The final output that is formed in gas plants whether in solid, liquid or
gaseous form is used in various industrial applications. All types of gases
be it oxygen or nitrogen or any other gas have some kind of applications in
various industries whether in construction, cutting, welding, purification
or processing. Gas plants are used in diverse applications. The various
industries served by different gas plants (oxygen, nitrogen, hydrogen,
carbon dioxide, acetylene, argon, methane etc.) are as follows:
Chemical Industry
- Oxygen: In the chemical industry, oxygen is required to
improve the output of a large number of petrochemical processes. Pure
oxygen is used in chemical oxidation reactions like the production of
ethylene dichloride (EDC), propylene oxide (PO), ethylene oxide (EO),
titanium dioxide (TiO2), ferric sulfate. Oxygen is also used in
de-bottlenecking of air-based processes and in the production of
synthesis gas (H2/CO).
- Nitrogen: Nitrogen is used for blanketing in the chemical
industry. It is also used as storage for protecting raw materials or
finished products in liquid form, regeneration of purification beds,
preparing catalysts and transporting polymer powders. It is also used to
control temperature in reactors.
- Carbon dioxide: This gas is used in synthesis chemistry. It
is used for controlling reactor temperatures. The gas can neutralize
alkaline effluents. Carbon dioxide is also used for purifying or dying
polymer, animal or vegetable fibers under supercritical conditions.
Pharmaceutical Industry
- Oxygen: This is used in chemical synthesis. In pharmaceutical
industry, oxygen is required for enrichment of air during fermentation.
It is used for treatment of wastewater. Another application is in flame
sealing of glass ampules for finished products
- Nitrogen: It is used for inerting and cryo-grinding. Nitrogen
is also used in lyophilisation, drying, liquid phase transfer of
products. Cryo-condensation of waste gases and low temperature storage
also make use of nitrogen
- Carbon dioxide: In pharmaceutical industry, for inerting,
chemical synthesis, supercritical fluid extraction , product
transportation at low temperature, acidification of wastewater, CO2 is
used
- Nitrous oxide: This gas is used as gas propellant for
aerosols packaging.
Food and Beverage Industry
- Oxygen: Oxygenation of fish-breeding tanks.
- Nitrogen: Liquid nitrogen is a highly demanded cryogenic
fluid, to freeze, chill or store food products. Gaseous nitrogen, on the
other hand, is used in contact with foodstuffs to prevent oxidation or
micro-organism growth.
- Hydrogen: This is used for the production of polyester,
plastics, and nylon. It is also used in the hydrogenation of amines and
food oils and fatty acids.
- Carbon dioxide: This gas is used in the food and beverage
industry for carbonation of fizzing beverages, packaging of foodstuffs,
to increase the shelf life of many food products. Carbon dioxide in dry
form , known as dry ice, is used for temperature control during the
distribution of foodstuffs.
- Argon: The argon gas is used in a controlled atmosphere in
most applications. It is used in place of nitrogen. Its solubility and
certain molecular characteristics make it special for use with
vegetables.
Glass, Cement and Lime industry
- Oxygen: Besides all oxy-combustion process, oxygen is used in
the glass melting
- Nitrogen: This gas is used as an inert gas. In the float
glass process, in combination with hydrogen, nitrogen creates a
reductive atmosphere over the tin bath.
- Hydrogen: An active gas. Used with nitrogen to form a
reductive atmosphere over the tin bath in the float glass process. It is
also used for heat treatment of the hollow glass and pre-forms optic
fibers
- Acetylene: This gas is used in automatic lubrification for
glass bottle production molding
- Argon: Used for the filling of double glazing enclosures
which can lead to high performance thermal isolation.
Health Care Industry
- Oxygen: Oxygen is one of the most essential requirement in
any health care unit. For treatment of respiratory insufficiencies and
resuscitation and for treatment of carbon monoxide poisoning, oxygen is
used. Small portable oxygen units are gaining wide use in homes
- Nitrogen: Nitrogen is used in health care industry for
low-temperature preservation of living tissues and cells.
- Carbon dioxide: This gas is used to create form atmospheres
for the operation of artificial organs. In a mixture of oxygen or air as
respiratory stimulant, carbon dioxide is used to promote deep breathing.
It is also used for the surgical dilation.
Metals industry
- Oxygen: The largest user of oxygen is the iron and steel
industry. For decarburization of hot metal to produce steel, to enrich
blast furnace air, for secondary smelting and non ferrous primary
production etc., oxygen is widely used in the metal industry.
