Significance of Pressure Swing Absorption for Nitrogen Gas Generators

PSA nitrogen gas generators are used for their capacity to discrete several gas mixtures with the help of a physical solid substance, commonly known as absorbents.

Principal for PSA,

The PSA Nitrogen gas generators work on the principle that every particular gas has its particular diffusion rate. For the generation of nitrogen, an absorbent molecular sieve is selected. This selection is based on the fact that its porous structure did not allow oxygen to pass through them as oxygen is having a faster kinetic diffusion rate in comparison to nitrogen. This is highly effective and used in many industries to extract pure nitrogen from the mixture.

Cycle for PSA

The device is used with help of two simple mechanisms pressurization/ absorbent and depressurization/ desorption, simultaneously in two different absorbers. When one absorber is going pressurization then another is going depressurization till atmospheric, so that a continuous cycle can be maintained.

The impure mixed air goes through an air compressor, the compressed air is further sent to an Absorber (let suppose Absorber A). Due to the porous structure of the absorber, the oxygen and other impurities like moisture and carbon dioxide with faster kinetic did not pass through the absorber and only pure nitrogen passes to a further tank known as N2 buffer. The N2 buffer stores only pure nitrogen. The buffer is connected to an oxygen analyzer which checks any presence of oxygen, if any molecule of oxygen is found then the cycle is stopped.

After completion of the half-cycle, the Nitrogen from absorber A is stored and to maintain the equalization between both absorbers. The remaining gas from absorber A is sending in absorber B so that an intermediate pressure is created between both of these cylinders. When this equalization step is going no compressed air is allowed to enter or the creation of nitrogen is stopped. This step is very important to maintain the purity, flow, and pressure in the cycle.

After the equalization process, absorber A is allowed to depressurize with atmospheric pressure so that all oxygen, carbon dioxide, and moisture waster from the last cycle can be removed. As the absorber allows for depressurization, the adsorption of mixed gas from the compressor is sent in the absorber for the further extraction of nitrogen this process goes and on.

Here we can conclude that the more the pressure on the gas the more they are attracted toward an absorbent and after the removal of the pressure the gas tends to leave the absorbent. Each particular gas is attracted toward each particular type of Absorbent.

The advantage of PSA nitrogen gas generator for GC equipment supplier are as follows;-

1. No risk of explosion

2. No Carbon-dioxide pollution

3. Need a very small space for production.

4. Pure oxygen anytime anywhere.

5. Reliable for production as it is not using any complex technology.

6. No hazardous waste

The disadvantage of PSA nitrogen Generator

1. Higher the Flow the less the quality.

2. Need a significant amount of investment

Why are Nitrogen Generators prevalent in demand?

Most of the companies, prevalent in GC capillary development, rely on equipment that can stretch 99.99% generation unit of nitrogen, hence it becomes important to count only on the best. In short, a GC capillary unit which is effective for bulk requirement and can leave in impact on the fiscal investments too. Since the advantages of this type of nitrogen gas generator are way more than that of the disadvantages, most of the GC equipment suppliers count on PSA Nitrogen Gas Generators. This helps them to generate and extract 99.99% of nitrogen out of the nitrogen plant to fulfill the gas requisite of a particular plant.