If you've installed a nitrogen N2 generator in your facility, you already know the benefits. These include increased productivity and lower operational costs. This is the result of an always available nitrogen supply, and no longer dealing with delivery logistics. That said, to achieve optimal results for certain applications, nitrogen storage powered by a booster is recommended.
You'll also find storage useful for balancing peak nitrogen consumption without oversizing the nitrogen generation system. In this article, we'll discuss where nitrogen storage and a booster comes in handy. You'll also learn a bit more about different solutions.
How is nitrogen stored and used?
As you may imagine, a nitrogen booster amplifies existing N2 pressure to deliver desired results. This occurs with pistons, which increases pressure from low to high. As a result, N2 pressure can go up to as much as 300 bar.
After this is done, the pressurized N2 is stored for use by the application. With this, it's important to keep in mind that it’s the application in combination with its N2 flow pattern that determines how much N2 needs to be stored. A high-pressure receiver tank typically stores up to 40 bar of N2, and a cylinder (rack) typically you can store up to 300 bar pressure of N2. As previously mentioned, boosters can reach these levels.
When using stored N2, you'll want to add a regulator between the storage tank and your application. This will allow you to set the right pressure level for the job.
Nitrogen Booster LB 300
Adding nitrogen storage to your setup
You can find a nitrogen booster and storage as add on products to an existing nitrogen generation system. They are also included in an all-in-one N2 skid. The latter includes a nitrogen generator, air compressor, booster, and storage in one easy to install package. Otherwise, you can purchase a booster and nitrogen storage separately. As you can see, there are different solutions to fit a wide range of needs.
Medium to high pressure applications
There are several applications requiring medium/high pressure nitrogen. These include nitrogen blanketing, laser cutting, and aluminum extrusion. With this, it's worth having nitrogen storage for efficient operations and redundancy. Doing so, ensures you'll always have readily available N2.
Nitrogen blanketing
To minimize the risk of oxidation and presence of contaminants, increase shelf life, and reduce flammability of transported liquids, nitrogen blanketing is commonly used. This is the process of filling the empty space of a storage container with N2.
By doing so, oxygen levels are reduced, and products can be stored and transported more safely. Examples of where this is useful include food production, the chemical and petrochemical industries, and advanced production processes. It goes without saying that using a stored N2 supply is useful for this application.
Aluminum extrusion
Extruded aluminum is used in industries including automotive, aeronautical, electronics, and naval. It is also important for door and window manufacturing for buildings. The extrusion of aluminum is a process that transforms a solid cylinder of aluminum into useful products. This requires high pressure nitrogen, as well as a booster and storage set up.
An aluminum ingot is inserted into an extremely hot tank, where it is softened. Pressure from a hydraulic piston is then applied to mold the aluminum into the desired shape. Since oxygen is highly reactive, it's important to use nitrogen. This helps maintain a high-quality finish. Much like laser cutting, producing your own high purity nitrogen supply is ideal for quality control.
Laser cutting
Laser cutting is a medium to high pressure application that requires nitrogen. Therefore, it benefits from a nitrogen booster and storage, either in a skid or as an add on. You want to make sure you're using the right nitrogen pressure and purity levels for this application. The best way to control this is with your own N2 supply.
The right nitrogen booster for you
Whether you need 15, 25, 40, 100, or 300 bar of nitrogen pressure, we have a nitrogen booster solution for you. Explore our LB 40 and LB 300 product range. These are useful for a wide range of applications and delivering nitrogen to storage tanks and cylinders. If you'd like additional information about everything we covered, feel free to reach out. Our team is happy to help.
