Liquid nitrogen, having a boiling point at -195,82°C and a reasonably low production cost, is widely used in applications where extremely low temperatures are involved.
Liquid nitrogen, having a boiling point at -195,82°C and a reasonably low production cost, is widely used in applications where extremely low temperatures are involved.
Gaseous nitrogen is particularly suitable for the creation of an inert atmosphere, which make it useful in many industrial and technological fields due to its low reactivity, abundance and low cost.
Most of the nitrogen produced is dedicated to the synthesis of ammonia, from which fertilizers, polymers, explosives, dyes and other products will be prepared.
Chemical and Petrochemical Indusrty
In different chemical reactions, either in industry or in laboratory, an oxygen-free atmosphere is essential to obtain the desired product. Moreover, liquid nitrogen is widely used for the cooling of scientific equipment, for the cryopreservation of biological samples and for many other processes.
Nitrogen is used also in the plastic industry for the production of expanded polymers and for gas-assisted injection moulding.
Metallurgical Industry
In many metallurgical processes, an oxygen-free atmosphere is essential to avoid the formation of oxides. And sometimes, a dilution with argon is necessary to maintain nitrogen inertia.
In high temperature metallurgical processes however, nitrogen is used to react with certain metals:
- in the annealing (annealing) of steel, copper, aluminium and other metals and alloys;
- in the sintering of steel and aluminium;
- as a constituent of mixtures in the heat-treatment of steel;
- in the protection during brazing, cutting and welding;
- in the hardening of steel in vacuum furnaces;
- as an input element in the high temperature nitriding of steel;
Food Industry
Nitrogen is widely used, either pure or in a mixture, in the preservation of industrial foodstuffs, as main component of a protective atmosphere. Mixtures particularly rich in nitrogen are used in the protection of foods where unsaturated fats are present in significant quantities, to eliminate oxygen and avoid rancidity.
Nitrogen is also used in bottling process, to limit the presence of oxygen, which may waste the wines.
Electronics Industry
In the production of electronic components such as transistors, diodes and integrated circuits, nitrogen is used either as a carrier gas of process gases and for the creation of inert atmospheres during heat treatments.
Other Applications
Nitrogen is also used in car tyre inflation, inside binoculars (to avoid lens fogging).
Nitrogen is also used in piping-washing, removing any residual oxygen or other gases to reduce combustion or chemical reaction risk.
