Nitrogen Leak Testing: Why N2 Gas For Leak Detection?

Leaks cause problems in virtually any industrial setting that utilizes pipes. Leaks can lead to lost profits, damaged equipment, extra work, and lost time. Whether you’re working in the automotive industry, in the HVAC industry, or in another industry where leaks can cause problems, nitrogen leak detection can help you identify leaks when they occur.

In many circumstances, a leak test with nitrogen is one of the most efficient ways to find leaks. Nitrogen leak detection is efficient and safe when properly conducted. This article will identify the benefits of nitrogen leak testing, how nitrogen leak testing is conducted, and why a nitrogen leak test is a smart way to identify leaks in many industries.

Basics of Nitrogen Leak Testing

Nitrogen leak testing is the use of nitrogen to identify the location of leaks in an enclosed system. Using a nitrogen leak detector method can help you find leaks where they’re at, and determine when those leaks have been resolved.

Compared with other types of leak testing, nitrogen is cost-effective and accurate. Nitrogen is an inert gas, which means that it’s non-corrosive and non-combustible.

Nitrogen can be used to identify leaks in refrigeration systems, pipelines, newly installed fire sprinkler systems, food processing facilities, and more.

Benefits of Using Nitrogen for Leak Detection

Many businesses use nitrogen for leak detection. Knowing the benefits of nitrogen leak detection can help you decide if this type of leak detection is the right method for your business. Remember that there are many ways that you can identify leaks, so familiarizing yourself with the many options is important.

Nitrogen is Abundant

The Earth’s atmosphere is made up of nearly 80 percent nitrogen, which makes it one of the most common elements on Earth. The natural abundance of nitrogen makes it easy to acquire for most businesses. Nitrogen generators produce nitrogen by taking in the gas in the air and separating the nitrogen from the oxygen and other elements and contaminants.

Safety

Nitrogen is overall very safe. It’s non-toxic for people, and in fact, is something that people breathe all the time. Nitrogen is also non-combustible. Compared to gasses like oxygen, this makes nitrogen overall a very safe element to use.

Accuracy and Reliability

A properly conducted nitrogen leak detection test is an accurate way to identify leaks in an enclosed system. To ensure accuracy, it’s important to ensure that anyone who is tasked with leak detection knows how to do it correctly.

Environmental Benefits

Nitrogen is not harmful to the environment, and if produced with a nitrogen generator, collecting nitrogen has a low environmental impact.

Inert

Nitrogen is inert, which means that it’s non-reactive with other substances. It’s unlikely to cause corrosion, which puts it in contrast with elements like oxygen.

Industries Where Nitrogen Leak Testing is Crucial

Nitrogen leak testing is crucial to a variety of systems. Below are some of the industries where nitrogen leak detection is common.

  1. HVAC Systems
  2. Automotive Industry
  3. Aerospace and Aviation
  4. Oil and Gas Pipelines

In each one of these industries, the use of nitrogen to detect leaks can help keep equipment in use and can help prevent downtime of important systems.

How Nitrogen Leak Testing Works

There are different methods to perform nitrogen leak testing. First, the portion of the system that is being tested must be isolated from the rest of the system. Next, nitrogen is pushed into the system up to the standard expected pressure. Assuming a range of pressure is acceptable, the system must be tested to the upper limits of the range.

Finally, the edges and connections within the system must be coated in a soapy solution to detect leaks. If there is a leak, the soapy solution will produce more suds in the areas around the leak.

To perform this type of test, you’ll need a source of nitrogen and a soapy solution.

Start Nitrogen Leak Testing Today

Nitrogen leak testing can help you catch leaks where they form before they become unmanageable. When leak testing with nitrogen, it’s important to give the job to workers who have been trained to use nitrogen for leak testing and know how to do it safely.

