An apparatus and a method for treating an object manufactured from a material having a defined melting temperature, by subjecting the object to hot isostatic pressing to reduce porosity and increase a density thereof. The method comprises arranging the object in a pressure chamber interior cavity, submerged in a liquid partially filling the cavity, heating the liquid to a below melting temperature, pressurizing the liquid by pressurizing gas above a liquid surface in the cavity, then moving the object out of the liquid, but still within the cavity, subsequently heating the liquid to an above melting temperature, and resubmerging the object in the liquid. Subsequently, the object is withdrawn from the liquid and moved above the liquid. The apparatus comprises the pressure chamber, a movable object support in the cavity, a liquid heater, and a gas inlet and outlet selectively introducing gas into and venting gas from the cavity.

The present invention relates to an arrangement for treatment of articles by hot pressing. The pressing arrangement for treatment of articles by hot pressing comprises a pressure vessel including: a furnace chamber comprising a heat insulated casing and a furnace adapted to hold the articles. A heat exchanger unit is arranged below said furnace chamber and adapted to exchange thermal energy with pressure medium when the pressure medium is passing through said heat exchanger unit. According to the present invention, at least one first and second inlet or aperture, respectively, for passage of alternating warm and cold pressure medium are arranged in the heat insulated casing in proximity to the heat exchanger unit (i.e. at approximately same the height as, above or below the heat exchanger unit). The at least one second inlet (or lower inlet) is below the at least one first inlet (or upper inlet) but at same height as or below the heat exchanger unit.

A pressing arrangement for treatment of articles by hot pressing includes a pressure vessel including a furnace chamber and a furnace to hold the articles. A fan circulates a pressure medium within the furnace chamber, and enhances an inner convection loop at a load compartment. The inner convection loop pressure medium has an upward flow through the load compartment, and a downward flow along a peripheral portion of the furnace chamber. A flow generator generates a flow of pressure medium into the load compartment downstream the fan to enhance the inner convection loop. The flow is generated by transporting the pressure medium upwards from a space below a bottom insulating portion and above a bottom end portion, and by injecting the pressure medium into the load compartment downstream the fan to enhance the inner convection loop.

Provided is a hot isostatic pressing (HIP) device (1) that can efficiently cool a hot zone during HIP processing while restraining temperatures in the lower part of a high-pressure container. This HIP device (1) is provided with the following: gas-impermeable casings (3, 4) that surround an object to be processed (W); a heating unit (7) that is disposed inside these casings and forms a hot zone around the object to be processed (W); a high-pressure container (2); and a cooling unit that guides a pressure-medium gas cooled on the outside of the casings into the hot zone to cool the hot zone. The cooling unit comprises the following: a gas introduction unit that introduces the pressure-medium gas that has been cooled on the outside of the casings (3, 4) into the hot zone; and a cooling promotion unit (37) that cools the pressure medium gas by causing the pressure-medium gas that has been cooled on the outside of the casings to exchange heat with a base (11) of the high-pressure container (2).

Provided is a hot isostatic pressing device (HIP) (1) that enables prompt cooling in a processing chamber. The HIP device (1) is provided with the following: gas impermeable casings (3, 4); a heating unit (7); a high-pressure container (2); a heat accumulator (43) provided below a processing chamber; and a cooling promotion flow path (44). The casings (3, 4) are disposed so as to form the following: a first circulation flow (41) in which a pressure medium gas passes through an inner flow path (22) and an outer flow path (12) and then returns to the inner flow path (22); and a second circulation flow (42) in which the pressure medium gas which has branched off from the first circulation flow (41) performs heat exchange with an object-of-processing (W) in the processing chamber and then is fed back to the first circulation flow (41). In the cooling promotion flow path (44), the pressure medium gas that is in the second circulation flow (42) and that has performed heat exchange with the object-of-processing (W) is guided to the heat accumulator (43) and cooled by the heat accumulator (43) before the pressure medium gas merges with the first circulation flow (41).

A pressing arrangement for treatment of articles by hot pressing includes a pressure vessel including a furnace chamber and a furnace to hold the articles. A fan circulates a pressure medium within the furnace chamber, and enhances an inner convection loop at a load compartment. The inner convection loop pressure medium has an upward flow through the load compartment, and a downward flow along a peripheral portion of the furnace chamber. A flow generator generates a flow of pressure medium into the load compartment downstream the fan to enhance the inner convection loop. The flow is generated by transporting the pressure medium upwards from a space below a bottom insulating portion and above a bottom end portion, and by injecting the pressure medium into the load compartment downstream the fan to enhance the inner convection loop.

A multilayer high pressure cylindrical vessel (1) has an inner metal cylinder (3), the inner surface defining an inner volume of the vessel (1) along the radial direction, an outer metal cylinder (4), and one intermediate cylindrical layer sandwiched in space between the inner cylinder (3) and the outer cylinder (4) has and comprising a number of circular wedge segments (51) separated by gaps (52). To improve the vessel there exists an interference fit between the one intermediate cylindrical layer and the adjoining solid cylinders and said gaps (52) are broken by bridges (522) connecting angularly adjacent circular segments (51) and defining two axially adjacent gap sections (521) so that the cylindrical layer is a single cylindrical element (5), and the circular wedge segments (51) separated by gaps (52) both extend in parallel to each other along the longitudinal axis of the vessel (1).

Proposed are a high-temperature pressurizing system 1 for an all-solid-state secondary battery, and a method thereof. More specifically, Proposed are a high-temperature pressurizing system 1 for an all-solid-state secondary battery, and a method thereof, in which a pressurizing part, where a high-temperature pressurizing process is performed between a solid electrolyte and an active material of an all-solid-state secondary battery to maximize a contact interface and minimize an interfacial resistance, is configured along a perpendicular direction, thereby eliminating the need for a process of discharging a fluid from an internal space of a vessel after completing the high-temperature pressurizing process, reducing a tact time. At the same time, a plurality of pressurizing parts is arranged at predetermined intervals, thereby increasing process efficiency.

A system comprising a plurality of pressure intensifier units configured to increase the pressure in a pressure vessel, each pressure intensifier unit comprising an inlet and an outlet configured to be connected to the pressure vessel, at least one first chamber in fluid communication with the inlet and the outlet, respectively, a body controllably movable within a second chamber along a path back and forth between a first end position and a second end position, and an actuating mechanism configured to controllably move the body back and forth between the first end position and the second end position at an adjustable speed. A control and/or processing unit is configured to control the actuating mechanisms of the pressure intensifier units such that each of the bodies has a selected position in the corresponding second chamber in relation to the position(s) of the other body or bodies in its or their corresponding second chamber(s), and, subsequently, carry out a pressure increasing phase.

A piston axial force information detection unit (53) detects piston axial force information pertaining to an axial force applied to a piston body (21). A friction information storage unit (62) stores friction information pertaining to a frictional force between a piston seal (23) and a pressure vessel (10) when the piston body (21) moves relative to the pressure vessel (10). A drive control unit (65) controls a drive device (40) on the basis of the piston axial force information and the friction information. In a holding stroke for controlling the pressure inside the pressure vessel (10) so as to be constantly held, the drive control unit (65) controls the drive device (40) so that the piston body (21) reciprocates with respect to the pressure vessel (10).