most efficient technologies for the thermochemical treatment of steels intended for demanding applications such as automobiles, aeronautics, energy or mechanical transmissions.

We operate in:

The design of vacuum carburizing furnaces
Thermal sizing of enclosures
Optimization of processing cycles
Control of process atmospheres
Improving thermal uniformity
Integration of high pressure gas quenching systems

Benefits sought:

Improvement of metallurgical quality
Reduction of part deformation
Increased productivity
Control of energy consumption
Optimization of operating costs

Gas quenching and oil quenching

Quenching constitutes a decisive step in the heat treatment of steels and alloys. It makes it possible to obtain the desired mechanical characteristics by precisely controlling the cooling speed after austenitization or thermochemical treatments.

Our expertise covers the design, optimization and integration of high-pressure gas quenching and oil quenching systems, taking into account the metallurgical, geometric and economic requirements specific to each industrial application.

Our areas of intervention:

Design of high pressure gas quenching systems
Sizing of cooling and recirculation circuits
Optimization of flows and homogeneity of cooling
Design and improvement of oil quenching tanks
Study of thermal and hydrodynamic phenomena
Reduction of deformations and residual stresses
Improved treatment repeatability
Optimization of energy consumption and operating costs

Gas quenching is particularly suitable for vacuum processes and low pressure carburizing, providing excellent part cleanliness and significant reduction in distortion. Oil quenching remains an essential solution for parts requiring high cooling rates and significant quenching depths.

Benefits sought:

Improved mechanical properties
Insurance of the metallurgical structures obtained
Reduction of part deformation
Improved dimensional quality
Increased process repeatability
Optimization of industrial and energy performance

Brazing

Brazing plays an essential role in controlling metallurgical quality, thermal and chemical homogenization as well as improving production yields.

Our skills cover:

Study of flow phenomena
Optimization of brazing systems
Gas injection
Thermal and chemical homogenization
Reduction of inclusions and metallurgical defects
Improvement in final product quality

We use digital simulation and process analysis approaches to optimize equipment performance while limiting energy consumption.

Metallurgical processes and associated equipment

We support manufacturers in:

Vacuum furnace
Heat treatment furnace
Carburizing and carbonitriding furnaces
Rotary kilns
Melting and temperature maintenance installations
Brazing equipment
Quenching equipment
Industrial atmosphere control systems

Our services

Engineering and design

Feasibility studies
Mechanical and thermal design
Calculations and sizing
Development of tailor-made equipment

Process optimization

Performance Analysis
Reduction of energy consumption
Improvement of metallurgical quality
Increased facility availability

Technical expertise

Equipment diagnostics
Failure analysis
Investment assistance
Technical support for operators and manufacturers

Expertise at the service of industrial performance

Our approach combines understanding of metallurgical phenomena, mastery of thermal processes and experience in the design of complex industrial equipment.

This combination makes it possible to develop innovative, reliable and economically efficient solutions to meet the growing demands of modern metallurgical industries.

Our Industrial Successes

🤖 Automatic Heat Treatment Line: Brazing, Oxidation and Quenching (Industry 4.0)

The Challenge: Design for the Continental group (Emitec) the world’s first fully automated heat treatment line for automotive catalysts. The traditional process required multiple manual and dispersed loading/unloading steps between different furnaces (high-temperature vacuum brazing, oxidation, quenching), drastically limiting production rates.

The Impact: As lead designer (Lead Designer), I led the engineering and integration of this disruptive system:

Thermal Process Engineering: Overall design and integration of the vacuum brazing furnace (brazing furnace) and the oxidation furnace. In particular, I overcame digital modeling obstacles by developing complex CFD simulations in porous media, corrected by experimental data in the internal laboratory.
Sizing & Specifications: Choice of cutting-edge refractory materials (graphite composites, Nickel-based superalloys), thermal power calculations and full production of P&ID diagrams (selection and sizing of more than 200 valves and measuring instruments).
Robotization & Automation: Design of automatic operation sequences linking the vacuum system, loading and unloading systems and thermal cycle logic to eliminate human intervention.

The Results: A showcase project validated according to the standards of theIndustry 4.0 German and deployed in production. This connected factory has enabled a clear improvement in thermal stability and labor saving thanks to continuous robotic flow.

Study by numerical simulation (OpenFOAM) of the distribution of reactive gases in a low pressure carburizing furnace in order to optimize the homogeneity of the thermochemical treatment.

Result obtained: A new injection system configuration achieved the processing uniformity required by automotive customers, including General Motors and Ford, without an increase in gas flow or processing cycle time.

Process optimization of pressurized gas quenching by the introduction of the fractal grid, improving the efficiency of heat exchange by increasing the turbulent intensity.

Result obtained: without increasing the power of the quenching turbine, the characteristic cooling time was reduced from more than 20 seconds to less than 10 seconds, allowing the required surface hardness to be reliably achieved.

Our commitments

✓ Technical excellence

✓ Deep knowledge of advanced thermal processes

✓ Energy optimization

✓ Reliability and durability of equipment

✓ Personalized support for projects

Zenergy Consulting puts its expertise at the service of manufacturers wishing to improve the performance of their metallurgical processes and develop new generation heat treatment technologies.