Mobile Nitrogen Service Supply System Integrating PSA and Liquid N2
Find Innovative SolutionsGenerate Solutions
Solution Overview
Problem
Current nitrogen supply systems for industrial applications are inadequate in meeting varying flow, pressure, temperature, and purity requirements for temporary service applications, as they often lack capacity, flexibility, and reliability, especially when operated at higher purity levels, and do not efficiently combine mobile PSA generators with liquid N2-fed systems.
Innovation Solution
A mobile nitrogen supply system integrating a mobile PSA generator with a liquid N2-fed trailer-mounted pumping or vaporizer unit, allowing for adjustable nitrogen flowrate, purity, temperature, and pressure to meet specific customer needs, with the PSA providing a base load and the liquid N2 system supplying supplemental nitrogen to ensure reliability.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Quantity of substance
If liquid N2-fed trailer mounted pumper units and vaporizer units are used to supply high purity nitrogen, then nitrogen purity and supply flexibility are improved, but transportation cost and system complexity increase
Solution Approach 1:
The patent combines a mobile PSA generator unit with a liquid N2-fed trailer mounted unit into an integrated system. The PSA unit generates nitrogen from atmospheric air while the liquid N2 unit provides supplemental nitrogen, merging two different nitrogen generation technologies to achieve both high capacity and high purity supply while distributing system complexity across multiple coordinated components
2Quantity of substance
If mobile N2 membrane generation units are used, then transportation cost is reduced, but nitrogen capacity and purity are limited
Solution Approach 1:
The system can operate in multiple modes by adjusting the contribution ratio between PSA-generated nitrogen and liquid N2-supplemented nitrogen. The PSA unit can operate at different purity levels (93-99%) and the liquid N2 unit can be engaged to boost purity to 99.999% when needed, allowing parameter changes in both capacity and purity to match varying application requirements
3Device complexity
If PSA generators are used to supply base load nitrogen, then cost is reduced, but supply capacity is limited
Solution Approach 1:
The mobile PSA generator is sized to provide the base load nitrogen requirement, operating continuously to meet the minimum demand. The liquid N2-fed unit is sized to provide supplemental capacity when peak demand exceeds PSA capability. This partial action approach allows each component to be optimally sized for its specific function rather than requiring one oversized unit to handle all conditions
Applied Scientific Principles
This section explains which scientific principles are used to turn an abstract innovation direction into a practical engineering solution.
Function Achieved in This Case
The integrated system effectively increases nitrogen supply capacity, purity, and flexibility, reducing the reliance on costly liquid N2 transports and enhancing system reliability by combining PSA-generated nitrogen with liquid N2, thereby meeting diverse industrial service application demands while maintaining a lower overall cost.
Implementation Method 1
a mobile PSA generator with a liquid N2-fed trailer-mounted pumping or vaporizer unit
Implementation Method 2
liquid N2-fed trailer-mounted pumping or vaporizer unit
Data Source
Figure 1
AI summary
The present invention relates to a novel integrated system for providing nitrogen (N2) to a variety of industrial service applications such as, for example, process unit drying, pipeline purging, reactor cooling, vessel inerting, pipeline displacement.