If you are running a welding operation with a high gas consumption rate, storing and changing welding gas cylinders can start to have considerable efficiency costs. Cryogenic gas storage provides a cost-effective solution that improves safety and reduces time spent replenishing your gas supply.
Are you interested in learning more about cryogenic bulk tanks? Contact us today to secure an expert consultation!
How much gas does your welding operation use? Even if great care is taken to use welding gas economically, a busy fabricator can get through a large amount of it.
Manual handling is time intensive from taking delivery of cylinders, storing them, and changing out cylinders when they’re empty; all these activities use up resources that could be better spent. From an administrative perspective, time is also required for ordering, arranging deliveries and collections, as well as invoicing.
Have you ever stopped to consider how much time is spent managing your welding gas cylinders? As the saying goes – time is money. Therefore, for some larger operations, sizeable time efficiencies can drive savings to the bottom line.
Cryogenic gases are liquified gases typically with boiling points below -150oC. They are produced via the fractional distillation of air. Nitrogen, oxygen and argon are produced this way – liquified carbon dioxide is manufactured slightly differently.
These gases are stored on-site in bulk tanks on customer premises and delivered via the supplier in various sizes of tankers. The gas is then piped from the tank to the welding drop point. It is important to consider that external space will be required to install the tank and allow for tanker access, as well as the requirement for internal pipework from the tank to welding bays.
Storing gas in liquid form offers numerous advantages. Firstly, the operational costs of handling and changing cylinders are completely eliminated. Deliveries are often required less frequently and can be carried out unsupervised – meaning they can take place outside of working hours, ensuring that a supply of welding gas is always available when needed.
Eliminating cylinders also improves safety. Safe handling of gas cylinders requires special care and protective equipment.1 Using gas which is piped directly to the point of use removes any need for cylinder handling. Gas storage is safer as heavy gas cylinders are removed from the factory floor, with the additional bonus of clearing valuable workspace.
As well as a lower cost per unit volume of gas, labour savings from using a cryogenic storage system can help to recover the system’s installation costs.2
As a supplier of industrial gases across all industries, we offer tank sizes from 180 to 60,000 litres. However, a popular solution for welding operations is our range of smaller (200 – 2,000 litre) CryoEase® tanks.
Our CryoEase® systems provide high purity gases and gas mixtures to ensure consistent high-quality results. All our most popular welding gases and gas mixtures, including the full Maxx® gases range, are available in this convenient mode of supply.
CryoEase® storage tanks are compact and easily installed – in most cases there’s no need for special foundations or planning permissions. If your organisation doesn’t have a gas distribution system in place, it’s a simple matter for Air Products to design and install one that meets your requirements.
An uninterrupted gas supply means that expensive downtime due to refilling or cylinder changeovers can become a thing of the past and you can be sure that your welding operations can always run at full capacity.
If you’re interested in adopting a more efficient gas supply system and would like to find out more about CryoEase®, get in touch with us today.
1. University of Wollongong. Storage and Handling of Gas Cylinders Guidelines Contents. Available at: https://documents.uow.edu.au/content/groups/public/@web/@ohs/documents/doc/uow136686.pdf. (Accessed: 13th May 2020)
2. Shielding gas consumption efficiency-- Part I: Spend a penny, save a dollar. Available at: https://www.thefabricator.com/thefabricator/article/consumables/shielding-gas-consumption-efficiency---part-i-spend-a-penny-save-a-dollar. (Accessed: 13th May 2020)
3. CryoEase ® service The ideal solution for higher-volume users providing improved safety and increased productivity. Available at: https://www.airproducts.co.uk/microsite/uk/welding_selector/pdf/CryoEase.pdf. (Accessed: 13th May 2020)
Cryogenic tanks are an optimal solution in cases where large quantities of gas need to be stored in liquid form, such as Liquid Oxygen, Liquid Nitrogen, Argon, C02, LNG, LPG, Liquid Hydrogen, etc.
Cryogenic tanks are a type of industrial storage tank boasting a range of strengths, related to aspects such as internal distribution, loading and safety.
Cryogenic tanks are very versatile, allowing for the installation of a centralised network for the optimal distribution of the different cryogenic gases used. An important advantage of this type of tank is that there is no gas return to the plant, as is the case with other systems such as cylinders. It goes without saying that this translates into resources saved.
Contact us to discuss your requirements of cryogenic storage vessels. Our experienced sales team can help you identify the options that best suit your needs.
The loading of the gases into the cryogenic tanks is done using vaporisers. The major benefit of this system is that the liquid gas passes directly from the production plant to the user, avoiding sudden movements and improving stability and safety.
The gas stored in cryogenic tanks maintains a higher level of purity than in other storage systems, as it always remains isolated in a hermetically sealed tank meaning that no possibility exists of contamination with any external agents.
Risks are kept to a minimum, as the gas remains isolated in hermetically sealed, stable tanks with no contact with the outside world. Cylinder transfer within the facilities is avoided, avoiding unnecessary hazards.
A cryogenic tank is composed of a structure divided into two fundamental parts:
The two vessels are insulated from each other by a combination of insulating materials.
In addition to these two containers separated by insulating material, cryogenic tanks are equipped with another vital component: a pressure regulation system. This system is specifically designed to ensure that the cryogenic tank always operates at a constant pressure that is set with the user’s needs in mind.
Tanks for storing cryogenic gases follow very strict safety requirements and protocols, in order to avoid any type of accident that may cause leaks, material damage and, above all, personal injury. Here are some of the main safety measures:
A huge variety of cryogenic tanks exists, each perfectly adapted to the cryogenic liquid they have to hold, as well as to where they are going to be located: size, place, terrain, etc.
Cryogenic tanks will therefore have different shape and design characteristics depending on whether they contain:
Some examples of this type of projects that we have carried out are:
At Cryospain, we’re very proud of our team of experts, who boast a wealth of experience in the design, manufacture, assembly and commissioning of low-pressure liquefied gas storage tanks. Add to this the advanced technical resources at our disposal and the result is cryogenic tank supply and design 100% tailored to the needs of each of our clients.
If your project needs gas storage solutions designed and built by true experts, why not contact us today?
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