For businesses that use nitrogen for production or packaging, how you get that nitrogen can have a significant impact on your efficiency, safety, and bottom line. Whether you are a metal fabricator using laser cutting, a winery or food packager using nitrogen to maintain freshness, or soldering and plating on printed circuit boards, nitrogen may be key to ensuring the quality of your product. But how you get that nitrogen can have a massive impact on your efficiency, safety, and bottom line.
Traditionally, manufacturers have relied on delivered nitrogen, either in high-pressure cylinders or bulk liquid form. While this method is familiar, it comes with a host of challenges: recurring rental and delivery fees, the safety risks of handling heavy cylinders, and the ever-present danger of a missed delivery shutting down production.
With FABTECH and IBIE just around the corner, we're diving into a smarter, more cost-effective solution: on-site nitrogen generation.
Taking Control: Why Generate Nitrogen In-House?
On-site nitrogen generation puts you in complete control of your nitrogen supply. It liberates your facility from dependence on third-party suppliers, eliminating supply interruptions and recurring costs. The core benefits are compelling:
- Consistent, Uninterrupted Supply: Generate nitrogen on-demand, 24/7. This means no more production downtime waiting for a delivery.
- Enhanced Safety: Say goodbye to the risks associated with moving and storing high-pressure cylinders.
- Application-Specific Purity: Generating nitrogen consumes compressed air (and energy required to make it). Why pay for 99.999% purity if your application only requires 99.5%? On-site generators allow you to tailor the nitrogen purity to your exact needs, which is a more efficient and cost-effective approach.
How Does It Work? The Power of PSA
The most common technology for on-site nitrogen generation is pressure swing adsorption (PSA). The process is brilliantly simple and effective:
- Air Intake: A dedicated air compressor draws in ambient air.
- Compression & Treatment: The air is compressed and then treated to remove any oil, water, and particulate. Clean, dry compressed air is critical for the system's longevity and performance.
- Adsorption: The compressed air flows into vessels filled with a carbon molecular sieve (CMS). The CMS has a unique property: it adsorbs oxygen molecules while allowing nitrogen molecules to pass through freely.
- Pure Nitrogen Output: The result is a steady stream of nitrogen gas, produced at the purity level you require—from 95% to 99.9995%. The system "swings" between two vessels, one adsorbing while the other regenerates, to ensure a continuous flow.
The Impact on Your Bottom Line
While a nitrogen generator requires an upfront capital investment, the return on investment (ROI) is often surprisingly fast—sometimes within a few months. The operational cost savings are significant and multifaceted:
- Elimination of Recurring Costs: No more monthly bills for cylinder rentals, delivery charges, or gas refills.
- Reduced Gas Waste: Stop paying for unused nitrogen left in the bottom of returned cylinders.
- Low Maintenance: Modern nitrogen generators are designed for long service life with minimal maintenance needs.
KAESER: The Foundation for Reliable Nitrogen
For a nitrogen generator to perform optimally it needs a reliable and efficient air compressor along with the appropriate dryer and filtration to provide stable clean, dry air. On-site generation isn't just a trend; it's a strategic move toward a more efficient, sustainable, and profitable operation. KAESER has a full line of compressed air equipment to provide a solid foundation for any on-site nitrogen system.
Visit the Kaeser Compressors team at FABTECH in D41329 (Lakeside) or A5041 (South) to discuss your metal fabrication application. At IBIE, see us in 2007 (West) to see how we can improve the quality of your food products.
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