1. 1 Removing the Guesswork from Furnace Atmosphere Control with Laser Gas Analysis 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  Application Introduction  Existing Technology Limitations  Laser Gas Analyzer Technology  Economic Benefits of LGA  Example Process Applications  Standard Carburizing  Rapid Carburizing  Exothermic Annealing

3. 3 Industrial Furnace Atmospheres – Similar Constituents  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 Conceptual Needs – Better Control, Less Use Fixed Flow or Single Gas High Gas Use (H) Std. Multi-Gas Adds Control Med. Gas Use (M) Complete Gas Control/Reuse Low Gas Use (L) Industrial Process Gas Furnace Natural Gas and Other Fuels Process Gases and Liquid (Vapors) Waste Gas Amounts H M L

5. 5 Typical Atmosphere Control - Measures Only One Gas Species  Types  Zirconia Oxygen Probe – Measures Oxygen  Dew Point Meters – Measures Water Vapor  Electrochemical Cells – Low Range Single Gases  Benefits  Proven Technology  Lower Capital Cost  Low Complexity  Disadvantages  Other Gas Constituents Assumed (Guessed)  Assumptions Often Wrong  Limits Process Control & Improvement Options  Requires High Process Atmosphere Flows

6. 6 Improved Atmosphere Control – Single Gas Plus Infra-Red  Economically Measures Three More Gases  Carbon Monoxide  Carbon Dioxide  Methane  Benefits  Proven Technology and Vendors  Can be Used to Reduce Atmosphere Use  Disadvantages  Cannot Measure Hydrogen, Nitrogen and Inerts  Expensive to Measure Other Significant Gases  Limited Measurement Range  Requires Frequent Calibration  Limits High Efficiency Atmosphere Gas Mixtures  Can’t Significantly Reduce Atmosphere Use

7. 7 Other Gas Analysis Technologies – Not Very Applicable to Atmospheres  Gas Chromatography (GC)  High Capital Cost ($15,000 - $60,000)  Slow (2 Minutes+)  Complex – Use Requires Training  Carrier Gas and Frequent Calibration  Few Used for Atmosphere Control  Mass Spectroscopy (MS)  Higher Capital Cost ($50,000 - $120,000)  Best Applied on Vacuum Processes  Expensive to Maintain  Many Gases Cannot be Determined (Equal Mass)

8. 8 Ultimate Atmosphere Control Goal – Practical Complete Gas Analyzer  Measure All Gases  Except Inert Gases (Can be Inferred)  Low Levels of Oxygen (Work with Existing Controls)  Dew Point Range of –40 Deg. C (or F) and Up  Monitoring of Any Industrial Atmosphere  Fast Analyzer Response  Compact and Operator Friendly  Rugged, Reliable, Easy to Service  Minimal Calibration  Cost-Effective

9. 9  Unique Frequency “Shift” for Each Chemical Bond  Little Interference Between Most Gases  Measures Gases of All Types (Except Inerts)  Rapid “Real Time” Response Rates Possible  Signal Directly Proportional to Number of Gas Atoms  0-100% Gas Concentrations with One Detector  Resolution and Accuracy Depends On:  Laser Power and Optics Variation  Gas Concentration and Pressure  Molecular Bond Type  Background and Scattered Radiation  Optical and Electronic Detector Circuitry  GOALS MET! Laser Raman Spectroscopy - Why Selected?

10. 10 Core of Laser Gas Control – Unique 8 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

11. 11 LGA Detector Features  Internal Cavity-Based Raman  Low Power Laser (Helium-Neon Plasma)  Sample Gas Flows Through Instrument  Higher Inherent Accuracy  Discrete Optical Filtering and Quantifying  8 Gases Detected – Can be Process Specific  Simultaneous Detection of Each Gas Species  Fast Detector Response (50 milliseconds)  Only High Nitrogen Dioxide Levels Interfere  Array Based Interference Computations

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 Gas Analyzer – Basic System View Detector Assembly Integrated Computer & Control System Sample Pump, Valves and Pressure Control

14. 14 Analyzer System Features  Integrated Sampling and Calibration System  Internal Pump and Valves  Low Volume Sample Gas Flows (200 ml/minute)  Multiple Sample Port Options  Automated Zero and Span Calibration  Integrated Electronics & Software  Pentium/Pentium III Computer and Monitor  Customizable Windows Based OS  Local and Remote Displays and Data Storage  Available Analog and Digital I/O  Multiple Configurable Process and PLC Interfaces

15. 15 Example Main Control Screen

16. 16 Analyzer – Industrial Product Model 4EN Furnace Gas Analyzer Inside View Outside View

17. 17 Industrial Product Features  “Real Time” Process Monitoring and Control (1 to 15 Seconds - Depends on Number of Ports and Options)  Operates with Existing PLCs and Sensors  Low Volume Sample Gas Flows (200 ml/minute)  Electronic Flow and Pressure Monitoring  Optics and Enclosure Inerting (Standard for Heat Treating Atmosphere Analysis)  Multiple Sample Ports (16 + Optional)  Sample Line Purge and Back-flush (Optional)  High Dew Point Atmosphere Operation (Optional)  Standard NEMA Enclosures

18. 18 Economic Benefits of Laser Gas Atmosphere Analysis and Control  Multiple Gas Analysis Capability = System Versatility  Economic Paybacks in Many Ways  Reduce Energy Costs  Increase Production Capacity  Improve Component Quality  Improve Component Consistency  Reduce Destructive Analysis Costs  Reduce Re-Work Costs  Better Process Documentation  Maintenance Early Warnings  Enhanced Furnace Safety Depends on System FunctionsUsed

19. 19 Benefits of Laser Gas Analysis - Surface Hardening Quality with Standard Atmospheres  Surface Carbon (or Nitrogen) Properties  Improved Surface Hardness  Controlled Surface Retained Austenite  Consistent Compressive Residual Stress  Reduced Intergranular Oxidation  Improved Same Batch Consistency  Improved Batch-to-Batch Consistency  Faster Cycle Times

20. 20 Benefits of Laser Gas Analysis - Heat Treating Energy Savings  Atmosphere Gas Consumption Reduced Endothermic Example – 90%+ Exothermic Example – 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

21. 21 Example 96% Endo Savings Surface Combustion All-Case Furnace (Shown Under Standard Operation) Stack and Flare Shut Off Door and Burner Leaks Reduced

22. 22 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

23. 23 Example Use for Rapid Carburizing

24. 24 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% System Price (Typical)$40-100K$70-150K$40-90K Example Customer Gear Manufacturer Axle Manufacturer Non-Ferrous Annealer Cost Benefits Capital Savings (Avoiding Conventional Equipment)* Operation & Maintenance Cost Reduction $150K $100K/year $250K $200K/year $90K $100K/year