Process and apparatus for producing heat treatment atmospheres

Abstract

An endogenerator is provided in which CO and H.sub.2 are generated as primary products of hydrocarbon oxidation. Noble metal catalysts such as platinum (Pt) and particularly rhodium (Rh), are loaded on a porous ceramic support, of example, an alumina carrier. In the endogenerator reactor little or no CO and H.sub.2 are produced by the slow and energy-intensive reforming reactions and this allows for a compact reactor which operates autothermally without auxiliary heating means, and with high space velocities wherein space velocity is defined as the number of standard cubic feet per hour of output gas per cubic foot of the catalyst carrier. Preferred hydrocarbons are methane or propane, preferred oxidants are nitrogen/oxygen mixtures with from 5% oxygen up to 100% oxygen. The endogenerator of the present invention provides a process and apparatus that generates the required reducing gases CO and H.sub.2 for heat treating applications which require leaner atmospheres and lower carbon potentials. The present invention provides a reactor which operates autothermally and in which very high space velocities are achieved. The reactors of the present invention also provide inexpensively the reducing elements required to obtain buffered atmospheres in heat treating furnaces and thereby allow the introduction of inexpensive nitrogen produced by membranes or PSA into such furnaces.

Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.