Did you know, the biggest part of the air we breathe is nitrogen? Everyone needs oxygen to survive, however air is made up of 78% nitrogen,
only 21% oxygen and tiny amounts of other gases. Although, the human body does not use this nitrogen, it is very helpful in various
industrial applications. There is an unlimited source of nitrogen readily available, allowing you to achieve needed purity at a fraction
of your current annual nitrogen cost.
What is nitrogen?
First of all it is an inert gas. It is odorless, colorless and does not sustain life, however, it is important for plant growth and is a key
additive in fertilizers. Its uses range far beyond the gardening sphere. Nitrogen usually appears in either liquid or gas form
(although it is possible to attain solid nitrogen as well). Liquid nitrogen is used as a refrigerant, which is able to rapidly
freeze foods and subjects in medical research, as well as reproductive technology. For the purpose of this explanation, we will
stick with nitrogen gas.
Nitrogen is widely used, mainly, due to the fact that is does not react when exposed to other gas, unlike oxygen which is very reactive. Due
to its chemical composition, nitrogen atoms need more energy to be broken and react with other substances. Oxygen molecules on
the other hand are easier to break apart, therefore, making the gas much more reactive. Nitrogen gas is the opposite, providing
unreactive environments where needed.
The lack of reactivity of nitrogen is its biggest quality and as a result the gas is used to prevent slow and fast oxidation. The
electronics industry presents a perfect example of this use, as during the production of circuit boards and other small
components, slow oxidation can occur in the form of corrosion. Slow oxidation is also no stranger to the food and beverage
industry, where in this case, nitrogen is used to displace or replace the air in order to better preserve the end product.
Explosions and fires are a good example of fast oxidation, since they need to be fueled by oxygen. Removing the the oxygen from a
vessel with the help of nitrogen, lessens the likelihood of these accidents from occurring.
What are some practical applications of nitrogen gas?
With nitrogen being an inert gas, it is suited for a wide range of uses in many different industries in New Zealand!
For Oil and Gas industry, nitrogen is used for blanketing storage tanks. Compressor Systems, pipelines and reactors are purged with nitrogen
to avoid the risks with fire or explosions.
Electronics - Nitrogen is used in lead-free soldering of the circuit boards or other very small components to prevent oxidation.
Inerting with nitrogen improves the joint integrity.
Food and Beverage Packaging -Nitrogen is used at different stages in the production, handling and packing of beverages.
Because of its inert, colorless and odorless characteristics, it is used to displace or replace the air to reduce the risk of deterioration of the
properties of the end product. In fruit juices for example the oxidation of vitamin C is perhaps one of the most decisive factors. The use of nitrogen
in tanks, containers, pipes and bottles prevents this oxidation from taking place. To remove the oxygen dissolved in the juice, nitrogen is passed
through the liquid, forming bubbles who carry the oxygen, which is than extracted from the juice.
In wine making industry, nitrogen is used to prevent oxidation which allows to use of less additives. Also the acidity, color, aromas and natural flavor
of the wine will be well conserved. The use of nitrogen will allow a longer storage time without alteration of the primary quality of the wine.
Nitrogen is practically insoluble in water and therefore is ideal to transfer the wine. To ensure maximum hygiene the bottles are washed and dried
with nitrogen before filling. The drying goes faster than with normal air because the production process of the on site nitrogen generator makes
it a very dry gas. And finally the bottle, after filling and before placing the cork, is purged with nitrogen to avoid the presence of residual
air in the neck of the bottle.
Laboratories - Many analysis methods use nitrogen. High-purity nitrogen is used as a carrier gas in for example gas chromatography
instruments. But it is also used for chemical analysis, spectrometers and thermal analyzers.
Fire Prevention -To start a fire flammable material is needed, together with an ignition source and oxygen. If oxygen is replaced
by nitrogen; we reduce the risk of fire or explosion.Maximum Oxygen Concentration (MOC) is the concentration at which a substance can no longer
burn. Reducing the oxygen concentration below MOC prevents explosion and fire. (The MOC level depends on the substance.)
Pharmaceutical - Oxygen and moisture causes degradation of pharmaceutical products. Also during the pharmaceutical production processes
oxygen could initiate all kind of side reactions which are unwanted. Therefore we use nitrogen during production and packaging.
Marine - Nitrogen is used to prevent degradation of the cargo, for example food. On petrochemical tankers nitrogen is used to
reduce the risk of explosions or fire during discharging the gas cargo.
