All of the IGS facilities are ISO 9001 Certified.
Phone: +1(713) 937-5200
Fax: +1(713) 937-5250
Fax: +1(713) 937-5250
Nitrogen Generator Membrane Technology
Overview | Products | Technology | Applications
Generon®IGS is the leading manufacturer and supplier of state of the art air separation membrane products and technology. Commercial since the early 1980s, Generon® has been and continues to be a leader in the application of membrane technology for gas separation through the crafting of innovative products for the most demanding customer needs.
The foundation of Generon®'s technology stems from Dow Chemical's Polymer Research Group, which screened hundreds of polymers in the 1970's and 1980's before selecting the optimum combination of gas permeability and selectivity. This polymer work has allowed Generon® to lead the industry and the delivery of low cost nitrogen solutions for over 20 years. Generon® holds 15 patents covering the process which converts our polymer into hollow fiber about the size of a human hair. Specialized technology required to balance fiber strength and gas flow characteristics to optimize fiber performance. Generon® holds 20 patents covering the technologies used to bundle our polymeric fiber into completed modules. Each module has up to 1 million fibers in it, and it is critical that each fiber be bundled in a way that insures that it contributes to the gas separation process. Generon®'s technology development over the past twenty years has improved membrane R&D efforts are continuant to improve performance in the future.
History of Gas Separation Technology
1960: First Hollow Fiber Membranes Made
1970: First Applications for Liquid Separations
1980: Products for Air Separation Commercialized-GENERON® is BORN
1990: Generon® Develops Second Generation of Custom Membranes-High Purity N2
2000+: GENERON® Develops Hydration Membrane and Advanced Air Separation Polymer
HOW does a membrane work?
The membrane separation of gases is simple in
At the heart of the technology are polymeric membrane materials that allow for the rapid passage of one gas while minimizing the passage of another when applying pressure gradient across the membrane. This figure demonstrates the relative rate of common gases with the focus on the separation of O2 from compressed air provide a high purity N2 stream. Generon®'s polymer has the best properties for allowing the fast gases to permeate the membrane relative to the slow gases, resulting in the most efficient membrane performance and lowest unit power consumption.
Membrane materials are formed into hollow fibers to provide high surface area for high bolometric gas processing rates. Generon® holds many patents on the packaging of these hollow fibers into highly efficient modules.
The combination of the highest performing polymer and the best fiber bundling techniques, result in Generon having the most efficient modules in the industry. This results in energy savings and space savings for our customers.
The membrane module may contain millions of fibers. Compressed feed air is passed down the bores of the fibers at one end of the module with the enriched nitrogen product gas exiting from the opposing end. Oxygen and water vapor are selectively removed and vented fro the feed air as it flows to the other end of the module. The Generon® high performance membrane maximizes the passage of waste gases while keeping the nitrogen loss to minimum while maintaining a history of reliability unmatched in the industry
Generon® IGS combines the best available membrane materials with state of the art fiber bundling and the optimum module fabrication methods to provide the most cost effective solution for onsite nitrogen production....and we have over 60 patents to prove it!!!!!
Generon® Liquid N2 Cylinder N2
Membrane N2 Generators are not only cost effective, but are compact, light weight, portable and tunable to your exact purity needs. Even greater savings can be achieved at lower nitrogen purities.
Relative Costs of N2 99% Purity Generon® Technology Saves You Money
The intrinsic properties of Generon® polymer make it the most energy efficient membrane on the market. The power efficiency of Generon® membrane products alone can pay for the cost of the system compared to other competitive offerings.
Over 500% Productivity Improvement since Generon®'s commercialization in 1984 through 2005 with more advances on the horizon.
New Polymer will yield a dramatic jump in membrane efficiency. Value shown is an estimate which is being confirmed in field trials.
Generon® is an ISO9000 company for ongoing process control and product reliability. 100% of Generon® modules are performance tested and certified prior to shipment.
Generon® IGS Membrane Systems Provide Solutions for Industrial Applications
- Over 20 years of membrane and system design experience
- State of the art manufacturing sites in Texas, California, China, Italy
- Supplier of standard and custom engineered systems for......
Membranes have become the tool of choice for filling car and truck tires to extend tire life and improve road safety. GENERON® serves this industry segment through highly qualified market specialist.
Membranes are perfectly suited for removal of water vapor from Compressed Air streams.....
Membrane Operational Dynamics
This illustration shows how fast gases like oxygen and moisture permeate the surface of the individual membrane fibers while nitrogen molecules remain inside and are delivered as the product gas.
Nitrogen Oxygen and water vapor are "fast gases which quickly permeate the membrane, allowing nitrogen to flow through the fiber bores as the product stream.
Technology Summary
- Custom high performance polymer
- Patented fiber spinning process used
- Dew point of -70°F achievable
- Feed air up to 200psig and 131°
Convenient Packaging
- Point source modules in 3 sizes for flows from 6scfm to 500scfm
- Cabinet - mounted units for flows from 25scfm to 4000 scfm
- Dew point of -70°F achievable
- Custom engineered systems for higher flow rates
Product Features
- No moving parts
- Small, light-weight units
- Low maintenance system
- High efficiency modules
- No condensate disposal
- Noiseless operation
Higher Purity Nitrogen
Generon® continuously improves the efficiency of production high purity nitrogen with membranes. Industrial applications historically served by LN2 are moving to membrane nitrogen as purity improvements are introduced and new oxygen removal technologies are perfected.
Membranes will greatly reduce the overall energy consumption to the industry needs a membrane N2 purity continues to improve over time.
Natural Gas Cleanup using Membranes
Membranes are well suited for the cleanup of natural gas (methane) because the main contaminants are water vapor and CO2. Both of these contaminants easily permeate through membrane material while membrane material resists the permeation of methane. This allows the CO2 and water contaminants to be discarded while the clean CH4 is contained as clean product.
Custom Gas Separations
Generon®'s R&D group in Pittsburgh, California stands ready to work with customers to solve their gas separation challenges. Whether it be CO2 separations for sequestration; hydrogen/CO separations for process optimization or helium/air separation for product recovery, our experienced staff is ready to help.