Argon or Nitrogen. Which is Best for Your Application?
`blog.parker.com/argon-or-nitrogen-which-is-best-for-your-application
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`Gas Generation Team
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`Argon and nitrogen are quite similar in
`inertness, but are vastly different in cost,
`both economic and environmental.
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`Argon, the noble gas
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`Argon is the most common gas in the atmosphere besides Nitrogen and Oxygen. Argon is a
`noble gas (like helium) which means that it is completely inert. Argon will not readily react
`with any other substance. Thinking back to your chemistry classes you’ll recall that the noble
`gases are unreactive because they have a full outer shell of electrons. Those electrons are
`tightly held and won’t be shared with other compounds. That makes Argon a good choice
`for blanketing of items like wine and sensitive chemicals but at a high cost.
`
`Although argon is the third most common gas, it only makes up about 0.9% of the
`atmosphere. Commercially it is available as a by-product of industrial air separation. This is
`the only commercial source of Argon. Since it is such a small percentage of the atmosphere
`Argon is many times more expensive than Nitrogen.
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`Nitrogen, the unreactive gas
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`On the other hand, nitrogen is not a noble gas. Two nitrogen atoms make up the nitrogen
`molecule (N ), so it has no free electrons like Argon and thus the same properties of a noble
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`gas under nearly all uses. Indeed, nitrogen, which makes up 79.1% of our atmosphere, is
`very unreactive. Therefore, the relatively commonplace nitrogen exhibits the same
`properties of argon but at much less cost. Nitrogen is 88 times more abundant than argon.
`That means that the energy to produce a pound of nitrogen is 88 times less than the energy
`to produce a pound of argon. Argon production and distribution creates a large carbon
`footprint.
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`For most users of nitrogen gas, on site air separation using pressure swing adsorption or
`hollow fiber membranes reduces the cost of nitrogen even more than relying on an air
`separation factory. On site gas generation also minimizes CO emissions by eliminating
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`diesel truck deliveries of bottled or liquid nitrogen.
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`Argon versus Nitrogen
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`One advantage of argon is its heavy weight. Argon has a density of 0.1 lb/ft and nitrogen is
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`0.07 lb/ft or about 40% heavier per cubic foot than nitrogen. Therefore, argon will tend to
`sit on top of a liquid column and not readily diffuse with air. For blanketing applications,
`determining how long a blanket of argon will stay in place is not a trivial task as it depends
`on temperature and movement of air above the blanket. Also argon is invisible so the user
`cannot easily determine when to replenish the blanket. Therefore, nitrogen is used because
`its low cost allows for continuous purging that would be uneconomical with argon.
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`There are two instances where argon is superior to nitrogen. Arc welding, where nitrogen
`becomes reactive in the presence of the electric arc, and in window insulation where
`argon has a much lower thermal conductivity than nitrogen. In almost all other uses of the
`gases, nitrogen is the better choice.
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`For more information, please visit our Parker Balston website.
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`This post was contributed by David Connaughton, product
`manager, Nitrogen Generation Systems, and Jennifer Fiorello, Gas
`Generation Technology Blog Team Member - Parker Hannifin
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`Related articles on this blog:
`
`How to Blanket a Chemical Tank Using a Nitrogen Generator
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`Why Nitrogen Is Better than Argon for Wine Production
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`How to Select an On-Site Nitrogen Generator
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`Nitrogen Gas Generators Save Winemakers Time and Money
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`How to Prevent Contamination & Corrosion in Demineralized Water Storage Tanks
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`Reduce Laser Cutting Costs With On-Site Nitrogen Generation
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`Modified Atmosphere Packaging with a Nitrogen Generator
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