System for producing a regulated atmosphere for a high- temperature process

摘要

The invention provides a method and apparatus for producing a regulated atmosphere in a heat treating furnace. In the preferred embodiment, liquid methanol is heated sufficiently to cause it to dissociate into hydrogen and carbon monoxide, i.e. the combustible components. These dissociated combustible components are then mixed with a relatively inert gas such as nitrogen. This mixture of combustibles and non-combustibles forms the atmosphere for the furnace. The proportion of one or more combustibles in the mixture is measured, and the flow of the inert gas into the mixer is regulated so as to maintain precisely the desired ratio of combustibles to non-combustibles in the furnace atmosphere. The invention includes various mechanisms for preventing unsafe temperature and pressure conditions, and for insuring that unwanted byproducts of dissociated methanol are not created. The system also can be adapted to provide a plurality of atmospheres, having differing contents of combustibles, to several furnaces at once.