Degassing aluminum can be done efficiently through the use of nitrogen gas. By sparging or bubbling the nitrogen gas through the aluminum, it will bind with hydrogen and remove the molecules from the metal. But in order to make use of this cost-effective aluminum degassing process you require a steady supply of nitrogen. The good news is that nitrogen is already by far the most abundant gas in Earth’s atmosphere—and with an onsite nitrogen generator you can reliably and quickly access this nitrogen without having to deal with a third party industrial gas supplier.
What Is Aluminum Degassing?
Essentially, aluminum degassing is removing hydrogen gas from your aluminum so that there are no impurities or weak points in the aluminum.
Hydrogen gas passes through liquid aluminum and when it hardens it is trapped within the metal’s structure which can create weak points. Degassing is the process by which bubbled nitrogen is introduced into the molten aluminum, and by passing through the metal it binds the hydrogen with nitrogen and then extracts the hydrogen from the aluminum metal.
You can also use argon for the process, but nitrogen is far more cost-effective as it is far more prevalent than argon.
Nitrogen Generator
Benefits of Nitrogen Generators Compared to Bulk Cylinder Tanks
Nitrogen generating systems provide your lowest cost source of nitrogen for aluminum degassing for a variety of reasons. While you could buy nitrogen and store it in bulk liquid nitrogen tanks or cylinders, this is a rather inefficient way to acquire nitrogen. Aside from the benefits of nitrogen generating systems (which we’ll dive into below), buying from an industrial gas supplier involves dealing with another supply chain—one that is just as vulnerable to disruptions as any other—as well as juggle deliveries, contracts, scheduling, etc.
With an onsite nitrogen generator all those managerial headaches disappear and you get the exact amount of nitrogen you need, when you need it and for a much lower cost than purchasing nitrogen from third-party suppliers.
In essence, nitrogen generators make your business more self-reliant while also boosting profit margins.
Now, let’s dive a little deeper into the specific benefits of your nitrogen generator.
Easily Installable
Nitrogen generators are simple to install and are often very compact. Your technical team will be able to identify an out-of-the-way and convenient location for the nitrogen generator to be placed and installed quickly. Typically you have an inlet compressed air connection in and a nitrogen connection out.
Efficient
It just doesn’t make sense to pay for nitrogen gas when you can find it in the atmosphere literally everywhere on planet Earth. Instead of jumping through all these extra hoops to get the nitrogen supply you need for degassing, you can produce it with an onsite nitrogen generator for a fraction of the cost.
Enhances Worker Safety
High-pressure gas cylinders can be dangerous to work with. A nitrogen generator is stationary and safe. You don’t have to store your nitrogen supply but instead you can produce it onsite on an as required basis. By eliminating nitrogen cylinder or dewar handling you can avoid workplace injuries with an onsite nitrogen generator.
Continuous Supply
Rather than rely on a third-party supplier who can have delivery delays, supply shortages, missed or incorrect deliveries you can avoid that middle person with an onsite nitrogen generator. In other words, you’ll always have access to the nitrogen you need, when you need it, at all times 24 hours per day and 7 days per week. Onsite nitrogen generators are also incredibly reliable.
Effectively Reduces Costs
You can keep costs down and boost profit margins with your efficient and continuous supply of onsite generated nitrogen and eliminate wasteful evaporation loss associated with liquid nitrogen storage systems. In fact, you can see a return on investment in a little as 9 to 24 months.
Choose Advanced Gas Technologies for Onsite Nitrogen Gas Generators
Advanced Gas Technologies Inc. is one of the leading designers and suppliers of state-of-the-art PSA and membrane type nitrogen generators for aluminum degassing. Onsite nitrogen generators are a cost-effective, efficient, and environmentally sustainable solution for a variety of industrial applications. With onsite nitrogen generators you have better control over nitrogen purity levels and therefore the user only uses nitrogen at the purity actually required for their specific application which maximizes ROI.
Contact us toll-free at 1-(866) 725-7551 in North America or (905) 305-0094 local and overseas to learn more about our onsite oxygen and nitrogen generators, including our high-efficiency onsite membrane generators and PSA nitrogen generators.