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Heat Treatment Industry

Nitrogen and nitrogen-hydrogen protective atmosphere generation for annealing, hardening and sintering furnaces.

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Heat Treatment Industry
Engineering Solutions

During annealing, hardening and sintering of metal parts, furnaces run with a protective atmosphere to prevent surface oxidation and decarburisation. On-site nitrogen and hydrogen generators provide this atmosphere at constant quality and without cylinder costs; thermal oil pumps and heat exchangers complete the furnace surroundings.

Heat treaters run furnaces with very different atmosphere needs: bright annealing of stainless steel, neutral hardening, and sintering of powder metal parts that must not lose carbon. Nitrogen and hydrogen generated on site can be mixed to the ratio each furnace needs, which removes the dependence on bulk deliveries and stabilises dew point. Thermal oil pumps circulate heating oil for tempering and washing stages, and heat exchangers control quench oil and cooling water temperatures. For a proposal, send furnace types and volumes, atmosphere composition and dew point, gas flow per furnace, and quench or thermal oil circuit data.

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Frequently asked questions

What nitrogen-hydrogen ratio is used for bright annealing?

Bright annealing of stainless steel often uses between 5% and 100% hydrogen in nitrogen, depending on the alloy and the surface finish required. Higher hydrogen content gives stronger reduction of oxides. The dew point of the mixture must also be low, usually below -40 °C.

How is the size of a nitrogen generator for a furnace determined?

The gas flow per furnace during operation and purging, the required residual oxygen and the number of furnaces running at the same time determine the size. Purging cycles often create peaks, which a buffer vessel can absorb so the generator does not need to be oversized.

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