Nitrogen plays an important role in many industries and operations including oil & gas, electronics, food and beverage packaging, chemical manufacturing, pharmaceuticals, laser cutting, wastewater treatment
While buying or leasing nitrogen is always an option, the costs quickly add up. When it comes to efficiency, total cost of ownership, employee safety and environmental impact, onsite nitrogen generation makes a strong case. Moreover, with onsite nitrogen generation you have complete control over the purity, pressure and amount of nitrogen you generate for a given application.
Generate your own nitrogen with compressed air
Onsite nitrogen generators can make use of either:
- PSA technology: Generators that use this technology are capable of high levels of purity (up to 99.999%) and flow (1100 Nm³/h) which is demanded in the electronics, chemicals, and pharmaceutical industries. Onsite nitrogen generators that use this technology consist of two connected towers that produce a near-continuous flow of nitrogen.
- Membrane technology: Nitrogen generated through this method can achieve purity levels in the range of 95% - 99.5% (adjustable) and flow up to 500 m³/h. This is ideal for use in fire prevention, plastic injection molding and food preservation. Onsite nitrogen generators that use membrane technology have the advantage of having a small footprint, low maintenance, and low energy needs.
With both PSA generators and membrane generators, it’s important to pay attention to the intake air to ensure the purity of air from onsite nitrogen generation. In the case of PSA generators, the compressed air that flows into the nitrogen generator needs to be clean and dry. The temperature and pressure of the inlet air must also be controlled. This is made possible by installing an air dryer between the compressor and onsite nitrogen generator. In the case of membrane generators too, intake air needs to clean and dry in order to prevent clogging.