Air Products and Chemicals, Inc.

Anna K Wehr-Aukland

John Lewis Green

Donald J Bowe

Zbigniew Zurecki

Xiaolan Wang

Guido Plicht

Robert Scott Albro

Donald James Bowe

Systems and methods are provided for humidifying a gas stream. Methods for providing a humidified gas stream comprise providing a dry gas, directing the dry gas to a humidification device, humidifying the dry gas to provide a humidified gas stream having an amount of moisture in excess of a predetermined amount, directing the humidified gas stream to a cooling device, cooling the humidified gas to a predetermined temperature, and directing the cooled humidified gas to a point of usage. Systems for providing a humidified gas stream comprise a dry gas stream, a humidification device configured to receive and humidify the dry gas stream to form a humidified gas stream having an amount of moisture in excess of a predetermined amount, and a cooling device configured to receive and cool the humidified gas stream to a predetermined temperature to form a cooled humidified gas stream.

Systems and methods for humidifying gas streams

Described herein is a method that can be used for heat treating a metal in at least one of the following processes: carburizing, carbonitriding, nitrocarburizing, and neutral carbon potential annealing operations that are used in a 1 atmosphere pressure furnace and in an atmosphere that is oxygen free and comprises nitrogen and at least one hydrocarbon.

Method and apparatus for heat treating a metal

Disclosed herein is a method and gas atmosphere for a metal component in a continuous furnace. In one embodiment, the method and gas atmosphere comprises the use of an effective amount, or about 1 to about 10 percent volume of endo-gas, into an atmosphere comprising nitrogen and hydrogen. In another embodiment, there is provided a method sintering metal components in a furnace at a one or more operating temperatures comprising: providing a furnace comprising a belt comprising a wire mesh material wherein the metal components are supported thereupon; and sintering the components in the furnace in an atmosphere comprising nitrogen, hydrogen, and effective amount of endothermic gas at the one or more operating temperatures ranging from about 1800&#xb0; F. to about 2200&#xb0; F. wherein the amount of endothermic gas in the atmosphere is such that it is oxidizing to the wire mesh material and reducing to the metal components.

Method and atmosphere for extending belt life in sintering furnace

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Macungie, PA, United States of America

Anna K Wehr-Aukland