Using a nitrogen generator can help ensure efficiency and control costs when leak testing. On Site Gas Systems produces nitrogen generators for leak testing and other industrial purposes. Call today to learn more about our PSA nitrogen generators, membrane nitrogen generators, and custom systems for your business.

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Nitrogen Generator Maintenance: What To Know Before Owning An N2 Generator

If your business needs a steady supply of nitrogen, a nitrogen generator can make your work easier in a variety of ways. Nitrogen generators cut expenses and provide a steady and constant supply of nitrogen, and reduce your business’ carbon footprint.

Owning a nitrogen generator means performing regular nitrogen generator maintenance. Fortunately, nitrogen generators require minimal maintenance to maintain peak functionality.

Knowing what to expect when your business owns a nitrogen generator, including the maintenance of a nitrogen generator and nitrogen generator maintenance costs can help you decide for yourself whether a nitrogen generator is the best option for your business.

Benefits of Owning a Nitrogen Generator

Nitrogen cylinders are a common source of nitrogen for businesses. However, cylinders present an ongoing cost that can build up over time, eventually costing your business a great deal of money.

Nitrogen cylinders also take up space, need to be changed out as they run out of nitrogen, and do not always produce nitrogen at the desired purity levels for the task at hand. Compared to a nitrogen generator, nitrogen cylinders are expensive as well as an administrative headache.

On-demand nitrogen production has many advantages, including improved safety and environmental considerations. Some benefits of on-demand nitrogen production include:

  • Reduced carbon footprint. Nitrogen cylinders need to be delivered and picked up regularly, requiring fossil fuels to run vehicles. On-demand nitrogen generators only need to be delivered once, which makes them far more eco-friendly.
  • Reduced costs. While nitrogen generators have an upfront cost, when that cost is spread out over time, generators cost far less than both cylinders and bulk liquid deliveries.
  • Safer. Whereas any gas under pressure in a cylinder or in large volume liquid tanks can be dangerous, nitrogen generators are overall safer for a trained worker operating the equipment.
  • Consistent purity levels. Nitrogen generators produce high-purity nitrogen at consistent purity levels.

Pre-Purchase Considerations

When trying to determine whether a nitrogen generator is right for your business, start by assessing your nitrogen needs, including how often your business needs nitrogen, at what flow rate and pressure, and at what purity. Understanding the installation requirements can help as well, although your representative at On Site Gas Systems will help you with this.

Finally, it’s important to conduct an initial investment and a cost-benefit analysis. Speaking to an account specialist at On Site Gas Systems can help you determine the cost of a nitrogen generator system, so you can determine whether the one-time cost of a nitrogen generator will help your business save money over time.

Routine Maintenance for Nitrogen Generators

Maintaining your nitrogen generator may not require a lot from your business, but it’s still important to engage in regular maintenance routines.

  • Shut the generator down when you’re done with it. Always follow the shut down procedure when you’re finished using the nitrogen generator. This encourages a long lifespan for your machine.
  • Clean the equipment regularly. Cleaning the equipment monthly can help keep debris from the parts.
  • Change the system filters as indicated in the manual. Follow the manual instructions to ensure that your nitrogen generator filters are changed as often as required and according to the instructions in the manual.
  • Keep a record of system maintenance. Recording system maintenance helps you track how often your system is being serviced.

Long-Term Care and Management

Keep up with software updates and technological advancements to ensure that your generator is properly maintained. Check the gauges with each use to ensure that your nitrogen generator is producing nitrogen at the desired purity, pressure, and flow. Finally, re-calibrate your generator as often as indicated in the manual.

Costs Associated with Maintenance

Performing ongoing maintenance doesn’t have to be very costly. Train people at your workplace to perform as much in-house maintenance as possible.

Order Your Custom Nitrogen Generator from On Site Gas Systems

Nitrogen generator systems are a wise investment for businesses that require a steady, reliable supply of nitrogen. Maintenance and associated costs for these systems are relatively low, and can save your business a lot of money over time. Want to know more about getting a nitrogen generator for your business? Contact On Site Gas Systems to speak with one of our professionals about our membrane and PSA N2 generators.

