21 February, 2020
Generating Nitrogen in-house
Estimated reading time: 5 minutes
This enhances production flexibility by ensuring that they have the nitrogen they need, at the level of purity they need, when they need it. Generating nitrogen in-house also removes the worry of running out because there is no third-party supplier. This eliminates constant order processing, refills and delivery costs, and frees up space otherwise needed to store nitrogen bottles (both full and empty).
How a Nitrogen generator works
Nitrogen is generated by separating nitrogen molecules from other molecules within a clean, dry compressed air stream, resulting in a purified supply of nitrogen.
For some applications, such as tire inflation and fire prevention, relatively low purity levels (between 90% and 97%) are required. Other applications, such as food/beverage processing and plastic molding, require higher levels of purity (from 97% to 99.999%). Different technologies exist for generating nitrogen, each with certain advantages.
Watch this video to learn more about Nitrogen
Membrane Nitrogen generators
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Membrane technology is simple and efficient, with compact, all-in-one units that require little maintenance and have zero operational costs. It’s ideal for applications where the required flow of nitrogen is relatively low and purity levels do not exceed 99%. Membrane technology has a lower initial investment than high flow/high purity technologies such as Pressure Swing Adsorption (PSA).
Pressure Swing Adsorption (PSA) Nitrogen generators
Clean and dry compressed air enters tower A. Since oxygen molecules are smaller than nitrogen molecules, they pass through the pores of the sieve. Nitrogen molecules cannot fit through the pores, so they bypass the sieve resulting in nitrogen of desired purity. This phase is called the adsorption or separation phase. Most of the nitrogen produced in tower A exits the system, ready for direct use or storage.
Next, a small portion of the generated nitrogen is flowed into tower B in the opposite direction. This flow pushes out the oxygen that was captured in the previous adsorption phase of tower B. By releasing the pressure in tower B, the carbon molecular sieves lose their ability to hold the oxygen molecules, which detach from the sieves and get carried away by the small nitrogen flow coming from tower A. This ‘cleaning’ process makes room for new oxygen molecules to attach to the sieves in a next adsorption phase.
PSA technology enables continuous, high-capacity nitrogen flow in demanding applications at purity levels up to 99.999%. PSA generators have a higher initial investment cost than membrane generators, but they offer the advantages of higher flow and higher purity levels that some industries and applications demand.
Ask an air system professional about the best solution for generating nitrogen in-house.
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Nitrogen gas generator in the food industry
Companies that generate their own nitrogen in-house with a nitrogen gas generator enhance production flexibility by ensuring they have the nitrogen they need, at the level of purity they need, when they need it.
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Pharmaceutical companies that require a reliable source of high purity nitrogen can benefit by generating their own nitrogen in-house to reduce cost while controlling quality and boosting efficiency
How a Nitrogen generator is used in manufacturing companies
Manufacturers that require a reliable source of high purity nitrogen can benefit by generating their own nitrogen in-house to reduce cost while controlling quality and boosting efficiency
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