USING A CATALYST IN NATURAL-GAS CONVERSION FOR PREPARING ENDOTHERMIC GAS IN THE VOLZHSKII AUTOMOBILE PLANT

Special catalysts are used to accelerate the conversion of natural gas in the converter of the generator for preparing protective endothermi c atmospheres. VAZ has tested and introduced a catalyst of protective atmospheres (KZA) produced by the Novomoskovsk Branch of the State Ins titute of the Nitrogen Industry (GIAP) instead of the GIAP-25 catalyst used previously. The KZA catalyst is a promoted lower nickel oxide de posited on a large-pore carrier (cubic particles 17 mm in size) made o f a chamotte-pearlite lightweight refractory of grade ShL-04 produced by the Vnukovskii Refractory plant. During the eight years of employin g this catalyst in VAZ its stability decreased from 1.5 years to 1.5 - 4 weeks. The operating capacity of a catalyst usually decreases due t o its break up into a dust-like state, which markedly decreases the pe netrability of the process gases through the converter. The present pa per is devoted to the causes of the low stability of the KZA catalyst and suggests ways to improve it.