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Laser Cutting With A Nitrogen Generator: Why N2 Is Best

Laser cutting is a process that is often used in industries that use metal working to produce their goods. It can be used for cutting beams, pipes, tubing, sheet metal, and more. Industries like construction, automotive, and aerospace use laser cutting on a regular basis.

The process of laser cutting requires a steady supply of gas for functionality, and the most widely used gas for laser cutting is nitrogen gas. If your business needs a laser to operate, then nitrogen gas is one of your best options, and an N2 generator is likely an essential tool for your factory floor. Here’s what to know about nitrogen gas and its use with laser cutting.

Fundamentals of Laser Cutting

Laser cutting is a process that slices metals with a high-powered laser beam. Lasers can be used to cut stainless steel, aluminum and carbon steel. Assist gas is the gas that’s used to ensure the quality and performance of the laser. The kind of gas you choose to use for your laser cutting depends on variables like what material is being cut and the thickness of the material.

Nitrogen Laser Cutting vs. Other Gases

Nitrogen is often identified as one of the leading gasses for laser cutting. Compared to gasses like air and CO2, nitrogen takes the lead. Air assisted laser cutting is not as precise, powerful or efficient. Air is sometimes used because it is abundant and easily made available, but air assisted laser cutting is not appropriate for every industry.

CO2 laser cutting has a similar problem. Like air assisted laser cutters, CO2 laser cutters cannot always slice through thick materials and are often very slow. CO2 is also very expensive. Many businesses opt for another option when using laser cutters for their industrial purposes.

Nitrogen Gas in Laser Cutting

Because of the disadvantages of the gases listed above, nitrogen gas laser cutters are common. There are many reasons that manufacturers turn to nitrogen gas when laser cutting, including:

  • Nitrogen gas makes an excellent cut that is efficient and accurate.
  • Nitrogen gas assists with the dissipation of heat, so the edge of the cut cools more quickly than other gases.
  • Cuts made with nitrogen gas have reduced discoloration along the cut edge.

Benefits of Using Nitrogen Gas

There are many reasons to use nitrogen gas over other gases in laser cutting processes. Nitrogen gas laser cutting is incredibly flexible, and this type of gas can be used for all laser cutting operations. It’s an excellent gas assist for cutting aluminum as well as stainless steel, and because the gas is inert, there are no other additional heat-producing reactions that occur while the laser cutter is functional. This allows operators to achieve cleaner cuts more quickly. Below are some of the many advantages of using nitrogen assist laser cutters.

Benefits of Using a Nitrogen Generator For Your Laser Cutter

If you have a laser cutter and are using nitrogen as your assist gas, you’ll be faced with the question of whether to use a nitrogen generator or rental cylinders. Using a nitrogen generator can make the process better and more efficient. There are many reasons to use a nitrogen generator over nitrogen cylinders. Some examples:

  • Nitrogen generators provide tremendous cost savings over traditional gas delivery methods
  • Nitrogen generators allow for variable purity options that maximize cut quality, efficiency and production costs
  • Generators produce a constant supply of nitrogen and can operate 24/7 without the chance of running out of nitrogen. Being dependent on nitrogen deliveries can create a downtime in production if nitrogen deliveries are delayed for any reason.

Does Your Business Need Nitrogen Generators for Laser Cutting

Nitrogen generators for laser cutting are an essential tool for most businesses that regularly use laser cutting as a part of their industrial processes.

It’s important to choose the right assist gas for your business’ laser cutting needs. If your business needs a nitrogen laser cutter, then a laser cutting nitrogen generator is an essential part of your industrial operations. On Site Gas Systems makes laser nitrogen generators for industrial operations. If you’re seeking a nitrogen generator for laser cutting, contact On Site Gas Systems.

