An endothermic gas generator is comprised of at least one heating system and a reaction supply system. The typical components of each system are identified on Figure #1. A general understanding of these basic components is useful when troubleshooting any gas generation problem.
Air/Gas Ratio
The air/gas ratio is the leading indicator of any change inside the endothermic gas generation process. The air/gas ratio is simply a description of the recipe being used in the gas reaction. Typically, a higher air/gas ratio will produce endothermic gas with a higher dew point. However, the air/gas ratio can change considerably to maintain the same dew point for a number of reasons as detailed below. Therefore, it is important to understand the normal ratio “range” associated with a particular generator so that it is easier to identify actual problems when they occur.
