ULTRA DRY (DEW POINT MINUS 90 DEG C) NITROGEN STORAGE
CAN SOMEBODY TELL ME ABOUT THE METHOD TO MAINTAIN A DEW POINT INSIDE
CARBON STEEL CYLINDER AFTER ACHIEVING THE SAME BY USING A DESSICANT
DRYER. ?
does material of construction of cylinder critical to storage of ultra dry nitrogen ?
what hose material is suggested for transfer of this ultra dry nitrogen from one cylinder to another.
I was told a hose with PTFE inner lining is the best. any comments
Dave hits your problem right on the head. You couldn't raise the
dewpoint of the contained, pressurized N2 unless you come up with a
higher-pressured source of water and force the H20 into the compressed
N2.
High purity, ultra-dry N2 is routinely supplied in compressed
gas cylinders for Lab and other uses by industrial gas suppliers. I
did this for many years and I venture to say that perhaps as much as
thousands of these cylinders are filled and delivered each day
throughout the globe. No special requirements are needed to maintain
the ultra-low dew point of compressed N2 (or any other gas).
The
use of a hose with PTFE inner lining is fine - as long as you don't
exceed the hose's pressure rating; i.e., I'm assuming you regulate the
gas outlet pressure to a value lower than the customary 2,200 -2,500
psig cylinder pressure. Why would PTFE lining be the best?(Safety valves) I consider SS tubing (rated for 3,000+ psig) to be the best.
I'm
with Dave in thinking that perhaps we missed something here in
translating what you mean to say in English. Can you confirm our
assumptions of your application?
I used to work in the High Pressure Helium department of a global
industrial gas company. The material of your vessel is not that great a
variable. However, the intial preparation of that vessel is super
critical. As Montemayor so clearly stated, gas companies have this down
pat. So if you are buying your gas, just make sure that you get the
specifications down pat. If this is supplied in DOT style cylinders,
make sure that you understand the valve connections.
If you are
trying to build your own vessel, you will need to bake it out to dry
it. SS drys better than CS and considering your moisture level of 0.1
ppm, I would only accept SS. Also, there is an odd phenomenon that
occurs if the pressure in the storage vessel drops really low. At
pressures less than, say 500 psig, you an see a marked increase in the
dew point. The crystal structure of the metal in the vessel can absorb
(adsorb?) water. At lower pressures, this moisture will move from the
vessel walls and back into your nitrogen. I can give you a good process
to dry out a vessel if this is what you need.
This is a very
high purity gas. I would use nothing less than a flexible SS Inner and
Outer flex hose. I would also suggest that you consider not using
compression fittings. Orbitally weld everything. Swagelok make a great
high pressure and high purity fitting called a VCR.
You did not
mention what you application is. Most people seem to ignore the
operational difficulties of using a gas this dry. Even the most minute
leak will shut you down. If you can give us some more back ground &
details, I am sure that myself and others will be willing to help.
I have worked with several membrane projects in the past. Most of
these, however, did not have the purity requirements that you have
here. The high purity work was with another company. What I have
listed here is a time proven technique for drying cylinders. It will
not be cheap, but it works.
1) You need a cylinder bake out
setup. Heat the cylinder to 250 deg F or so. Using a good quality
vacuum pump, pull a deep vacuum on the cylinders. Every 24 hours, break
the vacuum with -90 deg C Dew point Nitrogen. Let this sit at 50-60
psig for about 3-4 hours. Then repeat. After 3 cycles, put 100-200
psig dry nitrogen and retest. Once your cylinders are dry, you should
not have a problem at the storage.
2) Swagelok Welded VCR fittings with Nickel Gaskets. Do not use standard compression fittings.
3)
Since you are already having problems with moisture, I do not recommend
using any hoses. If you must, use the ones from my previous
post. 1/4" SS tubing, coiled about 3 times with a 9-12" diameter, can
be used to create "pigtails" to connect to the cylinders.
4) I would by a high quality moisture analyzer. I have used MEECO to great success in the past. This will not be cheap.
5) On
line response: Keep your sample lines as small as possible (1/8" or
1/16" SS tubing). Use only high purity diaphragm regulators like Tescom
(also very expensive). Be sure that you install bypass for
purging. The rest of the response equation will be determined by the
moisture analyzer characteristics.
Is this a process where you
are connecting and disconnecting to equipment? The act of connecting to
equipment will contaminate you gas faster than anything. A varying
scheme of deep vacuum with a dry nitrogen purge will help here.
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