Some of the most strategic decisions an organisation will ever have to make focus on sourcing. And when it comes to investment in compressed air capital plant, operators will be seeking solutions that can help to both lower production costs and improve energy efficiency.
This kind of win-win seems like a tall order; but, says Keith Atkinson, Global Product Manager, Nitrogen Generation at Gardner Denver, one emerging way to make savings and increase control of the manufacturing process is to invest in an on-site nitrogen generation system, using existing compressors to convert air to guaranteed purity nitrogen. If implemented properly, this process can save operators up to 90% of the cost of bought-in gas.
Why nitrogen?
Nitrogen is widely used in the pharmaceutical industry to keep products or systems both dry and sterile. As an inert gas, it can reduce the risk of fire in volatile manufacturing environments, while blanketing products with nitrogen can also help to preserve or even improve the quality of the pharmaceuticals.
The gas essentially displaces the oxygen that is present in the air, helping to limit harmful side-effects such as corrosion, oxidation or bacterial growth. As well as drugs and other treatments, the test kits supplied to doctors’ offices, blood supplies, specimen containers and a wide array of other medical devices are also frequently packaged with nitrogen gas.
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