Useful And Essential Facts About Cryogenic Gases

By Laura Cox


Gases that are condensed at utterly low temperatures to liquids before turning into solids are referred to as cryogens. Cryogenic liquids in most cases are normally in gaseous form at room temperature. They are changed into liquids for easier keeping and transportation. When they condense, big amounts of gas change into very small amounts of liquid. Here are facts regarding Cryogenic gases.

When condensed, the gases reduce in volume by between 600 and 900 times of the liquid. That implies that about 900 liters of gas only condenses into a single liter of the liquid. It is this form of convenience that makes it economic to condense. Once condensed, it can be transported easily and with more convenience before being evaporated back into gaseous form for use.

To transport and store these products, tanks which are designed I a special way are used. The tanks vary in size. They are made in a way that they can stand a very high degree of pressure. They can as well withstand rapid pressure changes and extreme temperature differences. They should keep the contents in them at a constant temperature even as they withstand temperature differences and pressure changes.

A high level of standards is maintained during the manufacturing process of these tanks. Throughout the production process, strict quality assurance are normally maintained. At various production stages, the tanks are tested vigorously. Before any tank is allowed to be used for commercial or any purpose, it must pass a certain set of tests. The tanks which fail the test are returned to the company for recycling and remanufacturing.

The longer the tank can hold a cryogen the superior it is aid to be. This means that high quality tanks are capable of holding cryogens for a very long time with minimal or no product loss. The product should be able to stay in a good tank for at least 25 days to several months. It is also vital as it saves the owner the costs of having to regularly change the product among tanks.

As part of safety, tanks are usually designed with pressure release valves. As such, when pressure inside the tanks rises beyond a given level, the valve opens and releases the gas into the air. Usually there are sensors that detect such occurrences. It is important to know if there is a leakage in a tank so that proper measures can be taken to contain the situation.

Cryogens have a lot of hazards associated with them. For example, asphyxiation is one among many. This condition occurs due to insufficient oxygen in the air or in a body organ. This happens mostly where oxygen is displaced by a denser gas. Such gases include nitrogen. Nevertheless, this situation can only happen if the denser gas occurs in very high volume.

The presence of excess oxygen on the other hand usually leads to excessive combustion. This may result in catastrophic fires because oxygen gas supports burning. Frostbite, over pressurization, cold burns, and hypothermia among others are the additional effects of cryogens.




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