On-Site Nitrogen Generation
Nitrogen Generator: On-Site Systems, 95% to 99.9995% Purity
On-site nitrogen generators for aerospace, pharmaceutical, food and beverage, electronics, and industrial manufacturing customers across the United States, Mexico, and Canada. PSA and membrane systems from 95% up to 99.9995% purity. Up to 90% lower gas cost versus delivered nitrogen, with payback in 12 to 14 months and a 20 year or more service life.
What we do
Gas Generation Solutions designs and supplies on-site nitrogen generators for industrial customers across North America. Also called an N2 generator, it produces high-purity nitrogen on demand from compressed air. We offer both PSA and membrane nitrogen generation systems, and every system is sized to your exact flow, purity, and pressure requirements. On-site generation replaces delivered nitrogen with a continuous supply produced directly from ambient air, at roughly one-tenth the operating cost of bulk or cylinder gas. Incorporated in 1979, we have over 40 years of industry experience and have deployed thousands of systems. Our average customer recovers the full investment in 12 to 14 months and runs the system for 20 years or more. Nitrogen purity is available from 95% up to 99.9995%, depending on the application. See what nitrogen is used for across industries.
How It Works
PSA nitrogen generation in three steps
Pressure swing adsorption separates nitrogen from the other gases in compressed air using twin carbon molecular sieve beds that cycle between adsorption and regeneration.
Clean, dry compressed air enters the system
Air is filtered for water, oil, and particulates, then fed into one of two carbon molecular sieve beds. Proper air treatment is essential and is sized as part of every system we quote.
Oxygen molecules adsorb onto the sieve
The carbon molecular sieve holds oxygen on its surface and lets nitrogen pass through. Nitrogen is released into a buffer tank at the purity your application requires, from 95% up to 99.9995%.
Beds alternate, supply never stops
While one bed adsorbs, the other regenerates by venting off the captured oxygen. The beds swap continuously, producing nitrogen at the flow rate and pressure your facility demands.
For compact installations at 95% to 99.5% purity, we also supply hollow-fiber membrane nitrogen generators. Membrane systems have no moving parts in the separation stage and are a strong fit for tire inflation, fire suppression, and general inert blanketing. We recommend the right technology after reviewing your flow, purity, and duty cycle. Many are small, compact systems sized for a single line.
Specifications
Built to your flow, purity, and pressure
Every system is sized to the application. These are the ranges we supply across the product line.
Most industrial applications run between 99.5% and 99.99%. Food and beverage typically caps at 99.9%.
Per unit. Multiple units can be chained for higher flow. Sizing starts with a free flow meter rental.
Standard outputs to 150 PSIG. High-pressure builds with boosters for laser cutting and plastic injection.
Based on thousands of cost analyses. Varies by local power rate and purity requirement.
Small PSA units start at $5,400. Large turnkey plants with compressors, tanks, and boosters exceed $250,000. Regardless of size, average payback is 12 to 14 months. Every quote includes the generator, right-sized compression, air treatment, storage, and controls as a matched package. See what installation and maintenance involve once the system arrives.
Deployed Systems
Nitrogen generators running in production at customer sites across electronics, food, and laser cutting.
Nitrogen purity from 95% to 99.9995%, sized to the application. Three live installs below.
N-300 · Electronics manufacturing
Reflow and wave soldering
On-site nitrogen up to 99.999% purity for solder inerting and void reduction.
N-150 · Dairy and cheese packaging
Modified atmosphere packaging (MAP)
On-site nitrogen up to 99.9% purity for shelf-life extension and oxygen exclusion.
N-750 · Laser cutting
Trumpf laser, 400 PSIG booster
On-site nitrogen up to 99.999% purity at high pressure for clean-edge cuts on stainless and alloys.
Industries we serve
Nitrogen for every major industrial process
Our nitrogen generators are sized to each application. Select an industry to see typical purity, flow, and system configurations.
Food & Beverage
MAP, blanketing, wine, coffee, cheese. Purity up to 99.9%.
View applicationsElectronics & Soldering
Selective, wave, and reflow soldering inert atmosphere.
View applicationsPharmaceutical
Reactor blanketing, process gas, and packaging line inerting.