General Industry - Nitrogen is use in many metal heat treatment activities like annealing, hardening, sintering. And also for welding,
brazing and soldering. Purging - the nitrogen is used to purge the surface of the metalic part that is heat treated. It prevents oxidation of the
metal. Carbonizing - Carbonizing is another application were nitrogen is frequently used because of the need for an oxygen free atmosphere during
the carbonization process. Plastic Injection Molding- In plastic injection molding nitrogen is often used as the assist gas that prevents oxidation
of the plastic, that leaves the mold with a clean surface finish. Nitrogen is also injected with the plastic creating air channels which results
in less plastic needed without cutting the strength.
How Ash Air can help you with your Nitrogen requirements!
If an application requires nitrogen use, there are three main ways of obtaining the gas. One is to lease an on-site nitrogen tank and have
the gas delivered, the second is having nitrogen gas delivered in high pressure bottles. The final one is generating your own
nitrogen using compressed air.
Buying nitrogen can become very inconvenient, inefficient and costly, since there is a need to deal with a third party supplier. For these
reasons many businesses may choose to lease or rent their nitrogen generators.
Benefits of On-Site Nitrogen Generation:
Less cost per m3/min
No hidden cost such as ManPak rent and transport
NO cost of evaporated nor remaining nitrogen in bottles
Operating cost only (lease or lease-to-own solutions)
There are two types of nitrogen generators, membrane nitrogen generators as well as PSA (Pressure Swing Adsorption) nitrogen generators, which
allow achievement for very high purities of 99.999% or 10 PPM (parts per million) and even higher. Learn more about the latter.
We offer Pneumatech Nitrogen Generators for rent or lease here in New Zealand.
Leasing a Pneumatech PPNG 18S Nitrogen Genrator onsite from Ash Air is a risk-free way for your to cover your Nitrogen needs!
Leasing an Nitrogen Generator on-site is a risk free alternative to liquid nitrogen: all you need is to provide electricity and space. If you opt for a lease, you incur no capital expenditure; you simply switch from MANPAK to your own Nitrogen lease fee. The fee is fixed for 5 years, thus nitrogen costs will remain as your operating expenses. We will do remote monitoring and preventative maintenance to ensure the highest up-time.
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Who we are and how Ash Air can help your business!
Ash Air has been around in New Zealand since 1979, and we’ve grown into a nationwide company with international support and a
reputation for quality and reliability.We look after all things compressed air for your business!
Reciprocating, Screw, air compressors
Vacuum pumps
Nitrogen
An extensive line of air treatment components
Ash Air's range of Chicago Pneumatic, Alup, Pneumatech, and Quincy compressors are used extensively around the world in industries
ranging from oil and gas to food, automotive and farming, and we bring you these world class compressors here in the land of the long white
cloud.Our technicians are compressed air equipment experts and are dedicated to addressing customer needs. Supported by a 13 locations
nationwide, Ash Air offers one of the widest selections of compressed air equipment and parts available today in New Zealand.
Reliability and Efficiency
With Ash Air compressors, you can count on reliability and high performance for even the most demanding applications. We focus our
efforts on the following:
Air compressors come in many types, rotary screw, piston, scroll, reciprocating, some are oil-free and other air compressors require oil
lubrication. Like many businesses, an efficient air compressor is at the heart of their operations. So, which type of compressor should you
choose? What makes a compressor, like a rotary screw, unique? Here are some clear cut benefits of equipping your business with a rotary
screw compressor. Â
Read More…
In the world of compressors, there are often significant and unutilized energy-saving possibilities including energy recovery, pressure
reduction, leakage reduction and optimization of operations through correct choice of a control and regulation system as well as the choice
of compressor size.We are going to take a look at some of the opportunities for minimizing the compressor’s operating costs.Â
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Many installations that produce compressed air offer significant and frequently unutilized energy
saving possibilities in
the form of waste energy recovery. In large industries, energy costs can amount to 80% of the total cost of compressed
air production.
However, a lot of this energy can be recovered, which in turn will save you a lot of money.Â
Read More…
Liquid water in compressed-air systems can lead to rusted equipment and unresponsive controls. Anyone who uses compressed air will, at some
point, find liquid water in the air distribution system. This can be anything from a nuisance to a serious problem, depending on the
application. If water might corrode equipment or introduce bacteria, removing it is critical.Â
Read More…
Liquid water in compressed-air systems can lead to rusted equipment and unresponsive controls. Anyone who uses compressed air will, at some
point, find liquid water in the air distribution system. This can be anything from a nuisance to a serious problem, depending on the
application. If water might corrode equipment or introduce bacteria, removing it is critical.Â
Read More…
Whenever most people think about a compressor, they probably have a piston compressor in mind. You might already know there are two basic
principles of air compression. One of those is the principle of displacement compression. There are a lot of compressor types that classify
as a displacement compressor. The piston compressor is one of them, oil-lubricated or oil-free.Â
Read More…
Once you have the size and type of
compressor figured out, one last question remains, should I go with an oil lubricated or oil-free air compressor. To not overcomplicate the
answer, your choice should be based on the application and process that the compressed air will be utilized in.
