Nitrogen is found mainly in the atmosphere, it constitutes 78% of the air we breathe.
It is also:
- In the earth’s crust (nitrates, etc.)
- in organic form (in plants and living or dead organisms that form humus)
- In mineral form (ammonia) which contributes to the fertility of the soil.
In gaseous form, nitrogen is colorless and tasteless, non-flammable. It is an inert gas that does not sustain life.
In liquid form, the nitrogen is colorless with a boiling point at ambient pressure of -196 ° C. Liquid nitrogen is a cryogenic fluid used in deep-freezing processes, but also in the rapid cooling of living tissues (biological samples, etc.). It can be stored and transported in dewar tanks.
Applications of azote
Air Liquid supplies liquid and gaseous nitrogen for many industrial applications.
For example, refineries and petrochemical plants require high volumes of nitrogen gas in pressurization operations, and inserting operations to remove oxygen and moisture from reservoirs and pipelines.
The food and beverage industry requires significant amounts of liquid and gaseous nitrogen for food processing applications with cryogenic cold (including freezing, crusting, etc.), preservation (controlled atmosphere packaging - range). ALIGAL ™) and maintain the cold chain when food products are stored and transported.
In many industries, ultra-pure nitrogen is used to zero and purge analytical instruments. Very high levels of purity are also required to meet the constraints of the semiconductor industry. Special pure gas qualities are available to meet these needs within our ALPHAGAZ ™ range.
Nitrogen is used in gaseous form in a mixture with hydrogen (N₂-H₂ mixture) as a leak detection gas. It is available in pure or mixed form with other gases in the LASAL ™ range for laser cutting applications.