nitrogen

[gator13]

Recently I was given a nitrogen cylinder along with an acetelyne cylinder both bottles full. The acetelyne probably wont last too long out in my shop (been needing one for a couple years now, just havent had the motivation to go rent one.). But the nitrogen I'm not sure what to do with, or what I can use it for. What should I do with it?

[Yetti]

you can fill tires with it. I use a ton at work for testing high pressure fuel systems.

[Jeff Seelye]

I had one for a while to. I took it to my gas supplier and asked him if they would trade for a oxygen bottle. They did. Now I have a spare because I always use more O2 than acetylene.

[jmccustomknives]

Depending on your local welding supplier they may not touch it, or they may trade it out for the same type of bottle with a different gas in it, or an oxygen. If they wont go for an oxygen but will trade for a bottle that has a different gas with the same fittings you can get argon/argon mix for a mig. Our company wouldn't trade for an oxygen but will for different gas (has to do with the empty cylinder p/n and inventory). If you haven't got an acetylene get the o2, you'll need it.

[ciladog]

Nitrogen is an inert gas and is used a lot in TIG welding of high quality components. For example, if you were to weld an aircraft frame together out of tubing, the tubes would be filled with nitrogen to prevent oxidation on the inside of the tubes.

[clinton]

Good for purging- take it to your supplier and ask if they will trade you for a type of gas you need. I would go with Co2 for mig welding it is much less expensive and works fine for welding mild steel

[ironwolfforgeca]

ciladog ? is the Tig torch also running on Nitrogen for that weld ? or Ar -- or either one will work ? I have never used Nitrogen yet
in my Tig welding but always looking for other ways things are done Thanks

[ciladog]

ciladog ? is the Tig torch also running on Nitrogen for that weld ? or Ar -- or either one will work ? I have never used Nitrogen yet
in my Tig welding but always looking for other ways things are done Thanks

I'm no expert in TIG but I think any inert gas can be used. It will have an effect on the welds though. Usually argon but I have read that sometimes small amounts of nitrogen are sometimes mixed with argon. Argon is also mixed with helium for deeper penetrating welds and faster speeds especially for aluminum.

[Dan P.]

apparently nitrogen is the business for plasma cutting, especially stainless.

[Frosty]

No, nitrogen isn't an inert gas, it's just not easily flamable but using it to shield a tig torch would result in contamination though I don't know if it's relevant to the weld. Nitros oxide would be the result of nitrogen combustion. It does make a good plasma column and works well for plasma cutters so does air if it's cleaned and dried properly.

Trade the bottle for something you can use after you fill your tires. Nitrogen is really good for tires because it's coefficient of expansion is very low, meaning it doesn't expand or contract much with temperature changes. If you're from cold country you probably know about driving on square tires on cold mornings, nitrogen fixes that nicely.

Frosty the Lucky.

[ciladog]

No, nitrogen isn't an inert gas, it's just not easily flamable but using it to shield a tig torch would result in contamination though I don't know if it's relevant to the weld. Nitros oxide would be the result of nitrogen combustion. It does make a good plasma column and works well for plasma cutters so does air if it's cleaned and dried properly.

Trade the bottle for something you can use after you fill your tires. Nitrogen is really good for tires because it's coefficient of expansion is very low, meaning it doesn't expand or contract much with temperature changes. If you're from cold country you probably know about driving on square tires on cold mornings, nitrogen fixes that nicely.

Frosty the Lucky.

Frosty, whiile nitrogen is not a nobel gas it is considered an inert gas and is classified as Non-flammable. I guess you could get a reaction at very high temperature and pressure.

http://www.osha.gov/...ecognition.html

And as far as not using nitrogen in TIG you will have to bring that up with author Todd Bridigum who wrote the book "How to Weld" wherein he writes that nitrogen is mixed with argon and is used in specialized TIG-welding applications and can be used as a purge gas. Like I said, "I'm no expert at TIG but I can read."

[macbruce]

I was given a big bottle of NO2 once.....I forget what I did with it lol, but the cutoff bottom made a great bowl form...........

