Importance of Nitrogen And Oxygen Generators For Manufacturing Plants

Just as in nature, oxygen and nitrogen are the two most prominent gases in the manufacturing industry. 

Industrial Use of Oxygen

Some of the sectors where oxygen is used are metal fabrication and cutting, decarburization, and scrap matting. Steel plants have very high requirements of oxygen for their processes. It is also required for the extraction of precious metals

Other than the metal industry, it finds uses in several industries such as chemicals & petrochemicals, medical & pharmaceutical, sports and adventure, food & beverages, fish farming, paper, glass, plastics, cables & optical fibers, fire prevention, wastewater treatment and much more. 

Industrial Uses of Nitrogen

Nitrogen is a key component of Ammonia, which is extensively used in the fertilizer industry. It is inert and non-flammable, which encourages its use for the protection of other volatile chemicals.  Under specific conditions, it does react with other chemicals and this is put to use for purification of gases and treatment of steel before it is sent for tin plating. 

Liquid freezing using nitrogen is utilized for the preservation of blood, sperm cells, and food. 

The other industries that use nitrogen include steel plants, metalworking & welding. electronics, oil & gas, lighting, inert gas generation, and packaging

The Growing Demand for the Gases

The demand for both these very useful gases is high and is growing steadily. While oxygen is used as a raw material for processes that require oxidation and for the regeneration of catalysts, nitrogen is used for removing oxygen from the processes where oxidation is undesirable as it could damage the materials that are being used in the process. Since these gases co-exist in the air, they need to be separated before they can be used for their individual applications. Interestingly, this is also one of the uses of Nitrogen – refining and gas separation.

Role of Oxygen and Nitrogen Generators

Both these gases are generated from the air. Oxygen and Nitrogen generators are the apparatus used to ensure that the two gases can be effectively separated. Each is used to separate the gas from the air as per the following process:

• Oxygen Generator

A clean, dry and compressed air stream is passed through the oxygen generator, which comprises of two separate pressure vessels, each containing a carbon molecular sieve. These towers switch between the processes of separation and regeneration.

The technology of Pressure Swing Adsorption (PSA) used is simple, reliable, and cost-effective. It can generate a continuous flow of oxygen with high capacity and a 90-95% level of purity. In the process of adsorption, the oxygen molecules from the air adhere to the adsorbent. Thus, the oxygen molecules are isolated from the others using PSA technology, and this results in the generation of pure oxygen, which is released through the outlet of the oxygen generator. 

• Nitrogen Generator 

The technology applied in a nitrogen generator for the isolation of nitrogen molecules is also the same as that for the oxygen generator. The nitrogen present in the compressed air stream that is clean and dry is separated using the Pressure Swing Adsorption (PSA) technique. In this instance, the purified nitrogen is separated using the appropriate adsorbent. Hence, purified nitrogen is released from the generator’s outlet. 

The required purity levels of nitrogen are high for most applications and must fall in the range of 97% - 99.99%. This includes all processes involving food & beverages as well as those of plastic molding, among others. A few applications, such as fire prevention and tire inflation do accept a slightly lower level of purity. 

Why Is In-House Generation Preferred?

Outsourcing cans of compressed gases can prove to be expensive. The cost of the gas may not be a major component, though. When you outsource, you pay for the logistics involved. This also means that you have to rely on others to ensure that your plant continues to function smoothly. Having in-house production of the gases eliminates all these worries and ensures minimized costs. There will be less inventory to be checked and more free space available on the premises, too.

You can choose the system most suitable for your plant from the several options available.