Integrated process for producing atmospheres suitable for heat treating from non-cryogenically generated nitrogen

Abstract From the Canadian patent

An integrated two-step process for producing low-cost atmospheres suitable for annealing ferrous and non-ferrous metals and alloys brazing, metals, sealing glass to metals and sintering metal and ceramic powders in continuous furnaces from non-cryogenically produced nitrogen containing up to 3% residual oxygen is disclosed. The residual oxygen present in non-cryogenically produced nitrogen is converted to moisture by mixing it hydrogen and passing the mixture through a reactor packed with a platinum group catalyst in the first step of the process. The reactor effluent stream containing a mixture of nitrogen unreacted hydrogen, and moisture, is mixed with a pre-determined amount of a …