Non-toxic alternatives to dissociated ammonia for furnace atmospheres

摘要

The heat treatment industry has long used cracked ammonia as a source of hydrogen. However, the high toxicity of ammonia and increasing legislative pressure on its storage have made it less attractive over recent years. The alternative of using pure hydrogen may appear less cost effective at first, but its advantages in terms of flow and compositional flexibility can often reduce the total cost of using it below that of ammonia. This paper describes some of the properties of ammonia and the legislative framework in the US for storing it. It also describes how pure hydrogen is delivered and used in furnace atmospheres to get the maximum benefit from its properties.