Onsite Membrane Nitrogen Generators
A membrane nitrogen generator is an onsite system that produces a continuous, on-demand supply of nitrogen gas from compressed air, at purities from 95% to 99.5%, without cylinders, bulk liquid deliveries, or supplier contracts. For industrial operations where nitrogen is a core process input, membrane generators eliminate the cost, scheduling dependency, and supply risk that come with conventional nitrogen supply.
Advanced Gas Technologies has been designing, installing, and supplying membrane nitrogen generation systems across North America since 1994. Our nitrogen generation systems are available in standard configurations or fully custom-engineered to match the specific purity, flow, and pressure requirements of the application.
How Does a Membrane Nitrogen Generator Work?
Membrane nitrogen generators operate through a process called selective permeation:
- Compressed air enters the membrane module. A compressor supplies filtered, dried compressed air into one or more hollow fiber membrane modules.
- Air passes through the hollow fiber membranes. The membrane bundle contains thousands of semi-permeable polymer fibers. Compressed air flows through the interior of these fibers under pressure.
- Oxygen, water vapor, and CO₂ permeate out. These faster-permeating gases pass through the fiber walls and are vented to atmosphere.
- Nitrogen is retained and collected. Nitrogen molecules permeate more slowly and remain within the fiber bore, concentrating toward the outlet end.
- Dry nitrogen is delivered to the process. The resulting nitrogen stream is dry and continuous, delivered directly to the point of use at the required purity and pressure.
What are the Benefits of a Membrane Nitrogen Generator?
There are many advantages for having an onsite membrane type nitrogen generator installed, the biggest benefit being that you can lower your ongoing nitrogen costs by up to 90% depending on the application.
Following are benefits and features of membrane type nitrogen generators and how they can improve efficiency in a variety of applications.
- An independent onsite supply of nitrogen, which means freedom from the industrial gas supplier and their long-term contracts and ever escalating nitrogen costs
- Fast Return on Investment (ROI); typical ROI can be expected within six to 18 months
- Fully automatic systems for on-demand operation; you only produce nitrogen as required
- Extremely reliable
- Easy, low cost maintenance
- Minimal space requirements
- Membrane type nitrogen generators can be housed in modified sea containers for system mobility or portability
- Eliminate wasteful venting of nitrogen gas that’s associated with bulk liquid nitrogen tanks
- Produces nitrogen purities from 95% to 99.5%; match nitrogen purities to the actual nitrogen purity requirement of your application
- Nitrogen flow capacities are available from 40 SCFH (1 m3/hr) to 200,000 SCFH+ (5,600 m3/hr+)
- Nitrogen discharge pressures to 300 psig (20 barg) without booster compressors
- High pressure systems to 20,000 psig (1,360 bar) available
- Features include touchscreen controllers with the following capabilities:
- oxygen analyzer
- air in pressure
- nitrogen discharge pressure
- low nitrogen purity alarm
- low nitrogen pressure alarm
- maintenance advisory
- optional purity control setting (up to three purities)
- optional remote monitoring, controlling and communications capability
- optional nitrogen flow monitoring
- optional off spec. gas vent
- Turnkey systems engineered, assembled, and installed to specification
For applications requiring purity above 99.5%, PSA nitrogen generators are the more efficient option.
Membrane Nitrogen Generator Applications
Some of the applications that are well-suited for onsite nitrogen generating systems include:
- autoclaves
- beverage manufacturing
- chemical plants and refineries
- coffee packaging
- controlled atmosphere fruit storage
- enhanced oil field recovery
- food/map packaging
- fuel and chemical tank inerting
- gas assist injection molding
- heat treating
- laser cutting
- leak cutting
- pharmaceutical manufacturing
- printing
- power plants
- reflow ovens
- shipboard inerting
- soldering
Advanced Gas Technologies’ membrane nitrogen generators can be configured for fixed installation or housed in modified sea containers for mobile and remote-site deployment.
Why Choose Advanced Gas Technologies
For an efficient and cost-effective way to supply your nitrogen requirements, look no further than Advanced Gas Technologies Inc. We have been supplying, installing, and maintaining membrane nitrogen generation systems throughout North America for over 30 years. Over that time, we have helped industrial operations across a broad range of industries reduce their nitrogen costs by eliminating the dependency on cylinder and bulk liquid supply.
Ready to install an onsite industrial gas generating system? We help our clients lower their costs with big return on investments that come by generating nitrogen and oxygen on site.
For more information on our membrane nitrogen generators, contact us toll-free at 1-(866) 725-7551 in North America or (905) 305-0094 local and overseas.
Frequently Asked Questions About Membrane Nitrogen Generators
How long does a membrane nitrogen generator last?
With proper maintenance and clean, dry compressed air supply, a membrane nitrogen generator can perform reliably for 10 years or more. The single most important factor in extending membrane life is protecting the system from oil and moisture contamination in the compressed air feed.
Can a membrane nitrogen generator be used in a mobile or remote application?
Yes. Membrane nitrogen generators are well-suited for mobile and remote deployments because of their compact, lightweight design and the absence of large pressure vessels. Advanced Gas Technologies’ membrane systems can be housed in modified sea containers, allowing a complete turnkey nitrogen generation package to be transported and installed at remote or temporary sites. This makes membrane technology a practical option for oil and gas field operations, pipeline purging, and other applications where a portable nitrogen source is required.
What maintenance does a membrane nitrogen generator require?
Membrane nitrogen generators have no moving parts within the membrane unit itself, which keeps maintenance requirements low. The most critical maintenance task is regular replacement of compressed air pre-filtration elements, typically on an 8,000 operating hour cycle, to prevent oil or moisture from reaching the membrane. Daily checks of nitrogen purity and compressed air receiver tanks for moisture are also recommended.
When is a membrane nitrogen generator the right choice over a PSA system?
A membrane nitrogen generator is the right choice when the application requires nitrogen purity within the 95% to 99.5% range, when a compact or mobile installation is needed, or when fast startup and simple operation are priorities. Membrane systems have fewer components, no pressure vessels, and a smaller footprint than PSA systems, making them well-suited to space-constrained or mobile deployments.
