1. 1 Eight Gas Analysis for Complete Furnace Atmosphere Control October 9, 2002 Ronald R. Rich, President Atmosphere Recovery, Inc. 15800 32nd Avenue North, Suite 110 Plymouth, MN 55447 Ph: (763) 557-8675 Fax: (763) 557-8668 Web: www.atmrcv.com E-mail: rrr@atmrcv.com

2. 2 Presentation Outline  Atmosphere Control Issues  Laser Gas Analyzer Technology  Standard Process Applications  Endothermic Carburizing  Annealing/Brazing  New Process Example  Rapid Carburizing  Economic Benefits of Eight Gas Control  Questions

3. 3 Heat Furnace Atmospheres – Similar Constituents & Control Needs  Carburizing, Carbonitriding, FNC & Nitriding  N 2, CO, H 2, CO 2, H 2 O, CH 4, O 2, NH 3, CH 3 OH  Atmosphere Tempering and Annealing  N 2, H 2, CO, CO 2, H 2 O, CH 4, O 2, NH 3, Ar  Steel, Copper and Aluminum Brazing  N 2, H 2, CO, CO 2, H 2 O, CH 4, O 2, NH 3, Ar  Powdered Metal Sintering and Annealing  H 2, N 2, CO, CO 2, H 2 O, CH 4, O 2, NH 3, H 2 S

4. 4 Atmosphere Control Needs (1) – Better Control = Less Use Fixed Flow or Single Gas High Use (H) Std. Multi-Gas Adds Control Med. Use (M) Complete Gas Control/Reuse Low Use (L) Industrial Process Gas Furnace Natural Gas and Other Fuels Process Gases and Liquid (Vapors) Waste Gas Amounts H M L

5. 5 Atmosphere Control Needs (2) – Part/Product Quality  Improved Real Time “Potential” Control  Carbon (Carburizing & Neutral Hardening)  Nitrogen (Nitriding)  Oxidation/Reduction (All Gas Processes)  Impurity Diffusion (Most Gas Processes)  Surface Factors  Retained Austenite  Intergranular Oxidation  Hardness  Scaling/Coating for Process Function  Atmosphere Constituent Uniformity

6. 6 Atmosphere Control Needs (3) – Operation & Maintenance  Equipment Deterioration Compensation  Process Gas/Liquid Supply Variation  Burner Tubes  Soot Buildup  Door and Seam Leaks  Control System Performance  Reduction of Downtime  Scheduled and Periodic  Unscheduled

7. 7 Atmosphere Control Needs (4) – Other Significant Issues  Energy Costs  Destructive Analysis Requirements  Parts Re-Work  Process Documentation  Furnace Safety  Increase Furnace Throughput

8. 8 ARI Products Measure, Control & Recycle Process Gases Laser Gas Analyzer Process Gas Controller Process Gas Recycling Furnace Gas Mixtures Natural Gas and Other Process Fuels Process Gas Supply

9. 9 Core of ARI Control – Unique Process Gas Detector Mirror Polarizer Prism & Mirror Laser Beam Gas Sample Tube Gas Out 8 Optical Filters/Sensors (1 for Each Gas Measured) Detector Assembly Gas Out Special Particle Filter Plasma Cell Gas to be Analyzed In

10. 10  Unique Signature for Each Chemical Bond Type (Molecular Scattering of Laser Light: “Raman Effect”)  All Pertinent Gaseous Species Measurable (Principle of Measurement Requires a Chemical Bond)  Simultaneous Measurement of 8 Different Species  “Real Time” Detector Response (50 milliseconds)  Linear Proportionality to Number of Gas Atoms  0-100% Gas Concentrations with One Detector  Accuracy Better Than NIST Calibration Gases  Stable Zero and Single-Span Gas Calibration Laser Gas Analysis Principals

11. 11 Analyzer – Industrial Product Model 4EN Furnace Gas Analyzer Inside View Outside View

