On-site N2/02 generation

Hi-line Industries says the potential savings available by producing nitrogen and oxygen on-site, on-demand, can be impressive, especially when including the extra costs associated with delivery, storage, the hire of bottles or receivers, safety procedure creation, and insurance.

The technology is based on simple PSA (Pressure Swing Adsorption) procedures. Here, twin-tower CMS (carbon molecular sieve) beds adsorb and regenerate to remove either N2 or O2 depending on requirements. This allows users to generate nitrogen at the purity required for the application, such as 95% or 98% for example. Hi-line Industries says this is more cost-effective than buying-in UHP (Ultra High Purity) nitrogen at 99.99999%, which is often sold as standard without any option for the customer.

Among the areas where the uptake of Hi-line’s N2/O2 generators has been particularly high is MAP (Modified Atmosphere Packaging), a technique used for prolonging the shelf life of fresh or minimally-processed foods such as meat, fish, cheese, fruits and vegetables. The mixture of gases in the package depends on the type of product, packaging materials and storage temperature.

Hi-line Industries highlights the case of a food packaging company that was spending in excess of £120,000 per annum on N2 for MAP. This was excluding the delivery charges associated with a tanker arriving at the plant four times a week. Hi-line was able to supply an N2 generator skid for a one-off fee of £55,000. Now, the plant produces its own N2 for only the cost of air compressor energy; a huge saving year-on-year.

Although Hi-line offers a standard range of generators for N2/O2, each generator is customised in line with user requirements.