On-Site Nitrogen Generation vs Delivered Nitrogen Cost Calculator
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- Serving industry since 1978
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What this calculator tells you
If nitrogen shows up at your dock in cylinders or dewars, you are paying for the gas, the rental, and the truck. Compare that against making it on site from compressed air.
Your Nitrogen Use
Assumptions: 3 CFM of compressed air per 1 CFM of nitrogen at 99.5% purity, compressed air at 0.18 kW per CFM, plus a 10% maintenance allowance on the energy cost.
Results
Annual savings with on-site generation:
$0 per year
Delivered: $0 per year
Generated on site: $0 per year
Most plants see payback on a nitrogen generator in 12 to 24 months.
How this is calculated
- Delivered annual cost = (monthly CCF x cost per CCF + monthly fees) x 12.
- Cylinder and dewar entries convert to CCF first: 1 cylinder is about 2.3 CCF, 1 liquid dewar is about 44 CCF.
- Generated cost: each cubic foot of nitrogen takes about 3 cubic feet of compressed air at 99.5% purity. Compressed air at 0.18 kW per CFM works out to 0.003 kWh per cubic foot of air, so the energy cost is annual nitrogen volume x 3 x 0.003 kWh x electric rate. This is the same as the CFM x kW/CFM x hours formula, independent of your usage schedule.
- A 10% maintenance allowance is added to the generated energy cost.
- Generator purchase or lease cost is not included; that is what the 12 to 24 month payback covers.
Estimates only. Actual results depend on your equipment and operating conditions. Call 800.825.3222 for exact sizing.
Common questions
Is on-site nitrogen generation cheaper than delivered nitrogen?
Usually yes, for steady users. Delivered nitrogen typically costs around a dollar or more per 100 cubic feet plus rental, hazmat, and delivery fees, while generating it on site with compressed air costs a small fraction of that in electricity and maintenance. Plants using a few hundred CCF per month commonly save most of their nitrogen spend by generating on site.
How much compressed air does it take to make nitrogen?
A membrane or PSA nitrogen generator producing 99.5 percent purity typically consumes about 3 cubic feet of compressed air per cubic foot of nitrogen. Higher purities need more air per unit of nitrogen, so the right purity target for your application matters as much as the generator itself.
What is the payback period on a nitrogen generator?
Most plants see payback on a nitrogen generator in 12 to 24 months, driven by eliminating per-unit gas charges, cylinder rental, hazmat, and delivery fees. Steady multi-shift usage and higher delivered prices shorten the payback.
Want a tech to verify these numbers at your facility?
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These are estimates. An air audit gives you measurements.
A week of logged data on your actual system beats any rule of thumb. Our engineers run no-obligation compressed air audits across 14 Midwest locations.