On-site Nitrogen Generator for Plasma Spectroscopy
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Solution Overview
Problem
The high cost of providing a gas supply for spectroscopy systems, particularly due to the need for high-purity gases like nitrogen, which can be exacerbated by remote locations with limited infrastructure, poses a significant challenge in maintaining these systems effectively.
Innovation Solution
A spectroscopy system that utilizes a nitrogen generator to produce nitrogen gas from atmospheric air, using methods such as gas-selective filtration membranes or pressure-swing adsorption with a carbon molecular sieve, allowing for on-site generation and reducing the reliance on bottled high-purity gases.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If high-purity nitrogen gas is supplied to the spectroscopy system, then the plasma generation and spectroscopy performance are maintained, but the operational cost increases significantly
Solution Approach 1:
The system generates its own nitrogen gas supply using an on-site nitrogen generator that separates nitrogen from atmospheric air, eliminating the need for external high-purity gas cylinders and delivery infrastructure. This self-service approach converts the system from a passive consumer of expensive supplied gas to an active producer of its own gas supply.
Solution Approach 2:
A nitrogen generator acts as an intermediary device between the atmospheric air and the plasma torch, performing gas separation and purification functions. The generator uses membranes or adsorption materials to selectively pass nitrogen while retaining other atmospheric components, providing a cost-effective bridge between free atmospheric air and the high-purity nitrogen previously required.
2Reliability
If high-purity nitrogen gas is used, then the spectroscopy system operates reliably, but the infrastructure requirements and transportation costs increase
Solution Approach 1:
The nitrogen generator enables the system to produce its own gas supply on-site, eliminating dependence on external gas delivery infrastructure such as high-pressure pipelines, storage tanks, and delivery vehicles. This is particularly beneficial for remote locations where infrastructure development would be prohibitively expensive.
Solution Approach 2:
The nitrogen generator extracts and isolates nitrogen from atmospheric air using separation membranes or adsorption materials. By taking out the nitrogen component from the complex mixture of atmospheric gases, the system obtains a sufficient purity level (95-99% nitrogen) without requiring the full infrastructure needed for high-purity commercial gas supply.
3Loss of energy
If atmospheric air is used as the gas supply, then the operational cost is reduced, but the plasma generation performance deteriorates
Solution Approach 1:
The nitrogen generator serves as an intermediary that processes atmospheric air to produce nitrogen-enriched gas suitable for plasma generation. The separation membranes or adsorption materials in the generator create a transition state, transforming ordinary atmospheric air into a gas composition (95-99% nitrogen) that reliably supports plasma ignition and stable operation.
Solution Approach 2:
The system changes the compositional parameters of the gas supply by selectively removing oxygen, argon, and other atmospheric components through membrane separation or adsorption. This parameter modification transforms atmospheric air (21% oxygen, 78% nitrogen) into nitrogen-enriched gas (95-99% nitrogen), achieving the necessary conditions for reliable plasma generation while maintaining cost advantages.
4Measurement precision
If nitrogen with higher purity is used, then the spectroscopy sensitivity is improved, but the cost and infrastructure requirements increase
Solution Approach 1:
The nitrogen generator produces nitrogen with purity levels (95-99%) that are partially lower than ultra-high-purity commercial gas (99.999%), but sufficiently excessive to achieve reliable plasma generation and acceptable spectroscopy performance. This partial purity level optimizes the balance between measurement precision and operational cost, avoiding the diminishing returns of ultra-high-purity gas requirements.
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
This approach significantly reduces operational costs by eliminating the need for transported high-purity gas supplies and can improve sensitivity, with optimal performance achieved when the nitrogen contains between 0.1% to 2% oxygen by volume, enhancing the overall effectiveness of the spectroscopy system.
Implementation Method 1
it is possible to create a nitrogen enriched gas supply from atmospheric air that is compressed at the location of the spectroscopy instrument by use of a gas-selective filtration membrane
Implementation Method 2
by pressure-swing adsorption of oxygen by use of a suitable sorbent such as a carbon molecular sieve
Data Source
AI summary
A spectroscopy system for spectro-chemical analysis of a sample includes a plasma torch (50) for generating a microwave induced plasma (90) as a spectroscopic source. The plasma forming gas is nitrogen which can contain an oxygen impurity. Thus the system includes a nitrogen generator (70) which is preferably supplied with compressed atmospheric air from a compressor (75) for oxygen to be removed from the air by adsorption. The invention allows the use of an on-site nitrogen gas generator and thus gives cost savings because the need to obtain supplies of bottled high purity gas is eliminated.