Flammable, explosive, or combustible materials are processed, stored, and generated daily throughout chemical plants around the globe. Nitrogen is an inert gas or simply stated: non-combustible. Utilizing it helps to prevent explosions and fires, and is a plentiful, odorless unreactive gas from our earth’s atmosphere. Although not flammable by itself, oxygen is highly oxidizable and intensifies the combustion process causing fire to burn faster and hotter. Combustion only needs 3 elements to be present: fuel, ignition source, and oxygen. Luckily by removing just one of these elements, the possibility of fire is eliminated.
Due to its non-combustible properties, nitrogen gas plays a vital role in the safety and well-being of personnel and property within the chemical industry. Ethanol, acetone, benzene, and methanol just to name a few are used to manufacture the product we use such as nail polish removers, lacquers for automotive and furniture finishes, glues, solvents, paints, and resins.
Nitrogen gas is used in tank blanketing to create an inert environment. By filling the empty head or vapor space inside a vessel or container with low-pressure amounts, the existing oxygen is displaced, creating a non-flammable environment.
Chemical manufacturers use this technique to create a secure environment in the tanks that hold the sensitive materials. This is important for many parts of the process, including industrial chemical production, storage, and transportation. Just like the name states, this layer of nitrogen gas creates a "blanket" on top of the material to prevent oxidation inside the tank. Many facilities have to adhere to strict safety standards and for good reason, and preventing any opportunity for combustion is one of the most important steps.
If you’re currently purchasing your nitrogen supply from a gas company for your tank blanketing applications with their strict contracts, expensive tank rentals, and delivery fees, it’s time to cut the cord. You'll create a safer, consistently purged environment for your production by generating your own nitrogen gas supply on-site, and experience cost savings in the process.
You'll need nitrogen purities between 95% to 98% to prevent combustion, and nano’s range of GEN2-MAX high-capacity nitrogen gas generators operate on the Pressure Swing Adsorption (PSA) principle to produce continuous uninterrupted stream of nitrogen gas from clean, dry compressed air with the oxygen and other trace gases exhausted to the atmosphere.
As tank blanketing can be used to displace oxygen in a multitude of containers which are as large as multi-million-gallon tanks, a large supply of nitrogen gas is often required. For large flow applications up to 101,400 scfh, nano’s GEN2-MAX range is the perfect solution for your tank blanketing requirements.
Benefits include:
1. Generate the amount of nitrogen gas you need; when you need it; at the purity you need
2. Nitrogen is generated on-site so you never run out of nitrogen gas again
3. Payback is typically between 6 to 24 months
4. Easy installation with minimum cost and disruption
5. Purities up to 99.999%
6. Guaranteed performance