Nitrogen Generators: What You Need to Know before Getting Your Own Nitrogen Generation System

Facilities that utilize nitrogen gas on a regular basis can benefit greatly from onsite nitrogen generators. Onsite nitrogen gas generators are cost-effective and convenient solutions that allow facilities to generate and manage their own nitrogen gas supply without having to rely on conventional nitrogen supply from industrial gas suppliers. Traditionally, ordering nitrogen gas cylinders or dewars can be a time-sensitive and expensive endeavour. Orders must be placed in advance and in addition to paying for the tanks, delivery charges are also tacked on. Any delays throughout the process could result in significant production downtime to your operation.

Why You Need Your Own Nitrogen Gas Generator Installed

Onsite nitrogen generating systems allow you to monitor and control your own nitrogen gas production and consumption without having to wait for delivery from traditional industrial gas  suppliers. Producing your own nitrogen gas allows a company to reduce administrative tasks including order processing and tracking. It also reduces the health and safety risks associated with handling nitrogen cylinders or dewars. You can safely produce as much or as little nitrogen gas as needed from an onsite nitrogen generator at any given time without worrying about proper handling or storage solutions.

By investing in an onsite nitrogen generator you safely improve productivity and reduce costs.

Infrastructure Requirements and Readiness

Prior to installing a nitrogen generator, a company must assess and confirm that their facility has the proper space available to safely install the system. While there are a lot of benefits to supplying your own nitrogen gas produced by a nitrogen generator but the uptake can be a little intimidating for businesses who have never utilized onsite nitrogen generator technology.

Here are few key requirements you should consider and some important preparations you should make to ensure your facility is ready for a nitrogen generator system installation.

Space for the Installation

First and foremost, you need to allocate a certain amount of space for the nitrogen generating system installation. The amount of space that needs to be set aside depends entirely on the size requirements of your system. The size requirements of your system depend on the amount of nitrogen gas needed for your various process requirements. Fortunately foot print requirements,  even for large capacity nitrogen generating systems, is surprisingly small.

Investment Capital for Nitrogen Installation

Any changes you make to your business model or infrastructure are going to require some  upfront capital. From purchase to installation and upkeep, nitrogen gas generating systems are a cost-efficient long-term business investment that can improve the efficiency of your operations. Typical ROI is less then 18 months. The cost of installing a nitrogen generating system will depend on your nitrogen requirements and installation requirements. The good news is, even if capital resources are tight, very competitive system financing is available upon request.

Piping Network

Whether you run a food production plant doing MAP or a metal fabrication facility with laser cutters that use nitrogen, your plant infrastructure most likely has an extensive piping network for compressed air supply that’s required for operating pneumatic actuated machinery. As a result, the work involved in installing nitrogen generators should be fairly minimal depending on the size and layout of your infrastructure and piping network. The task is simplified even further if nitrogen piping is already in place.

Electrical Power Source

Before committing to installing an onsite nitrogen generator generating system, you need to make sure that you have a sufficient electrical power infrastructure in place. Sufficient electricity sources are required for air compressors that feed compressed air into the nitrogen generator. A typical industrial air compressor will require a three phase power source. Nitrogen generators themselves require a minimal single phase power source for control voltage purposes only.

Safety Preparations to Consider for Your Nitrogen Generating System

Whether you need a PSA or membrane nitrogen generator, there are a few safety protocols that need to be followed prior to installation.

Proper Ventilation Requirements

Waste or permeate gas that vents out of a nitrogen generator is typically 30% – 40 % oxygen and the balance is primarily nitrogen. It does not pose a health and safety risk and immediately dissipates into the atmosphere. Regardless, wherever possible, a nitrogen generator should be located in an open, ventilated area.

More importantly, most air compressors installed are air cooled and produce significant heat in the cooling process. Proper ventilation is imperative to ensure that heat build up does not adversely effect air compressor operation.

Leak Prevention

Leaks in your compressed air and nitrogen gas piping systems are to be avoided. Leaking piping costs money as compressed air and nitrogen are wasted. All piping systems should be leak tested prior to commissioning a nitrogen generating system.

Properly Placed Warning Labels

Warning labels are essential when working in any manufacturing or process facility. They should be prominently placed in plant rooms and on storage vessels containing corrosive or harmful chemicals and substances. Nitrogen gas exposure can be especially physically harmful to personnel, so storage tanks containing it should be properly labelled.

Ambient Room Analyzers

If the nitrogen generator must be installed in a confined space, an ambient room analyzer that  will sense and report on the ambient oxygen level of the confined space should be installed. If there is a nitrogen leak in the confined space, oxygen levels in this space could fall to levels that are dangerous to human health. Using a sensor that detects oxygen depletion levels in the confined space, ambient room analyzers are connected to an audible and visible alarm unit that alerts personnel if there is too little oxygen in the given area.

Also Read:

1. Onsite Nitrogen Gas Generation for Aerospace Applications
2. Nitrogen Generators for the Marine Industry: Safeguarding Cargo and Optimizing Operations

Advanced Gas Technologies’ Nitrogen Generator Installation Services

Advanced Gas Technologies has been installing onsite nitrogen and oxygen generating systems for over 20 years. Regardless of whether your requirements are for a high pressure or low pressure gas generating system, our team has the necessary experience and expertise to ensure a trouble free installation that will meet all necessary local, state / provincial or federal codes.

Contact us today to learn more about our products, our expertise, and our installation and maintenance processes as well as how we can help you maintain top safety and sustainability standards for your operations.