- Hydrogen: Hydrogen creates reductive atmosphere for various
heat treatment processes.
- Carbon Dioxide: Used for red fume suppression during scrap.
It is also used in carbon charging, for nitrogen pick-up reduction and
for bottom stirring. Carbon dioxide is used for fume suppression in the
non ferrous metallurgy. Liquid CO2 is used in water recycling from acid
mine drainage.
- Argon: Used to prevent contact between liquid metal and the
surrounding atmosphere. Argon is used in melt stirring, in purging to
prevent steel re-oxidation and also used in secondary steel refining in
vacuum degassers. Argon can also be used in decarburising raw
high-chromium steels while minimizing the chromium oxidation.
Laboratories & Analysis
- Oxygen: Used with other gas mixtures for environmental
emission monitoring, industrial hygiene or and trace impurity analyzers.
It measures the PCI of hydrocarbons or coal and in oxidation reactions.
- Nitrogen: For various industrial and hospital analyses and
quality control nitrogen is used as a carrier gas in gas chromatography.
It acts as the balance gas of the calibration gas mixtures used in
environmental monitoring systems and industrial hygiene gas mixtures. It
is also a blanket gas for analyzers or chemical reactors
Oil and Gas Industry
- Oxygen: To enrich air of regeneration of Fluid Cracking
Catalytic units. Oxygen is used in refinery.
- Nitrogen: Widely used for quality protection of products and
facilities, for example blanketing.
- Hydrogen: Desulfurization of fuel-oil and gasoline. ·
Carbon dioxide: Carbon dioxide is the mobile phase in both extraction
and chromatography applications
- Acetylene: The fuel gas in atomic absorption
spectrophotometry (AAS)
- Argon: Used in mixtures or in pure form for industrial and
hospital analyses and quality control. Argon is also used as plasma gas
in inductive coupled plasma emission spectrometry and as carrier gas in
gas chromatography for various detector
- Nitrous oxide: This gas is used as a comburant for the flame
in atomic absorption spectrophotometry. It is also used in calibration
gas mixtures.
- Methane: In combination with argon, methane is used for the
detector in X Ray Fluorescence as quenching gas. In combination with
other hydrocarbons, methane is used as reference point for the
measurement of PCI of hydrocarbons or coal.
Welding, Cutting & Coating
- Oxygen: It is used for heat treatment of various metals. With
acetylene or LPG's, oxygen expands the flame properties in flame torches
and burners . It also provides an highly effective jet for oxy-cutting
carbon steels both low and non alloys.
- Nitrogen: An important component of the special mixtures used
in CO2 lasers.
- Acetylene: A versatile fuel gas, it helps in manual
applications like brazing, welding, cutting, straightening or any other
heating process.
- Argon: This is a shield gas for arc welding, plasma cutting
and root shielding. It reduces fume emissions during welding.
Electronics
- Oxygen: Used to oxidize certain materials. It can achieve
chemical vapor deposition of oxides. Oxygen is also used to make ozone
for oxidations or cleaning.
- Nitrogen: A carrier gas used for overall protection against
impurities and oxidation in soldering and semiconductor processes. N2 ,
in its cold and liquid form, is used as a cooling medium in the
environmental testing of electronic devices.
- Hydrogen: A carrier gas used in semiconductor processes. For
silicon deposition or crystal growing, hydrogen is also used as a
scavenger gas in atmosphere for soldering, for annealing copper films.
The use of forming gases (H2 diluted in N2) allows a complete removal of
oxygen and its inconveniences in medium to high temperature processes
- Carbon dioxide: It is used in waste water treatment. A
cooling medium, CO2 is used in environmental testing of electronic
devices.
- Argon: Used as a carrier gas for reactive molecules. It
protects semiconductors against impurities. Under ionic state, the gas
is used for ion implantation, annealing, sputtering, and etching
processes in semiconductor and even for high performance material
manufacturing.
Automotive & Transportation Industry
- Nitrogen: Gas Assisted Injection Moulding needs pressures
between 10 bar and 200 bar and a nitrogen content of between 98.0 % and
99.9 %. Tires filling with nitrogen has more life and therefore reduces
the recycling or treatment of this waste.
- Hydrogen: A carbon-free energy source used in the fuel
cells.
- Argon: Argon in pressurized packs is used to inflate car
airbags.
- CNG: The most regular used fuel to drive vehicles.
Industrial
Application of Gas Plants
