The Secret to Saving Money on Your Argon Use
Argon is considered one of the noble gases. It is odorless and colorless and is inert to other substances. The word argon comes from the Greek word for lazy, which reflects how unreactive it is. With the chemical element symbol of Ar, Argon is also the third most abundant gas in the atmosphere, as well as the most abundant within the earth’s surface crust. Argon is especially attractive compared to other noble gases because of how cost effective and available it is.
There are a multitude of every day uses for this stable gas, each of which represent an opportunity to get more of the Argon that you already paid for. Because chances are, you’re returning your cylinders back to the supplier while they still contain valuable Argon gas.
Manufacturing Industry - Probably the most common use of Argon gas is in the welding industry, as it provides an inert atmosphere where the welded materials will not oxidize (shielding the metals being worked on from oxygen). One of the other many uses include casting industries, i.e. in the making of special alloys and the manufacture of titanium; and the manufacture of steel, where the argon reduces the chromium losses, meaning the desired carbon content can be met at reduced and lower temperatures. In the manufacture of aluminum, it’s also used in the hydrogen removal and degasification process. Also, many vehicle manufacturers use argon to fill emergency air bags, and argon is even used in today’s modern fire extinguishing systems.
Healthcare Industry – Argon laser usage is mainly in the medical field, e.g. for the treatment of retinal detachment and retinal phototherapy for diabetics. They are also used in surgery to weld arteries and destroy tumors. Other medical uses are for the treatment of heart arrhythmias, i.e. alterations in the rhythm of the heartbeat.
Food & Drink Industry – Because it is inert and is denser than air, it is used in the wine industry. Argon can be added to wine barrels to displace any air pockets and “settles” on the wine, preventing oxidation or souring of the wine. This method is also popular in restaurants and bars that serve wine by the glass, keeping the wine in the open bottles fresh.
Scuba Diving – Argon is used to insulate dry dive suits as it is inert and has low thermal conductivity properties. Another use, though not very common, is as “argox,” which is what the diving industry calls the mixture of Argon and Oxygen.
Other General Uses – Forensic medicine, high-speed printing, laser shows in the entertainment industry, holography, refrigeration, fire extinguishers, vehicle air bag inflation – and the list goes on.
Here at Haskel, we offer a complete line of compressed air driven, hydraulic and electric servo driven gas boosters that allow you to draw the argon cylinder down to the minimum return pressure, even if that is below the pressure that is needed for the application.
For example, if you need your argon at, say, 1,000 psig, without a booster, you would have to send the bottle back when the pressure dropped below 1,000 psig. By using a Haskel booster, you can go all the way down to minimum. Or, if the you have several use points and normally buy smaller bottles–at a higher price per cubic foot–by using a Haskel booster, you could now purchase larger bottles and fill the small bottles directly yourself.
In addition, not only will a Haskel gas booster or packaged system allow you to use 90 to 95% of the gas in your purchased cylinders, but will maintain your process pressure when cylinder pressure drops to as low as 30 psig. (Minimum level is usually selected in each application based on specific cost and availability of the purchased gas.)
To learn more about why the world trusts Haskel to handle high-pressure, and how we can help you save time and money on your Argon use, contact us today: https://www.haskel.com/en-us/modals/request-a-quote