Nitrogen Generating Systems Get The Green Light
Whether rolling out food, mining for gold or supplying pharmaceutical applications, companies can save themselves money and avoid the hassle of having to outsource nitrogen supplies in conventional cylinders by switching to gas on tap through a nitrogen generator.
Being at the mercy of the supply chain for nitrogen cannisters, coupled with the worry of externally sourced cylinders running out at a critical time, is a headache that can be cured by the installation of automatic on-site generators, according to Oxair, an Australian specialist in the supply of gas generation equipment to international markets.
Nitrogen is used in multiple applications every day, with organisations often relying on the gas being shipped to them in cylinders, which can prove expensive and logistically challenging for remote locations due to conditions on route and storage space, not to mention the health and safety risks for staff manually moving the cylinders from one place to another.
A nitrogen generator offers a continuous flow of the gas for industrial sectors where its vital such as food packaging and processing to keep items fresher for longer, mines and chemical plants for displacing oxygen to prevent explosions in highly dangerous atmospheres and pharmaceutical production where almost every major drug class contains some nitrogen, even antibiotics and anaesthetics.
Nitrogen generators are also an environmentally friendlier way of delivery by reducing the carbon footprint associated with having cylinders transported from an off-site facility and then the return journey when they are empty.
Ensuring a reliable supply of nitrogen was why one of the world’s largest natural gas projects and the largest single resource development in Australia’s history, the Chevron-operated Gorgon Project, opted for a nitrogen generator developed by Oxair.
Commissioned by Plant Biosecurity Cooperative Research Centre to produce a nitrogen system for Chevron Australia that would contribute to protecting the conservation values of Barrow Island, an A-Class Nature Reserve off the northwest coast of Western Australia, Oxair delivered a solution for the project’s fumigation of material destined for the island.
Oxair’s nitrogen generators use Pressure Swing Adsorption (PSA) or membrane technology, cost-effective filtration methods for onsite nitrogen production for a wide range of high purity and flow requirements, to be used directly by the end user on demand.
CEO of Oxair, James Newell, said: “Instead of the removal and reliance of shipping and handling conventional cylinders, except as a back-up supply, companies have the opportunity for nitrogen on tap, enabling them to be self-sufficient by generating the gas for years to come.”
Oxair’s designs are focused on meeting exacting customer requirements, reliability, ease of maintenance, safety, and plant self-protection. It is a world leading manufacturer of gas process systems, for shipboard and land-based use to suit any requirement.