[oof]

you could use it to degas an aluminum melt.
mark

[peacock]

Nitrogen is added it small amounts to argon ( usually less than 5%) to help achieve collor match when TIG welding some types of SS. I have never heard of using it as the only shielding gas for TIG. We always back gas with the same gas as we were using thru the torch.
Nitrogen is great for purging as it is very dry, thus you are getting rid of all the H2O. The same for tires fill em with high humidity air they heat up the water turns to steam the pressure goes up.

[Maillemaker]

The last words of a chemistry student: "H stands for nitrogen, and that doesn't burn!"

[Frosty]

Frosty, whiile nitrogen is not a nobel gas it is considered an inert gas and is classified as Non-flammable. I guess you could get a reaction at very high temperature and pressure.

http://www.osha.gov/...ecognition.html

And as far as not using nitrogen in TIG you will have to bring that up with author Todd Bridigum who wrote the book "How to Weld" wherein he writes that nitrogen is mixed with argon and is used in specialized TIG-welding applications and can be used as a purge gas. Like I said, "I'm no expert at TIG but I can read."

Inert, doesn't that mean it doesn't react at all? Nitrogen isn't highly reactive and is generally considered nonflammable but if it isn't reactive nor flammable how do you get NO2? What use would plants have for nitrogen if it weren't reactive, what value could they derive?

I admit I haven't done any professional welding in a while but I've never heard of nitrogen in a mix gas though there were some interesting tri-mixes from the blue bottle guys back when. It's been even longer since I did much tig and then it was heliarc, the guys using argon were outside the box. I run 70/30 in my mig, 70% argon and 25% CO2. and to be accurate you can't call this MIG, CO2 isn't inert. It's properly called GMAW (Gas Metal Arc Welding) Lots of sheet metal guys are using straight CO2 for GMAW, the CO2 degrades into oxy and carbon gas and really makes the puddle hotter while the extra carbon makes the filler flow better for smoother welds requiring less cleanup.

I'd have to do some checking to see if a reactive gas can be considered inert and I'm not likely to but I'll check any cites. I don't think the basics of chemistry have changed that much but I'm wrong enough to accept corrections provided with good proofs.

Frosty The Lucky.

[ciladog]

Inert, doesn't that mean it doesn't react at all? Nitrogen isn't highly reactive and is generally considered nonflammable but if it isn't reactive nor flammable how do you get NO2? What use would plants have for nitrogen if it weren't reactive, what value could they derive?

Frosty,


Actually, ”inert” has more to do with the availability of electrons in the outer electron shell than it does with whether the element will react with other elements in “normal” conditions. All of the inert gasses can be made to react with other elements under “extraordinary” conditions.

There are many ways that compounds containing nitrogen are made but the conditions to cause the reaction are far from ‘normal’

Ammonia (NH₃) is made by combining hydrogen and nitrogen 3H₂ + N₂ à 2NH₃. To produce the ammonia, the hydrogen is then catalytically reacted with nitrogen to form anhydrous liquid ammonia. This reaction takes place at from 60 to 170 atmospheres (870 to 2,611 PSI). Without the catalytic reaction there would be no ammonia produced.

The production of nitrous oxide (NO₂) is also done with catalyzed reactions at very high temperatures but it starts out as ammonium nitrate. You can produce NO₂ by the oxidation of ammonia but it starts as ammonia in the presence of manganese dioxide-bismuth oxide catalyst.

And Frosty, nitrogen is not involved in the photosynthesis chemical process. The process converts carbon dioxide (CO₂) into a carbohydrate. Plants absorb nitrogen from the soil. Soil nitrogen exists in three general forms - organic nitrogen compounds, ammonium (NH₄⁺) ions, and nitrate (NO₃^-) ions.

Nitrogen as a gas is of no use to plants.

[gator13]

Mind... Completely... Blown... well it may be a while before I start melting aluminum.. and I don't have a tig or plasma I really don't have much use for it. So with that being said. If anyone lives near me and wants it. Give me a holler and come pick this thing up

[thingmaker3]

I still have my college chemistry textbook. B)

"Inert" means "wont react under our specific circumstances." The definition of "inert" therefore changes along with circumstances.

Nitrogen can indeed be used as an inert gas for some operations, but not for others.