[labnetwork] Suggestion for nitrogen generator

[Collins, Deon]

HMNTL recently installed a large PSA for N2 use in our facility. HMNTL uses both liquid and gas Nitrogen within our facility. We are seeing a 4050% savings in liquid nitrogen deliveries. If you do not need a constant nitrogen purge you could see greater savings. We constantly see 6.6 for purity at 116psi.A psa will require an oilless compressor. I suggest going with a variable speed drive compressor not a compressor with a slide valve. The slide valve doesn't offer the energy savings or longevity of a vsd. I oversized our PSA and still the ROI on our system is 2 years. Feel free to reach out with questions.

Deon D. Collins


Director of Facilities
The Grainger College Of Engineering UIUC
Holonyak Micro & Nanotechnology Lab
208 N Wright St Rm. 1114 | MC-249
Urbana, IL 61801
217-300-7531 | deonc69 at illinois.edu<mailto:deonc69 at illinois.edu>


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From: labnetwork <labnetwork-bounces at mtl.mit.edu> On Behalf Of Chen, Li
Sent: Monday, November 4, 2024 9:49 AM
To: labnetwork at mtl.mit.edu
Subject: [labnetwork] Suggestion for nitrogen generator

Hello cleanroom experts,

We at London Centre for Nanotechnology rely on the liquid nitrogen boil off for our cleanroom tools for purging, venting, N2 gun, etc. However the running cost reviewed recently is very high. So what we propose is to introduce a nitrogen generator to supply a large amount for daily operation, and reduce the Liquid Nitrogen consumption. Therefore the total cost should go down in the long term operation.

It is very much appreciated if you can share your experience for nitrogen generator use at your facility.

We are particularly interested in the following:
What purity / grade of nitrogen can your nitrogen generator produce? Where do you use for this nitrogen in your facility: venting process chambers, vacuum pump purging, nitrogen gun? Which manufacturer do you use / recommend to use? It is expensive to do the maintenance/service? How long do you need to have a maintenance service for the nitrogen generator?

Many thanks!
Li

Dr Li Chen (he/him)
Cleanroom Manager
London Centre for Nanotechnology
17-19 Gordon Street
London WC1H 0AH
li-chen at ucl.ac.uk<mailto:li-chen at ucl.ac.uk>
T: +44 (0) 2081387840
https://lcn-cleanroom.com/<https://urldefense.com/v3/__https:/lcn-cleanroom.com/__;!!DZ3fjg!8HgFnqs2EaiWzXnZg024qgn2o644arEMGRw2fn3pgSEFydWn6MXwyfNooEVvThb417yiQrf7ovgO1Z_v1rTVjA$>
https://www.london-nano.com/services<https://urldefense.com/v3/__https:/www.london-nano.com/services__;!!DZ3fjg!8HgFnqs2EaiWzXnZg024qgn2o644arEMGRw2fn3pgSEFydWn6MXwyfNooEVvThb417yiQrf7ovgO1Z-jvpY_qw$>
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