Nitrogen Generators: Overview and Types
Introduction
- What is a nitrogen generator?
- Device that requires compressed air to produce nitrogen gas
- Separates nitrogen from other elements (e.g., oxygen, carbon dioxide) in the air
Types of Nitrogen Generators
1. Pressure Swing Absorption (PSA) Type
- Utilizes columns packed with Carbon Molecule Sieve (CMS)
- CMS column has 3.0 Ångström pore-sized carbon sieves
- Traps smaller compounds like oxygen, allows larger nitrogen molecules to pass
- Operation:
- Compressed air enters CMS columns
- One column absorbs oxygen; the other desorbs and regenerates
- Columns switch between absorption and desorption
- Advantages:
- High purity of nitrogen
- Semi-permanent use due to regeneration system
2. Membrane Type
- Uses a membrane filled with hollow fibers
- Selectively separates gas molecules based on diffusion rates
- Oxygen and carbon dioxide permeate the membrane; nitrogen is retained
- Operation:
- Compressed air passes through fiber membrane
- Advantages:
- Compact size
- Low noise operation
- Low maintenance
- High productivity
Products and Applications
PSA Type Products
- Tower Plus
- Nitrogen purity: up to 99.999%
- Used for applications like carrier gas for GC, ELSD for HPLC
- Mistral Evo
- Nitrogen purity: up to 99.5%
- Built-in air compressor
- Applications: nebulizing gas, electrospray gas, jet stream gas for LC MS, ELSD for HPLC, NMR
Membrane Type Products
- Whisper Series
- Nitrogen purity: up to 99%
- Different flow rate options
- Applications similar to Mistral Evo, including LC MS, ELSD for HPLC, NMR
Benefits of Using Nitrogen Generators
- Safety
- Eliminates risk of high pressure or gas cylinders in the lab
- Cost Saving
- Low maintenance
- No need to change gas cylinders
- Great Reliability
- Increases reliability of analyses
- Better Performance
- High throughput
- No downtime
Conclusion: Efficient and reliable, a nitrogen generator is essential for your laboratory needs.