[labnetwork] longevity of N2 purifiers

[Nicholas Menounos]

Hi Kyle,

We run UHP (>99.9995%) electropolished 316 from our ("VLSI" - SEMI Standard) bulk tanks, so don't have POU purifiers. But I would be thinking about grab samples w/ analytical testing, not changing as preventive maintenance activity.

We used https://astg.com/ for onsite 3rd party QA/QC of our bulk tanks in the past and they offer cylinder rentals for remote mass spec testing. It was reasonably prices.

I would also grab the "dirty" side to compare...If your source is boil off and distributed in clean copper, you might be pleasantly surprised at the quality upstream. Depending on the contaminant of concern (e.g. typically H2O, O2, Hydrocarbons and particles), some are inexpensive/easy to remove with filters and desiccants. Once you get into the all in one or reactive media, the cost gets very high.

I have found that components (filters, meters, regulators etc) tend to run far longer than I assumed under inert UHP conditions...

Nicholas Menounos, PE, LEED AP
Associate Director of Infrastructure

MIT.nano
Massachusetts Institute of Technology
77 Massachusetts Ave, Bldg 12-5007
Cambridge, MA 02139
Cell: (508) 932-0938<tel:+15089320938>
Office: (617) 253-7234<tel:+16172537234>
Email: Menounos at mit.edu<mailto:Menounos at mit.edu>

From: labnetwork <labnetwork-bounces at mtl.mit.edu> On Behalf Of Kyle Keenan
Sent: Wednesday, February 12, 2025 4:10 PM
To: Lab Network (labnetwork at mtl.mit.edu) <labnetwork at mtl.mit.edu>
Subject: [labnetwork] longevity of N2 purifiers

Hello All,

Our cleanroom has been in operation for 11 years and, for high purity N2, we use local purifiers. Given their age, I'm starting to wonder if/when they might need to be replaced. I've looked into it, and doing so would be quite costly. I know there are a ton of variables at play, but generally speaking, for an 11,000 sq/ft facility that uses UPN2 on, perhaps, 15-20 pieces of research equipment and for N2 guns at ~15 wet benches, what would be your expectation? Is this something we even need to worry about?

I'd be interested to read your thoughts.

Best,
--
Kyle Keenan

Senior Manager - Laboratory Operations
Quattrone Nanofabrication Facility
University of Pennsylvania
P: 215-898-7560
F: 215-573-4925
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