Tuesday 23 June 2015

Some Interesting Facts About Nitrogen And Your N2 Generator

By Freida Michael


Nitrogen is used in industry, in the form of a pure gas. The pure gas is generated by what is known as an N2 generator (nitrogen generator). The gas is drawn from the atmosphere, i. E. The air that you breathe. This sounds strange to the unenlightened but it is in fact the most abundant source of nitrogen to industry.

Nitrogen itself is not an easy element to work with because of its gaseous nature. It only liquefies at a very low temperature, about minus 180 degrees Celsius, or -300 degrees Fahrenheit. This makes it difficult to contain or purify, since as a gas it must be captured and isolated from other gases, and as a liquid it does not remain that cold for very long.

The challenge in storage is that the gas cannot naturally be kept at that temperature, unless highly specialized equipment is used or high pressure. There is no place on planet earth where the temperature is naturally that low. The usual solution is to keep the gas under high pressure, so that it stays liquid. This also happens in kitchen gas tanks, where the fuel gas, usually propane, is at such a high pressure that it liquefies partially when the tank is full.

Nitrogen gas, on its own, is not toxic to people. This is evidenced by its high concentration in the ordinary atmosphere - four fifths of the air that people breathe is nitrogen. But it is not unreactive, and it can combine with other elements to form basic, commonly encountered chemicals that users of the nitrogen generator should be aware of.

One of these compounds is ammonia. This is a traditional ingredient in cleaning products, and it is formed where nitrogen reacts with hydrogen. Ammonia is not so easy to work with either, because it is potentially dangerous. Where it comes into contact with an acid, it can cause a mild explosion. It has a characteristic smell and it should be handled with caution.

Ammonia is used in cleaning products and so should also be familiar to the lay person. It has a tell-tale smell and it consists of two components - hydrogen and nitrogen. Ammonia can pose risks because it reacts with acids to form an explosion. It should always be used sensibly.

Turning to medicine, silver nitrate has a trademark shiny metallic color and is a liquid at room temperature. But people should be aware that is corrosive and it burns human flesh. It is put onto areas where there is unnatural or unwanted growth on the outside of the body, such as excessive scarification.

These compounds are some examples of what nitrogen forms when it reacts with other chemicals. Users of nitrogen equipment should be aware of these related compounds and should be aware of what might possibly form in the equipment. This is important in preventing damage and maintaining a pure output.




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