InfraCooler is a patented technology for high-performance cooling of hot steel plates using infrasound cooling. By generating highly turbulent oscillating airflow, it increases heat transfer by a factor 5 compared to natural convection. This enables clean, controllable, and energy-efficient cooling without the safety, maintenance, and process challenges associated with liquid cooling.
Multiple modules can be combined to form an InfraCooler system, enabling scalable cooling capacity for continious steel plate production lines, from 900 °C to 50 °C.
A full industrial heavy-plate installation may typically consist of approximately 25 modules, depending on plate dimensions, steel grades and required cooling rates.
Each InfraCooler module consists of:
• a pulsator, generating the acoustic pressure oscillation
• a resonance tube, transmitting acoustic energy into the system
• diffusers, distributing oscillatory airflow over the cooling region
• a cooling chamber with water cooled heat sinks, through which the steel plate passes during cooling
The pulsator generates the acoustic pressure oscillation that powers each module and enables fast, controlled air cooling.
Instead of using conventional forced airflow, the InfraCooler system generates high intensity oscillatory airflow inside a closed cooling chamber. The pulsators generate controlled acoustic pressure oscillations in the infrasound frequency range. These oscillations propagate through resonance tubes and are amplified by the acoustic resonance of the system. This creates a standing half-wave acoustic field, with maximum velocity amplitude located in the cooling chamber.
As a result:
• oscillating air velocities can reach up to 90 m/s
• strong turbulence is generated throughout the cooling chamber
• the thermal boundary layer at the steel surface is continuously disrupted
This significantly increases the convective heat transfer between the steel plate and the surrounding air. Heat is removed in two steps:
1. Heat transfer from the steel plate to the oscillating air
2. Heat transfer from the air to water-cooled heat sinks
The air remains fully enclosed inside the system. All removed heat is ultimately absorbed by the cooling water circulating through the heat sinks. This approach enables high heat transfer rates without direct liquid contact with the steel surface. The InfraCooler system operates in the low-frequency range of approximately 8–15 Hz, where very high oscillatory gas velocities and strong boundarylayer disruption can be achieved. In this frequency range, large oscillatory gas displacements are generated inside the resonance system, promoting intense mixing and efficient heat transfer at the steel surface.
Cooling tests at Industeel’s facility in Le Creusot have demonstrated the performance potential of InfraCooler. The tests were conducted on steel plates with thicknesses ranging from 6 to 30 mm.
Perfect for early-stage modernization.
