Microbulk Gases

Argon

Industry	Application	Description
Analytical Laboratories	Plasma	Supply for Inductively Coupled Plasma (ICP) units for analyzing non-organic materials
Electronics	Crystal Growth	Used as an inert atmosphere for silicon crystal growth
Manufacturing	Body – Welding	Welding processes use argon for steel.
Manufacturing	Welding	Most commonly used shielding gas, and is the only truly inert gas commonly used in welding.

Carbon Dioxide

Industry	Application	Description
Biotechnology	Metabolic Gases	Process Requirement, Performance, Reliability
Chemical	Cooling of Exothermic Reaction	Cooling chemical reactions in a jacketed reactor.
Food	Injection	Wastewater pH adjustment of discharge cleaning water
Food	Deboning	Deboning of beef and/or chicken by cooling the meat on the bone to embrittlement temperature and fracturing off
Manufacturing	Welding	CO2 decomposes to CO and O2 at welding temperatures, producing an oxidizing effect similar to a combination of argon plus 0-5% O2.
Wastewater	Treatment	Allows much more accurate pH control than any acid system

Nitrogen

Industry	Application	Description
Analytical Laboratories	Specimen Preparation	Preparation of some specimens prior to testing
Analytical Laboratories	Cold Traps	Liquid nitrogen is used in a cold trap to capture impurities in a gaseous line.
Chemical	Inerting	Inerting of chemicals in tanks and in transport
Chemical	Cooling of Exothermic Reaction	Cooling chemical reactions in a jacketed reactor.
Chemical	Vapor Recovery	Recovery of volatile vapors from processes by cooling the vapor to below its boiling temperature and turning it to liquid, them recovering the liquid.
Chemical	Pipe freezing	Liquid nitrogen is put through custom jackets on the outside of a pipeline to freeze the liquid inside and create a plug. These plugs are located on either side of a break to stop flow so the line may be serviced.
Chemical	Vacuum Breaking	Gas is used to break vacuums in reactor tanks to prevent oxygen from contaminating the chemical
Electronics	Cleaning	Nitrogen is used to clean the surfaces of fiber optic strands prior to connecting to one another
Electronics	Soldering	ICB (Interconnecting Circuit Boards) are soldered under a nitrogen atmosphere to prevent oxygen contamination
Food	Sparging	Sparging non-carbonated drinks with nitrogen to remove dissolved oxygen
Food	Pressurizing	Pressurizing of non-carbonated beverages in aluminum cans
Food	Deboning	Deboning of beef and/or chicken by cooling the meat on the bone to embrittlement temperature and fracturing off
Food	Sausage Cooling	Cooling sausage blending operation so fat does not liquefy.
Food	Batch Cooling	Batch cooling of ground beef, pork or poultry to retain fat content.
Food	Cryo-Grinding	Cryogenic grinding of high oil content or difficult to grind spices
Food	Extrusion Cooling	Cooling of extruded foods to increase production
Food	Pneumatic Cooling	Liquid nitrogen is injected into a bulk products transfer line to cool products such as flour.
Food	Mold Cooling	Cooling of molded candy and gum for quick release from mold
Manufacturing	Vulcanization-Tires	Vulcanization is a curing process that makes natural and synthetic rubber harder and more wear resistant.
Manufacturing	Body – Heat Treating	Heat treating processes use hydrogen and nitrogen in annealing furnaces to strengthen and improve formability of the steel.
Manufacturing	Heat Treating	Nitrogen-based protective atmosphere for their furnaces.
Pharmaceuticals	Reactor & Fluid Cooling	Chemical Synthesis, Process Development, Active Pharmaceutical Ingredients
Pharmaceuticals	Lyophilization / Freeze Drying	Steriles, Vaccines, Process Development & Manufacturing
Pharmaceuticals	Vent-gas Recovery	Environmental Compliance, Cost Reduction
Refining	Production	Used to inert hydrocarbon systems

Oxygen

Industry	Application	Description
Biotechnology	Metabolic Gases	Process Requirement, Performance, Reliability
Energy	Production	Cost-effective and reliable means to decrease NOx emissions
Manufacturing	Body – Combustion	Combustion processes use oxygen to melt scrap, refine the steel, and heat the furnaces that reheat steel slabs.
Manufacturing	Body – Heat Treating, Welding & Combustion	Welding processes use carbon dioxide for auto bodies.
Manufacturing	Oxy-Fuel	Oxy-Fuel Conversion of Glass Furnaces
Manufacturing	Welding	O2 is added to shielding gas, where it helps produce a more stable arc, improves wetting of the weld edges and reduces weld spattering.
Pharmaceuticals	Fermentation	Productivity, Yield
Refining	Production	Oxygen is used inside refineries to enhance combustion processes
Wastewater	Treatment	Respiration of the micro-organisms that convert organic wastes into harmless carbon dioxide and water