Why Liquid Nitrogen Gas is Necessary in Food and Packaging industry
Nitrogen is a pure element and is one of the largest constituents of the earth’s atmosphere. In terms of mass, it is said to be the 7th most commonly found element in the universe and is produced by fusion processes undergoing in the stars. Pure nitrogen constitutes 78% of the atmosphere going by volume of dry air and 75.3% by weight in dry air. And, it is classified into Type I-gaseous and Type II-liquid. Commercially, it is offered in Grade a constituting 99.95% pure oxygen and Grade B constituting 99.50% pure nitrogen. The percentage of purity would also include trace amounts of argon, neon and helium.
There are numerous industries that require liquid nitrogen gas plants for industrial applications. If you are interested in buying such a plant, it is of utmost necessity that you first brush up your knowledge about industrial uses of liquid nitrogen.
Production of Liquid Nitrogen Gas
As nitrogen constitutes 78% of air, liquid nitrogen is produced by compressing and cooling air from the atmosphere. Upon cooling and compression of air, droplets in liquid form are produced. This process is known as condensation. Boiling point of liquid nitrogen is -196°C (-321°F) and freezing point is -210°C (-346°F).
Industrial Applications of Liquid Nitrogen
It is widely used in numerous industries. Some of the industries that use liquid nitrogen are given below:
Food and Packaging Industry
Food can be quickly frozen by using liquid nitrogen, which protects food items from getting damaged by ice crystals besides improving the taste, appearance and texture. Many food items like olives, nuts, shrimp, etc, can be frozen and then turned into powder.
Electronics
It is used as a coolant for CPUs to ensure overclocking. Moreover, liquid nitrogen is also used to cool high-temperature superconductors to temperatures where superconductivity can work.
Manufacturing and Construction
It is used as shield gas in the heat treatment of metals like iron and steel besides being used in treating melt in manufacturing steel and various other metals. Wear resistance of the products can also be increased by using liquid nitrogen. It can be used for freezing water pipes where one cannot block the water flow by using a valve.
Health care
It is also used for protecting medicines from degradation by oxidation. Nitrogen is also used in freezing blood. Livestock sperm is frozen and stored for years using liquid nitrogen. Then, it is used in cryo-surgery for removal of diseased cells.