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4 Signs Your Facility Needs a PSA N2 Generator Manufacturer

Pressure swing adsorption and membrane nitrogen generators have many applications and benefits in various industries including food processing, pharmaceuticals, breweries and beverage manufacturing, welding, electronics, and more. Many businesses that use nitrogen and do not have an on site nitrogen generator can benefit from a PSA or membrane nitrogen generation system. Here’s how you can tell if your business needs this type of generator.

Sign 1: High Dependency on External Nitrogen Tanks

If your business has a high dependency on nitrogen cylinders or a liquid nitrogen tank, you could benefit from a PSA nitrogen generator. Cylinders and liquid nitrogen tanks have disadvantages that must be taken into consideration. For example, nitrogen cylinders and liquid nitrogen tanks must be stored onsite and can take up more room than a nitrogen generator. Cylinders and liquid nitrogen tanks also require regular delivery that, if disrupted, can cause downtime and lost profits at your facility.

In all, this means that a heavy dependency on nitrogen cylinders and liquid nitrogen tanks can be very problematic, and the more your business needs those cylinders and liquid nitrogen tanks, the more inconvenience you may experience. Using a nitrogen generator can eliminate this inconvenience.

Sign 2: Increasing Operational Costs Due to Nitrogen Usage

Nitrogen cylinders and liquid nitrogen tanks create ongoing rental charges that can be very expensive with time. Delivery charges, plus the cost of the nitrogen itself, can change with no warning, and it is not uncommon for additional surcharges on each delivery. If your business regularly deals with ongoing operational costs due to nitrogen rental, purchasing a PSA N2 nitrogen generator can all but eliminate these costs.

With your PSA or membrane nitrogen generator, you’ll never have to worry about where the next shipment of nitrogen is coming from or how much it will cost.

Sign 3: Need for Improved Maximum Nitrogen Usage and Consistency

Some amount of nitrogen is always wasted when the cylinders begin to run low, because many businesses will stop using nitrogen cylinders when the reserves in the cylinders reach a certain level or the pressure is lower than their application pressure. Liquid nitrogen tanks are constantly venting nitrogen to the atmosphere which wastes a lot of nitrogen.

PSA nitrogen generators, on the other hand, can produce consistent results each time the generator is used. PSA N2 generators can produce high purity nitrogen to the specifications of the owner, so that you can always have nitrogen of the proper purity level every time you use your generator.

Sign 4: Space and Environmental Constraints

Nitrogen cylinders contain pressurized gas, which means they pose safety risks for anyone using them, and anyone in the area when they’re being used. People who use nitrogen cylinders must be properly trained to ensure their own safety and the safety of others in the area when the cylinders are in use. Liquid nitrogen tanks store nitrogen in a liquid state and then converts to a gas. These tanks can take up considerable space and must have safety precautions in place.

If you’re constantly fighting with these space and environmental constraints, you can benefit from nitrogen generation PSA or membrane. PSA and membrane N2 generators have a much smaller environmental impact because they take up less space in your facility and also have a much smaller carbon footprint compared to nitrogen cylinders.

Benefits of Partnering with a PSA N2 Generator Manufacturer

When you partner with PSA or membrane nitrogen generator manufacturers like On Site Gas Systems for PSA or membrane nitrogen generation, your business will enjoy many benefits. Whether your business is in the pharmaceutical industry or you’re creating modified atmosphere packaging, pressure swing adsorption nitrogen generators can be customized to meet specific facility needs. Your business will also have the advantage of ongoing support and maintenance from On Site Gas Systems.

Your business could benefit from a PSA or membrane N2 generator if your company regularly struggles with nitrogen cylinders or liquid tanks and the many inconveniences that come from nitrogen cylinder or liquid tank rental. If you struggle to find space or manage the contract for your cylinder or liquid tank rental, it’s time to assess your nitrogen supply needs. Consider the long-term benefits of a PSA or membrane N2 generator and contact On Site Gas Systems for help.

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