Unit IV

Industrial Inert gases

Introduction
• An inert gas is a gas which does not undergo chemical reactions under
a set of given conditions.

• Main inert gas used in various process industry is nitrogen but argon
and carbon di oxide are also other choices for inert gases.

• Helium, Krypton, neon and xenon are special category inert gases
having very specialized applications.

• The major hazard controlled by inert atmospheres (in process

industries) is flammability and/or explosions. The inert atmosphere
ensures the oxygen removal, the oxidizer usually necessary for a flame
or explosion.

• Other applications of inert gases include metal processing & welding

and production & storage of food products.
Properties of inert gases
• Non reactive.
• Non flammable
• Does not assist combustion
• Non reactive with the media which they purge out
• Non absorptive with the surroundings
• Non toxic
Uses of inert gases
• Inert gases are used for purging and blanketing.

• Theyy are often useful to p

prevent undesirable chemical reactions from
taking place.

• In food packaging,
packaging inert gases are used as a passive preservative,
preservative in
contrast to active preservatives like sodium benzoate.

• Historical documents may also be stored under an inert gas to avoid

degradation.

• Reactions
R ti are routinely
ti l conducted
d t d under
d nitrogen
it even if they
th are nott
sensitive to air, to minimize fire hazards.

• Transfer lines and vessels are purged with inert gas, to avoid residual
solvents or process fluids catching fire.
Uses of inert gases
• In gas tungsten arc welding, inert gases are used to shield the tungsten
from contamination. It also shields the fluid metal (created from the arc)
from the reactive gases in air which can cause porosity in the solidified
weld
ld puddle.
ddl

• In underwater diving an inert gas is a component of the breathing

mixture which is not metabolically active, and serves to dilute the gas
mixture.

• The inert gas system is used to prevent the atmosphere in cargo tanks
or bunkers from coming into the explosive range.

• Inert gases are also applied in electronics field for the manufacture of
semi conductor devices
Purities of inert gases
• Quality of the inert gases varies depending upon the type of
application.

• General process plant purging to exclude air prior to start up or to drive

out hydrocarbons for plant shutdown can tolerate relatively impure inert
gas while the electronics industry requires ultra pure nitrogen or argon
for semi conductor manufacture
Purities of inert gases
Nitrogen (oxygen – free)
Properties:
• Odourless and colourless

• Non-toxic

• Does not support combustion

• Anasphyxiant (does not support life)

• Non-reactive except at very high temperatures

• Does not react with oxygen at low temperatures

• Inert dry and slightly soluble

Inert,

• Non-corrosive
Nitrogen (oxygen – free)
Advantages:
• Inert to nearly all substances at ambient temperatures and moderate
conditions.

• Nitrogen keeps laser-cut faces oxide-free due to the chemical

inertness to react with the atmosphere.
p

• At higher temperatures, nitrogen can react to form metal nitrides

preventing the surface from attacks of other corrosive gases.
gases

• Nitrogen gas is only slightly soluble in a wide range of liquids and is

therefore used to flush unwanted gases from solutions.
solutions

• Reduces internal degradation of the rubber in tyres due to oxidation.

• As a cryogenic liquid, nitrogen can be used to thermally contract

metals.
Nitrogen (oxygen – free)
Applications:
• Used for blanketing and purging applications to displace or dilute all
unwanted gas or vapour.

• Widely used for reasons of safety and the prevention of product

degradation
g in the chemicals and p
petroleum industry
y
– Inerting reactors and storage tanks
– Purging and blanketing storage tanks
– Minimize oxidation reactions
– Pressure-transfer of liquids
– Stop aerobic biological processes

• Shielding or assist gas for plasma-cutting aluminium and stainless

steel, and as an assist gas for laser-cutting stainless steel TIG -
welding of tough-pitch copper.
Inert Nitrogen (oxygen – free)
Applications:
• Heat-treatment processes to protect some of the most reactive
metals.

• In electrochemical analysis, can be bubbled through to displace any

oxygen.
yg

• Pressure-transfer, where the movement of liquids or slurries from one

piece of process plant to another is effected using gas pressure.
pressure

• Tyre inflation: helps to extend tyre life and prevent tyre bursts.

