Nitrogen gas has many applications in the aerospace industry, which employs the highest and strictest quality controls on all components that are manufactured and their design, and the use of this element is crucial, as it prevents certain undesirable events in airplanes. The benefits of using nitrogen are derived from one of the properties of nitrogen: in a wide range of pressure and temperature conditions, it behaves like an inert gas. Thus, nitrogen in the aerospace industry is beneficial when used to:
- Inflating landing gear tires
- Hydraulic Suspension
- Emergency slide inflation
- Air displacement in fuel tanks
- Cutting parts with laser
How does nitrogen help prevent combustion in key airplane operations?
One way to prevent a flame from forming and sustaining itself is to eliminate the presence of oxygen, which maintains the chemical reactions that produce heat in combustion. In airplanes, there are operations that lead to heat generation, which, if no preventive measures are taken, can cause a fire, especially when there are combustible materials such as:
- Rubber
- Oil
- Petrol for airplanes or equivalent
Considering this idea, during the landing of the airplanes, intense heat occurs due to the force of rubbing of the landing gear of the airplane with the runway. Thus, unlike compressed air (which contains 21% oxygen), nitrogen, due to its inert nature, does not favor combustion if it comes in contact with hot brakes on airplanes, as occurs, for example, in the case of a tire burst.
Another application related to the landing operation of the aircraft is hydraulic suspension. A hydraulic suspension is a hydraulic device used as a shock absorber in an aircraft landing gear, and consists of an oil filled cylinder and a hollow, drilled piston into which the oil is slowly pushed when a compression force is applied to the landing gear. In this case, the nitrogen is used together with the oil inside the damper, so that this gas prevents the oil from self-ignition due to the intense heat generated under this high compression.
Nitrogen is also widely used as an inert gas to mix with the fumes in fuel tanks and for other flammable or explosive compounds. In this case, the nitrogen is injected into the tank in the fuel tanks, to move all the air inside. Removing oxygen from the equation decreases the chance of combustion.
What other applications does nitrogen have in the aerospace industry?
Nitrogen is used in inflating emergency slides and rescue boats because of chemical and explosion-proof inertia. The inflation system usually consists of a pressurized cylinder, a regulator valve, two high-pressure hoses, and two suction hoses. The cylinder can have a volume of between 1.6 and 16 cubic decimeters, and is filled with nitrogen or a mixture of nitrogen with carbon dioxide. According to safety regulations established by some government agencies, the plane has to be evacuated in 90 seconds using 50% of the emergency exits that are arranged. A reliable and fast system for filling the slide and boats is therefore very important.
Nitrogen is also beneficial in cutting parts for high-energy laser aircraft, where an inert atmosphere is required to prevent the formation of oxides or flame on the material. A flow of nitrogen also helps remove excess melted residual material during cutting.
Why use Kalstein nitrogen tanks?
The availability of nitrogen in aerospace companies is mandatory, since the operation of an aircraft in certain key aspects depends on the use of this gas. Therefore, the manufacturer Kalstein makes available nitrogen tanks that can be checked on the link HERE , where you can also check the price, manage any purchase or request a quote. These tanks are highly reliable, strong and lightweight because they are made of aluminum; evaporative nitrogen losses are minimal and are available in volumes up to 20 liters in the liquid form of the element. For any queries or reviews by other teams, please go to the home page HERE