Gas mixtures containing hydrogen are used as a protective atmosphere in many heat treating processes including annealing, brazing and sintering. Hydrogen in conjunction with nitrogen or argon, carbon monoxide, methane provides protective and oxide reducing properties of furnace atmosphere to enhance the physical and chemical properties of heat treated metal products. This paper provides an overview of a unique steam methane reformer, employing an integrated heat recovery system, which reduces the cost and improves the reliability of hydrogen supply. This modular plant can produce 0.15 – 0.3 MMSCFD of 99.999 % hydrogen at 200 psig. This system offers a flexible hydrogen supply solution to heat treating market, which has demonstrated excellent results in actual commercial operation worldwide.

This content is only available as a PDF.