• Can be used for shrink-fitting. The intense cold of liquid nitrogen,

reduces the physical dimensions of a component placed in the liquid.
O
Once cooled,
l d the
th componentt is i connected
t d to
t a mating
ti componentt
before swelling to its original size as it reaches room temperature,
thereby securing itself in place.
Carbon-di-oxide
Properties:
• A colourless and odourless gas that can cause the nose to sting in high
concentrations

• Toxic in high concentrations

• Anasphyxiant (does not support life)

• Sli htl corrosive

Slightly i ini the
th presence off moisture
i t

• Heavier than air; Non flammable & Non combustible

• Highly soluble in water at moderate temperatures

• At elevated temperatures, carbon dioxide reacts with many substances

Carbon-di-oxide
Advantages:
• Higher density than air provides good blanketing properties.

• This chemical property has led to its use as a reactant in some

chemical processes.

• Carbon dioxide is a potential fire extinguisher which comes as an

added advantage.

• Liquid carbon dioxide is a good solvent for many lipophilic organic

compounds thus solving the material and also preventing the material
from air contamination.
contamination

• It is used to remove caffeine from coffee

• Carbonated beverages have a longer life span as far as the CO2 is

available in them.
Carbon-di-oxide
Applications:
A li ti
• MIG-welding mild steel.

• For welding carbon and alloy steel and stainless steel with flux-cored
wires.

• Shielding gas in plasma-cutting.

• Liquid for substrate cooling to control the heat build-up

build up when thermal
and plasma-spraying.

• S it bl for
Suitable f inerting
i ti applications.
li ti

• Balancing pH levels in swimming pools.

• Compressed liquid carbon dioxide can also be used in small pipe-

freezing applications.
Argon
Properties:
• Colourless, tasteless and odourless

• Non flammable & Non combustible

• Inert to all materials at all temperatures and pressures

• Heavier than air

• Anasphyxiant

• Lower thermal conductivity than most other gases

• Photolysis of hydrogen fluoride in a solid argon matrix at 7.5 7 5 kelvin

yields argon fluorohydride, thus limiting its application for cryogenics.
Argon
Advantages:
• Has a purity level of 99.998% - ideal for welding purposes

• 34% lower thermal conductivity than air

• Argon is almost half as heavy as air,

air which makes it less susceptible
to convection currents.

• Low ionising
L i i i potential
t ti l allows
ll easy forming
f i off a welding
ldi arc without
ith t
reacting with the metal components being welded.

• When welding thicker materials, other gases are added to the argon
base to produce a more fluid weld pool.

• Argon is the most plentiful of the inert gases, representing 0.9 % of

earth's atmosphere & it's abundance makes it relatively inexpensive.
Argon
Applications:
• All of the major applications of argon are related to the production,
processing and fabrication of metals. The role of argon is nearly
always to exclude atmospheric air from contact with metal alloys.
alloys An
example of this is as a purging gas to protect weld areas, such as the
inside of pipes during welding.

• As a predominant gas used in shielding gases because it forms a very

good shield due to the high density and total inertness.

• Used on a wide range of ferrous and non-ferrous materials for welding

and cutting.

• Major component in most shielding gas mixtures for arc welding and
cutting due to low ionising potential.

• It is also used in the semi-conductor industry to provide an inert

atmosphere for silicon and germanium crystal growth.
Argon
Applications:
A li ti
• Shielding gas for MIG and TIG welding processes and for plasma-
cutting. Argon is used alone or mixed with other gases such as
h li
helium, carbon
b dioxide,
di id oxygen, nitrogen
it or hydrogen.
h d E h mixture
Each i t i
is
often specific to welding a particular material or to a particular
process. For example, argon is used as a shielding gas for TIG-
welding aluminium,
aluminium titanium and copper.
copper

• When MIG-welding ferrous materials, pure argon is not an ideal

shielding
hi ldi gas, as it produces
d an arc with
ith poor cathodic
th di rooting
ti
characteristics, large droplet size and therefore higher levels of
spatter.

• Fills the inter-space in double-glazed windows.

• Argon is used in medical lasers, in ophthalmology for example to

correct eye defects such as blood vessel leakage, retinal detachment,
glaucoma and macular degeneration
Health hazards of inert gases
• Generally
G ll inert
i gases are anasphyxiant
h i providing
idi an inherent
i h h
hazard
d
for the workers in the inert atmosphere

• Oxygen deficiency hazard

• Removal of argon,g , carbon dioxide and cold g gas due to leakage

g is
difficult as they are relatively denser as compared with air

• Failure of inert gas purging or blanketing causes the direct exposure

or leakage of the material of interest (like hydrocarbons, carbon-
monoxide) to surrounding which could result in accidents.

• The inert atmosphere used must be consistent with the process with
which it is used. Improper selection of the inert atmosphere, or the
way it is used,
used can be harmful or fatal.
fatal