What Do We Use Nitrogen For? The 5 Major Uses Of Nitrogen In Everyday Life

Nitrogen gas makes up approximately 78 percent of our atmosphere, which makes it one of the most common gases on Earth. Nitrogen is non-toxic and inert, so it’s a safe gas to include in industrial processes.

If you’re wondering “What do we use nitrogen for?” the answer is, a lot!

The prevalence of nitrogen in our atmosphere combined with its inert properties makes it a very useful gas for food packaging, pharmaceuticals, and other industries. The use of nitrogen can prevent oxidation, corrosion, and deterioration of materials like foods and medicines. In this article, we’ll go over the uses of nitrogen and how it’s beneficial to industrial processes.

5 Major Uses of N2 in Everyday Life

Do you need a nitrogen generator? You probably do if you’re involved in one of the following industries. If you do need an N2 generator, whether that’s a PSA nitrogen generator or a membrane nitrogen generator, contact On Site Gas Systems to get started.

Food Packaging & Preservation

Nitrogen gas has transformed the food packaging industry. Exposure to oxygen shortens food shelf life by causing oxidation, leading to a change in food quality, flavor, smell, and color. By packaging food in a nitrogen-rich environment, food manufacturers can limit food’s exposure to oxygen and thus prevent food from deteriorating in the packaging.

Packaging with nitrogen is often done with a nitrogen flush technique, meaning that the oxygen and other gases in the packaging are flushed out with nitrogen. The nitrogen is sealed in the package, creating a protective bubble around the food and preventing it from breaking in transport.

Electronics

Nitrogen’s inert properties have an advantage over oxygen in electronics soldering. The use of oxygen in electronics soldering can cause oxidation in the immediate area being soldered, but nitrogen does not.

Oxidation is detrimental to soldering tools, circuit boards, and component leads. Oxidation is the rusting process that causes deterioration of many metals. The use of nitrogen in electronics soldering leads to a more durable electronics product and helps preserve the soldering tools used as well.

Pharmaceuticals

Just as nitrogen is used in food packaging to prevent oxidation of foods, nitrogen is also used in pharmaceutical packaging to prevent oxidation of medications. This helps preserve medication quality and integrity and leads to a longer shelf life. The use of nitrogen in packaging also makes for easier transportation and allows medications to be transported all over the world, because of the way nitrogen extends medication shelf life.

Beer/Beverage

In the beer and brewing industries, nitrogen is used to purge tanks to prevent drink spoilage. Nitrogen use in beer has also been attributed to better flavor as well as longer shelf life. Nitrogen is used to create the “fizz” in beer and is sometimes favored over CO2 because it is less likely to cause unwanted chemical reactions.

Tire Inflation

Nitrogen gas is an important tire filler. Not everyone who drives a car needs nitrogen-filled tires, but some prefer it. The reason that nitrogen is slightly better for filling tires than normal air is that nitrogen molecules are larger than oxygen molecules. Tires are porous, and sometimes temperature changes can force oxygen out of the tires via the pores.

This very slow leak can result in minute changes in tire pressure over time. Since nitrogen molecules are larger, the leak produced by nitrogen tires is much slower, leading to more consistent tire pressure over time.

Need a Nitrogen Generator for Your Industrial Processes? Contact On Site Gas Systems

On Site Gas Systems is one of the most respected names in nitrogen generators in the United States. We produce pressure swing adsorption and membrane nitrogen generators for businesses in the pharmaceuticals industry, food and beverage industry, electronics industry, and more.

We can refurbish nitrogen generators as needed, or we create custom generators for businesses with very specific needs. If you require a nitrogen generator for your business, contact On Site Gas Systems today to get started with your nitrogen generator purchase.

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Nitrogen Purging Systems: What They Are & How They Work

Nitrogen purging is an important industrial process that impacts many industries, from brewing to shipping. If your business requires nitrogen purging systems, knowing what they are and what the process looks like can help you determine if it’s needed at your plant or business.

If you need to set up a nitrogen purge system, it’s important to buy from a reputable company, like On Site Gas Systems, that creates high-quality products.

What Is Nitrogen Purging?

Nitrogen purging is a process that removes the environment of unwanted gasses using nitrogen. As an inert gas, nitrogen can be used to displace other gasses without setting off a chemical reaction. During nitrogen purging, nitrogen may be used to displace oxygen and other gasses that contribute to oxidation.

There are many reasons for purging with nitrogen, but the most obvious benefit is the removal of gasses that lead to the chemical alteration of products. Purging with nitrogen can prevent moisture-related damage to equipment and products.

How Does Nitrogen Purging Work?

There are four ways to purge with nitrogen:

Pressure-hold vacuum method. The pressure-hold vacuum method involves pressurizing a vessel using nitrogen. When the contents of the vessel are combined with nitrogen, the original gas becomes diluted. The combination of gasses is vented and then the vessel is re-pressurized with nitrogen. This process is repeated as many times as necessary until the contents of the vessel have an acceptable level of nitrogen. This works on vessels with only one opening.

Pressure transfer of liquids. Pressurizing the headspace within a vessel allows for the transfer of liquids without a pump. Doing this significantly reduces the risk of oxidation, which can occur while transferring liquid from one tank to another.

Displacement purging. This process works in pipelines and in vessels shaped like pipes. The process works when a scraping piston, called the “pig” is propelled by the nitrogen pressure. The pig pushes through the line and purges the line of contents that are not nitrogen. Sometimes, the pig is replaced with an inert fluid.

Dilution purging. Dilution purging works by mixing nitrogen with the gas to be purged. This works in vessels with two openings. The nitrogen gas is pushed into the vessel and mixed with the other gas in the vessel and then is effectively purged through the outlet.

When deciding which type of nitrogen purging is right for your industrial process, it’s important to consider factors like the vessel’s shape and how many inlets and outlets are available. No matter what method you choose, you’ll need a steady supply of nitrogen to make this process work. For this, you’ll need a nitrogen generator.

Nitrogen generators come in different types and can produce different levels of purity. On Site Gas Systems makes PSA (pressure swing adsorption) generators and membrane nitrogen generators for businesses that need a steady supply of nitrogen for their manufacturing and other processes. We also make custom generators to ensure that businesses can find the right type of generator no matter what their needs. To find out which type of nitrogen generator is right for your business, contact On Site Gas Systems.

Who Needs Nitrogen Purging?

Many types of businesses use nitrogen purging for their processes. Some examples include breweries, shipping, petrochemicals, food production, and welding.

Buy Your Nitrogen Generator for Nitrogen Purging Today

Nitrogen generation is an essential part of nitrogen purging. To create nitrogen of the correct purity, you’ll need a generator of the right kind. Buy your nitrogen generator for use in your nitrogen purging process today. Contact On Site Gas Systems to describe your needs and learn more about which type of nitrogen generator is right for your business. Our customer service representatives are available to help you choose the right generator.

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