Thursday, January 15, 2015

The Importance Of Using Nitrogen Generators

By Kristen Baird


The chemical element nitrogen, whose atomic number is seven is represented by the letter N. It makes up 78.09 percent of the atmosphere while the other gasses takes up the rest. It is chemically inert, colorless and tasteless. Nitrogen generators, just as the name implies, is used to generate nitrogen that is used for a variety of things today.

The generators are known to operate in two different technologies. One in the adsorbent technology. An adsorbent is the solid substance that is used in this kind of generator. The most common type of this technology is the pressure swing absorbent. The price of operating the adsorbent technology is low and this lowers the price of the nitrogen that is produced by it.

The other is the membrane technology. It is further divided into membrane cartridge and gas separation concept. The gas separation process occurs when the velocities at which pressurized air penetrates a certain membrane are used to differentiate the gases. The difference in speeds is what brings about the separation.

Membrane cartridge aims at physically or chemically separating other components of air from nitrogen. A hollow tube where compressed air is passed through is used. As the air moves, the sides of the tube are equipped with other substances that will absorb or react with the other elements. The elements include rare gases, vapor, oxygen and impurities present in atmospheric air.

The preservation of food was once a problem in the food industries. The presence of oxygen facilitates the oxidation of chemicals in food and fruits making them taste differently. Oxygen also supports the existence of bacteria that cause decay. To elongate the stay of food substances, N2 gas is used to displace oxygen that brings about the rot. Preservation of food is achieved without putting the lives of human beings at risk.

In aircraft and motor vehicle industry, the generator is used in place of a compressed air tank. Air from the atmosphere contains water vapor as one of its constituents. When the air is compressed it still contains the water. To avoid the presence of water in the vehicle or the aircraft tires, the generator is used. This is because N2 is dry.

The petroleum industry also uses such generators for some purposes. It is used in transporting the hydrocarbons that make up the petroleum products. It tests the efficiency of transportation pipelines. And most of all, it is used for the safety of the people who work in these industries. Due to the inert nature of the gas, explosions cannot occur.

In the paints and the pharmaceutical industry it is used for safety measures too. The latter is prone to explosions due to the existence of highly flammable chemical elements. It is necessary to take safety measures because of that. In the paint industry, safety is also required as there is handling of hydrocarbons. The gas also prevents polymerization of drying oils by displacing oxygen.

The generators as seen above are applied in very many fields. The properties of N2 gas have proved to be very essential to the lives of every person. It has promoted the development of various industries and have had a great impact to the human race.




About the Author:



No comments:

Post a Comment