Producing Nitrogen via Pressure Swing Adsorption

Nitrogen gas is a staple of the chemical industry. Because it is an inert gas, nitrogen is suitable for a wide range of applications covering various aspects of chemical manufacturing, processing, handling, and shipping. Due to its low reactivity, nitrogen is an excellent blanketing and purging gas that can be used to protect valuable products from harmful contaminants. It also enables the safe storage and use of flammable compounds, and can help prevent combustible dust explosions. Nitrogen gas can be used to remove contaminants from process streams through methods such as stripping and sparging. Because of the widespread and growing use of nitrogen in the chemical process industries (CPI), industrial gas companies have been continually improving methods of nitrogen production and supply to make them more efficient, costeffective, and convenient for chemical processors. Multiple nitrogen technologies and supply modes now exist to meet a range of specifications, including purity, usage pattern, portability, footprint, and power consumption. Choosing among supply options can be a challenge. Onsite nitrogen generators, such as pressure swing adsorption (PSA) or membrane systems, can be more cost-effective than traditional cryogenic distillation or stored liquid nitrogen, particularly if an extremely high purity (e.g., 99.9999%) is not required.