Process for preparing a heat treatment atmosphere and method for regulating said process

Method for regulation of a process for preparing a heat treatment atmosphere, in the course of which process an oxygen-containing first gas mixture and a hydrocarbon-containing second gas mixture are reacted in a catalytic reactor including an inlet and an outlet in order to obtain said heat treatment atmosphere at the reactor outlet for the purpose of supplying said atmosphere to a user site comprising at least one user location, comprising the steps of:

• a) feeding said first and second gas mixture at a given flowrate into the inlet of said catalytic reactor;
• b) continuously measuring the pressure P of said heat treatment atmosphere obtained at the outlet of the catalytic reactor;
• c) comparing the pressure P measured during step b) with a setpoint pressure level P.sub.c to obtain a comparison result;
• and
• d) according to the comparison result obtained during step c, exercising feedback as necessary on the respective flow rates of at least one of the first gas mixture and the second gas mixture arriving at the catalytic reactor inlet so as to return, if necessary, the pressure P to the level of the setpoint pressure P.sub.c.

Installation for preparation of a heat treatment atmosphere comprising:

• a source of a first gas mixture comprising oxygen;
• a source of a second gas mixture comprising a hydrocarbon;
• and
• a catalytic reactor including an interior an inlet and an outlet for deoxygenation of a gas, suitable for producing at its outlet said heat treatment atmosphere at a given pressure from a reaction in the interior of the reactor between the first gas mixture and the second gas mixture, comprising:
• a) a first means for continuously measuring the pressure of the atmosphere at the reactor outlet;
• b) a second means for comparing the pressure measured during step a) with a setpoint pressure level P.sub.c ;
• and
• c) a third means, based on the comparing carried out during step b), for adjusting as necessary respective flow rates of the first gas mixture and/or second gas mixture arriving at the catalytic reactor in order to return said pressure to the level of the setpoint pressure P.sub.c.