On-site Nitrogen generation

Maintaining an inert environment inside the reactor of a gas plant calls for extremely high volumes of nitrogen at extremely high levels of purity. (A minimum of 99.5% purity, to be precise, because even at 99.4%, an alarm will sound and the reactor will automatically shut down.) And to cope with fluctuating demand, our customer needed a high-performance solution that was as flexible as it was reliable in order to shave the inevitable peaks in production. 

Indeed, the associated truck movements on site, often several times per day, come with logistical challenges, operational risks and potential safety hazards of their own. And so after much painstaking analysis, meticulous calculations, comprehensive demonstrations and even a week-long pilot, our customer was well and truly ready to consider the alternatives. 

Our expert team at Atlas Copco Rental Middle East proposed a complete package for generating the required flow-rate and purity of nitrogen on site and on demand, based on Atlas Copco’s revolutionary NGM 1100 nitrogen generating membrane. In combination with our equally state-of-the-art PTS 1600 oil-free compressor and PHS 1600 heatless desiccant dryer, the package was configured with a built-in failsafe set to 99.8% purity and included delivery, installation, operation, servicing, and round-the-clock monitoring. And to demonstrate the capacity of the solution to run continuously at the required volume and purity, a 1-week pilot project was conducted to test the system’s resilience and performance under varying conditions. 

In the end, our nitrogen generating package ran continuously at the customer’s site for a period of 2 months, delivering a stable output of up to 350 cfm of nitrogen gas at a pressure of 20 bar and a purity of 99.8%, well above the minimum requirement of 99.5%. In fact, the customer was sufficiently satisfied with the package’s performance that they retained it for longer than originally foreseen, using it between peak moments in other reactors and, e.g., for purging storage tanks as well. Which of course brought even further time and cost savings.

“The most clear demonstration of our customer’s faith in the NGM package, however, is that they have since banned the use of liquid nitrogen at their plant altogether,” says Amro. “When compared to the performance of our total solution for on-site generation, there is simply no reason any more to justify the expense, risk, and administrative effort involved in trucking in such high volumes of liquid N₂ on a daily basis.”

As a result of the successful pilot, we have since concluded a long-term agreement with the same customer for the supply of process-critical equipment whenever required. And there are currently already 4 other projects in the pipeline as part of this long-term agreement. 

“As well as the performance and proven reliability of our equipment, one of the overwhelming reasons for choosing Atlas Copco Rental Middle East as a long-term partner is the size and availability of our fleet,” explains Amro. “This enables us to respond to requests, often at extremely short notice.” In addition, our teams are now very familiar with the plant and the constraints of their operations, which means we can also propose perfectly customized and precisely dimensioned solutions in a very limited timeframe.

The enormous success of this project is further proof that, even in the highly critical environment of a refinery reactor, Atlas Copco’s next-generation of nitrogen generating membranes are by far the safest, most reliable, most efficient and most cost-effective choice. For a constant and virtually limitless supply of nitrogen at an extremely high level of purity. 

• Maher Khouly - Regional Marketing & Communications Manager, Atlas Copco Rental Middle East & India
  maher.khouly@atlascopco.com

At Atlas Copco, we have been turning industrial ideas into business-critical benefits since 1873. By listening to our customers and knowing their needs, we deliver value and innovate with the future in mind. 

Great ideas reinforce sustainable development. At Atlas Copco Specialty Rental, we team up with our customers to set up state-of-the-art temporary air, flow, steam and nitrogen solutions. Our passionate experts have extensive application and equipment knowledge. We understand our customers' needs and can provide a total solution for any industry, no matter if it is for emergencies or planned projects. We are a division of the Power Technique business area, headquartered in Boom, Belgium and offer specialty rental solutions under several brands around the globe.