Air Products and Chemicals, Inc.

Other

John Lewis Green

Zbigniew Zurecki

Anna K Wehr-Aukland

Ranajit Ghosh

Donald J Bowe

Robert Ellsworth Knorr, Jr

John J Kaiser

Xiaoyi He

Xiaolan Wang

Lisa Ann Mercando

Daniel James Gibson

Robert Scott Albro

Guido Plicht

Kevin John Giardiniere

Robert C Best

David Scott Nelson

David J Lach

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 are a method, an apparatus, and a system for metal processing that improves one or more properties of a sintered metal part by controlling the process conditions of the cooling zone of a continuous furnace using one or more cryogenic fluids. In one aspect, there is provided a method comprising: providing a furnace wherein the metal part is passed therethough on a conveyor belt and comprises a hot zone and a cooling zone wherein the cooling zone has a first temperature; and introducing a cryogenic fluid into the cooling zone where the cryogenic fluid reduces the temperature of the cooling zone to a second temperature, wherein at least a portion of the cryogenic fluid provides a vapor within the cooling zone and cools the metal parts passing therethrough at an accelerated cooling rate.

Method of metal processing using cryogenic cooling

A nozzle and process are set forth for contacting a cryogenic liquid and a gas, and discharging the resulting fluid through the nozzle. In one embodiment, the ratio of the discharged fluid's liquid component to its gaseous component is controlled as a function of the gas pressure.

Apparatus and method for regulating cryogenic spraying

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

A fluid spray device system () that maintains a resultant fluid discharge, or a material onto which the resultant fluid is discharged, within a predetermined range of a set-point temperature by regulating the flow rate of a throttling gas using a proportional valve (). The resultant fluid has throttling gas and cryogenic fluid components. Both the throttling gas and cryogenic fluid are preferably supplied from a single tank () and the cryogenic fluid supply is pressure-regulated and includes a triaxial delivery hose () having a return line with a back-pressure regulator ().

Apparatus and method for controlling the temperature of a cryogen

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

A gas injector including in which a gas is passed through high-voltage/low-current electrical discharges before being discharged into the chamber of a thermal treatment furnace. The electrical activation of the gas accelerates desirable reactions between the gas, gases in the furnace chamber, and the chamber workload. Preferably, a hot electrode is electrically charged and the other parts of the gas injector and the furnace are grounded. Also provided is a method for activating an atmosphere within the reaction chamber of a controlled-atmosphere reactor.

Furnace atmosphere activation method and apparatus

Use of a shrouding gas to combine with and protect a turbulent gas jet issuing from an orifice enables control of a gas jet stream composition downstream from the orifice. The natural aspiration rate of the gas jet is used to determine the flowrate of shrouding gas which is introduced around the gas jet in a soft gas cushion which does not disrupt the flow pattern of the gas jet but instead is entrained into the jet stream to the exclusion of ambient gases in the atmosphere. Preferably shrouding gas is replaced at least at the rate at which it is entrained. Apparatus for this process uses a porous shroud, preferably of metal foam, through which shrouding gas flows evenly around the gas jet as it issues from a nozzle orifice. Provision for tangential entry of shrouding gas into a manifold which feeds the porous shroud prevents the shrouding gas from impinging upon the porous shroud and causing uneven flow around the gas jet.

Process and apparatus for shrouding a turbulent gas jet

A method and apparatus for blanketing the surface of material, e.g. molten metal contained in an open top vessel, e.g. induction furnace, by establishing a swirling flow of an inert gas having a density greater than air at the top of the vessel. Inert gas exits the swirl flow through an opening in a flow controlling apparatus having an exit opening with a diameter that is smaller than the base diameter of the swirl adjacent the open top vessel.

Growing community of inventors

Palmerton, PA, United States of America

John Lewis Green