Nitrogen use in the lab

2018-11-05

Nitrogen use in the lab

Nitrogen Gas has been used in laboratory analysis for decades. In the past, labs were required to have their nitrogen gas supply delivered in cylinders or in bottles from their closest nitrogen plant, which for some labs could be some distance away. These cylinders or bottles would then supply a chromatography instrument, or perhaps a detector in the case of GC, allowing the lab to carry out its analysis.

However, for most mass spectrometers, a high volume of nitrogen gas is required meaning cylinders or bottles would be consumed in a matter of days, primarily when using LC-MS. This can lead to the regular interruption of analysis and inconvenience of switching over cylinders for analysis to continue. Furthermore, cylinders and bottles deliver inconsistent purity when they reach the lower end of their capacity as contaminants can enter the empty space in the cylinder and mix with the nitrogen. These impurities can have an impact on the integrity of analysis as they can react with the sample.

There is an alternative for nitrogen cylinders, an on-site Nitrogen Generator. A Nitrogen Gas Generator not only removes the hassle of having to change over cylinders, it provides an uninterrupted supply of gas at a consistent purity. This consistency is generated using one of two technologies, namely, Pressure Swing Adsorption (PSA) and membrane Nitrogen Generators.

Mini Lab Nitrogen Gas Plant

Previous: Why choose Gamma, not other suppliers? Next: Nitrogen Generator