View applicationsLaser Cutting
High-pressure assist gas for oxide-free cuts on steel and alloys.
View applicationsHeat Treating
Annealing, brazing, and belt-furnace atmospheres.
View applicationsMetal 3D Printing
Inert build chambers for powder bed fusion and DMLS.
View applicationsSemiconductor
Wafer fabrication, cleanroom process gas, UHP nitrogen.
View applicationsIndustrial Manufacturing
Purging, inerting, tire inflation, plant-wide nitrogen supply.
View applicationsFire Protection
Supervisory nitrogen for dry-pipe and preaction sprinkler systems.
View applicationsNitrogen Generator FAQ
Common questions about on-site nitrogen generation
Technical, operating-cost, and sizing questions we answer most often.
How does a nitrogen generator work?
A PSA nitrogen generator uses clean, dry compressed air to produce nitrogen. Compressed air is fed into one of two carbon molecular sieve beds. The sieve adsorbs oxygen and lets nitrogen pass through into a buffer tank. While the first bed is saturated with oxygen, it vents and regenerates while the second bed takes over, so the system produces nitrogen continuously at the purity, flow, and pressure your facility needs.
What nitrogen purity can an on-site generator deliver?
Our nitrogen generators deliver purity from 95% up to 99.9995%. Most industrial applications run between 99.5% and 99.99%. Food and beverage applications typically cap at 99.9%. Higher-purity systems are used for selective soldering, metal 3D printing, semiconductor manufacturing, and heat treating.
How much does a nitrogen generator cost?
Small PSA units start as low as $5,400. Larger turnkey systems with compressors, tanks, and boosters exceed $250,000. The size and cost are driven by flow, purity, and pressure requirements. Regardless of system size, the average payback remains 12 to 14 months.
What is the cost per cubic foot of nitrogen from a generator?
Based on thousands of cost analyses, the average cost is $0.05 to $0.12 per hundred cubic feet (CCF) of nitrogen produced. The exact number depends on local power rates and the purity required. If you are comparing this to a delivered gas bill, most bills are listed in CCF or FTS, which is the same unit. Over a 20 year service life, this operating cost is a small fraction of what delivered gas costs for the same volume.
What is the payback period?
Most customers recover their investment in 12 to 14 months. This includes turnkey packages with tanks and a feed-air compressor. Higher-volume and higher-purity applications can pay back sooner because the gap between delivered-gas cost and generated-gas cost is wider. We provide an ROI calculation against your current gas spend as part of every quote.
What maintenance does a nitrogen generator require?
Maintenance is straightforward. Every system has three inlet air filters: a water and particulate filter changed quarterly, an oil coalescing filter changed every six months, and a charcoal final filter changed annually. Annual filter cost runs a few hundred dollars depending on system size. We also recommend a semiannual inspection of valves and safety valves, and an annual oxygen analyzer calibration. The carbon molecular sieve beds are rated for 20 years or more of service under normal operating conditions. The simplicity of the system means most customers do not need a maintenance contract.
What size nitrogen generator do I need?
Sizing starts with knowing your actual nitrogen flow. We ship a free flow meter to your site in a size that matches your expected demand. The meter has a cellular data logger, so you can view your flow rate in real time on our dedicated server with no WiFi required at your facility. Once your flow is known, we build systems from 40 SCFH to 100,000 SCFH per unit, and units can be chained for higher flow. If you already know your flow, purity, and pressure, send those to us and we can typically return a full quotation the same day.
Budgeting a system
On-site nitrogen generators run from $15K to over $500K depending on flow, purity, and pressure. Review pricing by tier before you spec your build.
Before You Buy
Borrow a free flow meter. Know your demand before you size a system.
Sizing a nitrogen generator starts with knowing your actual flow. We ship a flow meter to your site at no charge, in a size that matches your expected demand, and you can borrow it for as long as you need. Every meter includes a data logger with a cellular modem, so you can view your flow rate and data in real time on our dedicated server. No WiFi required at your facility. Once your flow is known, we build systems from 40 SCFH to 100,000 SCFH per unit, and units can be chained for higher flow. To see the five inputs that size a system, build your own nitrogen generator.
Already know your flow, purity, and pressure? Send them over and we will return a complete quotation the same day.