12. 12 Standard Furnace Constituents Monitored and Detection Limits Gas SpeciesLower Limit Hydrogen - H 2 100 ppm Nitrogen - N 2 50 ppm Oxygen - O 2 50 ppm Water Vapor - H 2 O10-50 ppm* Carbon Monoxide - CO50 ppm Carbon Dioxide - CO 2 25 ppm Organics - C x H y 10-50 ppm* Ammonia - NH 3 10-50 ppm* *Customer Selectable – Selecting Lower Value Limits The Upper Range to 30%; Other Gas Species Substitutable as Options

13. 13 Example Software Control Screens Main Control Screen Atmosphere Analysis Values

14. 14 LGA Analysis Advantages ARI Approach Features Raman Gas Analyzer Multi-Gas Detection (Eight) Fast – Response in Seconds All Key Gas Processes Controlled Rugged and Reliable Other ApproachesLimitations Manual Flow Control Inefficient & Quality Control Issues High Energy Use & Emissions Single Gas Analyzers Inefficient & Quality Control Issues Still High Energy Use & Emissions Infrared Analyzers Can’t Detect Key Gases Low Range & Frequent Calibration Gas Chromatographs Slow – Response in Minutes Carrier Gas & Frequent Calibration Mass Spectrometers (Future) Can’t Discriminate Key Gases Complex & Expensive

15. 15 Benefits of Laser Gas Analysis - Surface Hardening Quality Using Standard Atmospheres  Surface Carbon and Nitrogen Properties  Improved Surface Hardness  Controlled Surface Retained Austenite  White Layer Control  Consistent Compressive Residual Stress  Reduced Intergranular Oxidation  Improved Same Batch Consistency  Improved Batch-to-Batch Consistency  Faster Cycle Times

16. 16 Benefits of Laser Gas Control - Brazing and Annealing with Standard Exothermic & Hydrogen/Nitrogen  Reduced Atmosphere Consumption  Reduced Energy Use  Lower Air Emissions (Exo)  Generator Air/Fuel Ratio Control (Exo)  Burner/Chiller Malfunction Warning (Exo)  Gas Supply Quality Warnings  Purge and Leak Safety Improvements  Improved Part/Product Consistency

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18. 18 Benefits of Laser Gas Analysis - Heat Treating Energy Savings  Atmosphere Gas Consumption Reduced Endothermic Example – 90%+ Exothermic Example – 50%+ Hydrogen/Nitrogen Example – 80%+ Ammonia Reduction – 50%+?  Extra Gas Generators Turned Off  Shorter Cycle Times Inherent Carburizing Example – 20%  Total Process Savings Significant Carburizing Example – 25% of Total Furnace Exothermic Example – 15% of Total Furnace

19. 19 Benefits of Laser Gas Analysis – In-Situ Rapid Carburizing  Greatly Increased Production Capacity Example: Cycle time for ~1mm case reduced 50%  Up to 40% Energy Savings  Elimination of Endo Generators  Further Improved Product Quality  Reduced Sooting and Furnace Maintenance

20. 20 Example 96% Endo Savings Surface Combustion All-Case Furnace (Shown Under Standard Operation) Stack and Flare Shut Off Door and Burner Leaks Reduced

21. 21 Example Use for Rapid Carburizing

22. 22 System Paybacks in Less Than 12 Months * Includes Furnaces, Atmosphere Generators, and Ancillary Equipment if Plant New or Near Capacity Benefit Standard Carburizing Rapid Carburizing Exothermic Annealing Productivity Improvement Reduced Processing Times Improved Quality Up to 20%Up to 50% Reduced Energy Consumption25%40%Up to 30% Reduced Process Gas UseUp to 90%Up to 98%Up to 90% Reduced Regulated EmissionsOver 90%Over 98%Over 90% ARI System Price (Typical)$40-100K$70-150K$40-90K Example Customer Gear Manufacturer Axle Manufacturer Copper Tube Annealer Cost Benefits Capital Savings (Avoiding Conventional Equipment)* Operation & Maintenance Cost Reduction $150K $100K/year $250K $200K/year $90K $100K/year