What is Nitrogen?

Nitrogen (N2) is a type of colorless, non flammable, and odorless gas that’s mostly used in the food and chemical industry. It appears on the Periodic Table of Elements with the single symbol “N” and an atomic number of 7. Nitrogen makes up a large portion of the air we breathe. Our atmosphere makes up around 75% of it. It can even exist in 3 states of matter: as a solid, liquid or gas. When utilized in work settings, you’ll find it more commonly used in its liquid and gas state.

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Uses

Nitrogen is used by organic life. It is absorbed by plants and algae. This helps build the amino acids and proteins inside them. Soil can convert nitrogen compounds into nitrates so that when later dispelled in the air, plants and animals can take them in and use accordingly. In its liquid form, nitrogen is used for instantly freezing food, extreme cooling, metal treating and hardening, biological sample preservation, pulverization, plastic and rubber deflashing and grinding, and other temperature-related applications. It serves as a way to check for leaks in air conditioners. Even the medical field uses it for cryotherapy, a therapeutic method where the human body is exposed to temperatures as low as -200°F to heal or relieve pain. Liquid nitrogen chills the cryotherapy chamber and, while in its gaseous state, does its job alleviating damaged tissues, muscle pain, joint pain, and different forms of chronic illnesses.

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The most delicious use for liquid nitrogen would be as an ingredient for ice cream. Liquid nitrogen ice cream is a thing, and is much creamier and actually more natural than most packaged ice creams you’d find in your local grocery store. It’s truly a delicacy that can be found in very specific shops. They’re not as common as most everyday ice cream shops, but finding and going to one is a real treat.

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Storage

Nitrogen is typically stored, shipped, and handled while in its liquid state in a variety of containers, depending on the volume needed on the end user. The types of containers used are dewars, cryogenic liquid cylinders, and cryogenic storage tanks. The size of these nitrogen storing vessels can vary from a few liters to thousands of gallons. Since heat leak, which is heat transferred into the contents of a vessel under standard ambient conditions, is always present, vaporization will take place continuously. The rate at which vaporization can occur varies, and is dependent on the container’s design, as well as the volume of liquid stored inside. All equipment, parts, material and design must be up to par with the American Society of Mechanical Engineers (ASME) specifications or the Department of Transportation (DOT) codes.