Endothermic gas is a gas that inhibits or reverses oxidation on the surfaces it is in contact with. This gas is the product of incomplete combustion in a controlled environment. An example mixture is hydrogen gas (H2), nitrogen gas (N2), and carbon monoxide (CO). The hydrogen and carbon monoxide are reducing agents, so they work together to shield surfaces from oxidation. Endothermic gas is often used as a carrier gas for gas carburizing and carbonitriding. An endothermic gas generator could be used to supply heat to form an endothermic reaction. Synthesised in the catalytic retort(s) of endothermic generators, the gas in the endothermic atmosphere is combined with an additive gas including natural gas, propane (C3H8) or air and is then used to improve the surface chemistry work positioned in the furnace.

Purposes

There are two common purposes of the atmospheres in the heat treating industry:

Principal components of a endothermic gas generator

Principal components of endothermic gas generators:

Chemical composition

Chemistry of endothermic gas generators:

Applications

Applications of endothermic gas generators: It is relatively simple to operate and maintain endothermic gas generators, however, maintenance such as the burnout process is often overlooked.