Read More…
Like all compressor types, rotary screw models do require periodic maintenance. Thanks to the simplicity of the internal components,
maintenance is relatively easy on most rotary air compressors. As long as you stick to a rotary screw compressor maintenance schedule, you
will likely be rewarded with many, many years of optimal productivity from your machine.Â
Read More…
Did you know, the biggest part of the air we breathe is nitrogen? Everyone needs oxygen to survive, however air is made up of 78% nitrogen,
only 21% oxygen and tiny amounts of other gases. Although, the human body does not use this nitrogen, it is very helpful in various
industrial applications. There is an unlimited source of nitrogen readily available, allowing you to achieve needed purity at a fraction of
your current annual nitrogen cost.Â
Read More…
If you notice that your compressor is getting hot and bothered, there may be heating issues affecting your air compressors performance. Did
you know that an overheating compressor is top of the pops for being the most common cause of compressor failure.Â
Read More…
A rotary-screw compressor is an air compressor that uses a rotary-type positive-displacement mechanism, typically used replace piston
compressors where large volumes of high-pressure air are needed, either for large industrial applications or to operate high-power air
tools.Â
Read More…
Have a look around and what do you see? What are you thinking about? Your next holiday to Queenstown maybe? You might go snowboarding with
the kids or have some alone time at the Day Spa. Whatever holiday you choose, compressed air is involved in some way, without you even
realising it! Â
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There are crucial reasons why you should service and maintain your compressor regularly, with the most common issues being piston failure
caused by wear of components, increased friction, corrosion, reduced cooling, overheating bearings and components, clogging of air filters.Â
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Our passion for energy efficiency and cost saving derives from the concern for our children’s future. Analysing the efficiency of your
system is a brilliant way to start saving.
Read More…
Compressed air is all around us, from the air in a balloon to pumping up tires on your bicycle. In this article we will explain what
compressed air is and how it is created. Whether you know it or not, compressed air is involved in every aspect of our lives, from the
balloons at your birthday party to the air in the tires of our cars and bicycles. It was probably even used when making the phone, tablet or
computer you’re viewing this on.Â
Read More…
One of the biggest challenges is to correctly size your new air compressor. Similarly to everything else, new compressors available on the
market are more efficient and employ better technology, therefore you have to understand the application and usage to size the machine
correctly. Choosing the wrong air compressor for your facility can lead to problems with production and or increased costs due to wasted
energy.Â
Read More…
Once you have the size of the air compressor figured out, the
next thing to do is to decide on the type of compresor you will need for your application - piston, rotary screw compressor etc. Let us take
a look at two of the most popular options available. When choosing the right type of compressor, you should ask yourself the following
questions:
Read More…
​Which vacuum pump do I need? - this is one of the most frequent questions we receive and this is understandable, because there are number
of technologies which can provide the same vacuum level and pumping speed. Here is quick advice on how to choose the best vacuum pump for
your needs.Â
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You may be asking, why does my air compressor start, then stop? Allow us to take the guessing out of it. We understand your pain. We know
that a compressor problem can quickly result in hours (if not days) of production downtime and loss of revenue. When your compressor
continuously shuts off from on, we refer that as a short cycle. There are a few reasons that a short cycle may be happening with your
compressor.Â
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Air compressor leaks are very common in all applications, but can be very costly and difficult to find. On average, 20-30% of the compressed
air used in a manufacturing plant is wasted as leaked air. Finding and fixing these leaks can save your business thousands of wasted dollars
a year.Â
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When installing a compressed air system into a business, people often look to PVC piping as an option to build a piping system because it is
cheap, versatile and easy to install. However, using PVC pipe in any compressed air application is extremely dangerous and NOT recommended
by multiple associations and manufacturers.Â
Read More…
Changing the oil and oil filters on your compressor is one of the most common routine maintenance tasks to perform to keep your compressor
running efficiently. After you remove your old oil and oil filter, you may find yourself wondering, “Where do I dispose of these?”, or “Can I
just throw them in the trash?”. Because oil is toxic and a pollutant, disposing of your old oil and filters is not as simple as just tossing
them in the trash.Â
Read More…
