May. 30, 2025
For more than 30 years Rich has developed premium laboratory Nitrogen Gas Generators used in laboratories all over the world and suitable for several analytical applications, ranging from laboratory applications like gas chromatography, liquid chromatography and in particular LC-MS (Liquid Chromatograph-Mass Spectrometer), or sample evaporation to industries.
Rich offers a complete range of lab nitrogen generators. Our smart N2 gas generators can produce up to 99.% of pure nitrogen for your laboratory with flow-rates from 500 cc/min to 120 l/min.
The Ultra High purity (UHP) range of N2 generators produce laboratory high grade nitrogen for most of the laboratory applications and equipment.
Designed with safety and convenience in mind, these systems generate purified nitrogen, eliminating the need for inconvenient cumbersome high-pressure gas cylinders.
A nitrogen gas generator transforms standard compressed air into a safe, regulated supply of nitrogen and offer a cost-effective, reliable and green alternative to traditional nitrogen cylinders.
Rich’s nitrogen generators produce Nitrogen on-site and on-demand providing an uninterrupted supply of gas at the highest purity to the application.
Rich’s Nitrogen generators are based on two technologies: membrane and Pressure Swing Adsorption (PSA) technologies. Let’s discover them.
A membrane nitrogen generator utilizes air pressure and a hollow fibre membrane to separate the N2 molecules from the others (including O2).
An air compressor pushes air through the membrane to filter it. Fibres are permeable to gas molecules and separate nitrogen (slow gas) from other fast gas including Oxygen, CO2, and water vapor.
The fast gases pass through the membrane and are exhausted in the atmosphere while the ‘slow’ gas, nitrogen, passes through the fibre more slowly, leaving only a high purity nitrogen.
Some systems remove other particles present in the gas such as dust and moisture before to reach the membrane filtration.
A PSA nitrogen generator (Pressure Swing Adsorption) utilizes Carbon Molecular Sieve (CMS) columns to adsorb oxygen under high pressure while allowing the nitrogen molecules to pass through the columns.
As one column is adsorbing oxygen and other molecules, the second column is depressurized, leaving a small amount of high purity nitrogen molecules.
Rich PSA nitrogen generators have higher purity capability than a membrane nitrogen generator.
While gas cylinders are usually installed outside, a nitrogen gas generator can be easily and safely installed in the laboratory next to the instrument, on the floor or on a bench that Rich supplies and customizes. Rich in-house N2 generators are quiet and fit perfectly in the lab.
Nitrogen gas cylinders are still used in many laboratories for analytical purpose.
They supply LC-MS instruments and other lab instrument, with a high volume of nitrogen where necessary, which means regular deliveries and changeover of bottles and with them, also critical analysis interruptions. Cylinders are cumbersome, unreliable and costly.
With lab gas generators, all of those problems are removed and the return of investment can be realised in a short time period.
Generators provide consistent and safe quantities of N2 gas to the lab instrument leaving only benefits over cylinders:
Safety in a lab is paramount and on-site nitrogen generation is much safer than gas cylinders storage. A gas generator produces on-demand nitrogen at a controlled level and at low pressure. There is no risk of leaks. In the unlikely event of a leak, only a very small quantity of gas is released without any explosion risks.
Gas generators produce on-demand gas, eliminating gas wastage, delivery costs, cylinder rental charges, maintenance costs of cylinders, downtime costs, administration costs (re-order, prices increase) etc. Return on investment usually takes less than 1 year, depending on the application requirements (usage and purity).
Rich nitrogen generators are an economical and safe alternative to high pressure gas cylinders in laboratories. The high performance of our generators makes them the solution for laboratory applications providing high purity nitrogen and ultra-high purity nitrogen to the application.
The GENERON Group is one of the world’s largest manufacturer of PSA Nitrogen Generators and has over 40 years of experience in the design and manufacture of Nitrogen Pressure Swing Adsorption (PSA) systems. With many standard models to choose from, GENERON has a model that is right for you. If one of our 50+ standard models does not meet your needs, we can custom build one to your exact specifications.
GENERON has over 2,000 systems installed worldwide in most markets, including Manufacturing, Marine, Petrochemical, and Oil & Gas. The GENERON Group has three manufacturing facilities supporting its PSA and Membrane fabrication needs. All Process and Nitrogen Membranes are manufactured at its California Facility and system fabrication is accomplished in its Texas or China facilities.
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PSA is a technology used to separate some gas species from a mixture of gases under pressure according to the species’ molecular characteristics and affinity for an adsorbent material. It operates at near-ambient temperatures and differs significantly from cryogenic distillation techniques of gas separation. Specific adsorptive materials (e.g., activated carbon, molecular sieves, etc.) are used as a trap, preferentially adsorbing the target gas species at high pressure. The process then swings to low pressure to desorb the adsorbed material.
Pressure swing adsorption processes rely on the fact that under high pressure, gases tend to be attracted to solid surfaces, or “adsorbed”. The higher the pressure, the more gas is adsorbed; when the pressure is reduced, the adsorbed gas is released, or desorbed. PSA processes can be used to separate gases from a mixture because different gases tend to be attracted to different solid surfaces more or less strongly. If a gas mixture such as air, for example, is passed under pressure through a vessel containing an adsorbent bed of Carbon Molecular Sieve (CMS) that attracts oxygen more strongly than it does nitrogen, part or all of the oxygen will stay in the bed, and the gas coming out of the vessel will be enriched in nitrogen. When the bed reaches the end of its capacity to adsorb oxygen, it can be regenerated by reducing the pressure, thereby releasing the adsorbed oxygen. It is then ready for another cycle of producing high purity nitrogen gas.
Using two adsorbent vessels allows near-continuous production of the target gas. It also permits so-called pressure equalization, where the gas leaving the vessel being depressurized is used to partially pressurize the second vessel. This results in significant energy savings, and is common industrial practice.
How a Pressure Swing adsorption (PSA) system works:
GENERON® Nitrogen PSA Generator Systems use the basic principle of passing air over a bed of engineered adsorbent material, which bonds with oxygen, leaving a RICH stream of nitrogen gas to exit.
The adsorption separation is accomplished by the following process steps:
The inlet (ambient) air is compressed by an air compressor, dried by an air dryer, and filtered, before entering the process vessels.
The pre-treated and filtered air is directed into a vessel filled with Carbon Molecular Sieve (CMS) where the oxygen is adsorbed preferentially in the CMS pores. This allows concentrated nitrogen, with an adjustable purity, (as low as 50 ppm O2) to remain in the gas stream and flow out of the vessel. Before the full adsorption capacity of the CMS is reached, the separation process interrupts the inlet flow, and switches to the other adsorber vessel.
The oxygen-saturated CMS is regenerated (the adsorbed gases are released) by means of a pressure reduction, below that of the previous adsorption step. This is achieved by a simple pressure release system where the exhaust (waste) gas stream is vented from the vessel, usually through a diffuser or silencer and back into safe surrounding atmosphere. The regenerated CMS is refreshed and can now be used again for the generation of nitrogen.
Adsorption and desorption should take place alternately at equal time intervals. This means that the continuous generation of nitrogen can be achieved by using two adsorbers; while one is adsorbing, the other is in regeneration mode; and switching back and forth, provides for a continuous and controlled flow of nitrogen.
Constant nitrogen product flow and purity is ensured by a connected product buffer vessel that stores the nitrogen output. This can be designed for nitrogen purities up to 99.% and pressures up to 150 psig (10 bar).
The result product is a constant stream of On Site produced, high purity Nitrogen, at a cost significantly below the price of liquid or bottled gases.
