Nitrogen - what are the requirements?

Do NOT run this instrument without an adequate DRY Nitrogen Supply. The instrument is powered by pneumatics that are not compatible with moisture, commonly found in compressed air. Nitrogen is also recommended as an extra precaution when handling ethanol. For these reasons, Compressed Air is NOT recommended. 

Nitrogen Amount
A typical TDF run requires approximately 1400L (50cu.ft.) of nitrogen gas. The nitrogen supply should be 6.9 bar (100 psi). During the run, the nitrogen is used to operate pressure cylinders and also to facilitate bag filtering. During the filtering stage, the nitrogen is regulated to .3 bar (4 psi) and the flow rate is approx. 15L/min (.5cu.ft.). 

Nitrogen Purity 
A key issue associated with the gas used in the TDF instrument is moisture content. The TDF instrument can suffer damage if moisture is introduced through the gas line. ANKOM recommends the use of nitrogen with a 99.998% purity rating. Theoretically, less pure nitrogen should work if the impurities do NOT include moisture.

Nitrogen Source
We recommend the nitrogen source be at 80-100 psi regulated back to 50 psi at the high-pressure regulator. During rinses and filtration, the ANKOM TDF instrument uses at most 20 liters/minute. This is for a short duration. For most of the length of an assay nitrogen is used only for actuating the pneumatic pistons. We do not recommend or sell a specific nitrogen generator. However, one can be used if it meets the specifications noted in this FAQ.