Parker Hannifin is currently showcasing its latest analytical gas generation systems at the Arablab exhibition in Dubai, which runs until 12 January 2010. The products being shown include high-performance hydrogen, nitrogen and dry-air generators, which have been developed to improve the productivity and profitability of laboratories working in areas such as life sciences, chemical analysis and spectroscopy.
In particular, Parker is exhibiting its latest range of high-purity analytical nitrogen generation systems, which incorporate the latest pressure swing adsorption and membrane fibre technology and which reduce the cost of gas in the laboratory. The compact, self-contained generators, each with a small footprint, are fully automatic, simple and safe to set up and use; they incorporate reliable, low-maintenance technology, giving a long, trouble-free operating life, according to the company.
Systems provide an optimum range of flow rates and purities suitable for LC/MS applications, especially Applied Biosystems and Agilent Technologies instruments. The Parker nitrogen generators that employ pressure swing adsorption (PSA) technology utilise extruded-aluminium modular columns that are filled with a high-performance carbon molecular sieve to adsorb oxygen and moisture from a compressed-air supply.
The larger nitrogen molecules pass through each sieve to a buffer vessel, where the nitrogen can be supplied at carefully controlled pressures. The surface area of the carbon molecular sieve material and the resultant contact time of the compressed air with the carbon molecular sieve give rise to flow rate and purity. The Parker nitrogen generators that employ novel hollow-fibre membrane technology separate air into nitrogen- and oxygen-enriched streams via nano-porous polymeric material.
The pre-filtered clean dry air is separated, yielding high-purity nitrogen suitable for a variety of applications within the life-science, chemical-analysis and spectroscopy market sectors. Similarly, the latest hydrogen gas generators from Parker have been developed to produce a safe, controlled and precise flow of ultra-high-purity hydrogen for chromatography, chemical-adsorption, organic-synthesis and atomic-spectroscopy applications. Parker hydrogen generators utilise separation techniques based on proton exchange via specially developed proton exchange membranes.
Such technology provides an efficient method of separating hydrogen from water, offering levels of purity up to more than 99.9999 per cent, with flow rates between 100ml/min and 1,100ml/min. Parker hydrogen generators offer a safe, cost-effective and reliable alternative to high-pressure hydrogen, helium and nitrogen cylinders that are commonly used in today's laboratory workflows, particularly for gas-chromatography-fuel and carrier-gas applications. Parker is also introducing the zero-air generator range that utilises core platinum catalyst technology to produce clean-dry hydrocarbon-free air.
An external supply of compressed air is pre-filtered and passed through a heated platinum catalyst module whereupon the air stream is oxidised, removing organic impurities. The resulting hydrocarbon-free air stream lowers the signal-to-noise ratio, ensuring a flat constant baseline with no peaks or fluctuations. Each system is stackable with selected hydrogen generators to form a gas station suitable for all known GC combustion detectors. All Parker gas generation systems are backed by the company's network of manufacturing, technical and customer support centres.
