Nitrous Oxide Plants

Nitrous oxide gas is manufactured by decomposing Ammonium Nitrate in Aluminium pots which are heated electrically. Gas can also be used to heat the pots and the user has to specify the mode of heating suitable to them.

It is then purified, collected in a gas holder and then compressed to its critical pressures when the gas gets liquified. The Liquid Nitrous oxide is stored in storage vessels which are cooled by water spray and allowed to settle to separate traces of another impurity Nitrogen.Liquid Nitrous oxide is filled into evacuated cylinders, kept on a weighing scale, to get the best purity and correct quantity in cylinders.

Since it is liquid it is filled in cylinders by weight only and sold in volumes.

The main process is as follows:-

Ammonium Nitrate is first melted at 180 - 190 Deg centigrade in Aluminium/ Stainless steel pots.
This molten liquid is further heated to 250-255 Deg. centigrade when it decomposes to Nitrous oxide gas and steam.

Electrical heaters with temperature controllers are used in the system as maintaining the temperatures is very critical to avoid excess generation, which is hazardous.

Gas heating system with temperature controls can also be provided.

The hot gas is then cooled and purified in a series of purification towers to remove the impurities like Nitric oxide,Nitrogen dioxide, ammonia and traces of undecomposed ammonium nitrate. While water soluble impurities are removed in the water scrubbers the main impurity namely the other oxides of Nitrogen is removed in Alkali/acid scrubbers.

Enough care is taken to properly circulate the alkali/acid solutions and also to maintain the required strengths of alkali/acid to ensure complete purification.

The purified gas is then compressed by a gas compressor to its critical pressure and stored as liquid.

During storage Nitrogen gets separated and the pure liquid is filled into cylinders by weught basis.

Quality is very important and all attempts are made to check the gas in all the stages of production and also the final product tested to the approved specification, approved by Food and Drug Control Authorities.

Flow Chart

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