| Co2 gas generator | Carbon dioxide cylinder | |
|---|---|---|
| Convenience | a. Gas production on demand. b. Stable gas purity, flow rate, and pressure. c. No spacing between the detector and the gas source, eliminating contamination. | a. Inconsistent purity of gas. b. The flow rate of gas is unstable. c. Cylinders need to be replaced frequently. |
| Cost-effective | a. Very low maintenance costs. b. Fast cost recovery with high return on investment. c. Save on cylinder rental costs, transportation costs, and hazardous material management costs. | a. Costs of handling and renting cylinders are increasing year by year. b. Time cost of instrument downtime due to running out of gas in the cylinder. |
| Safety | a. No explosive gas storage in the laboratory. b. The gas generator maintains the air pressure balance in the laboratory. c. Gas generator eliminates the possibility of introducing foreign substance contamination. | a. Gas compression storage with risk of explosion. b. Safety hazards during the handling and connection of cylinders. c. The cylinder will be pressurized to high pressure of about 2000psi during use. |
| Space | a. Gas generator is compact and designed for space-saving. b. The generator is compact, stable, and reliable, requiring minimal service and maintenance. | The storage quantity of cylinders determines the space occupied. If the storage space is charged according to the size of the area, then the cost-effectiveness of cylinder storage is extremely low. |
| Rate of consumption | Gas is produced as it is used, so you don't have to worry about running out of gas. | Depends on the use of the gas cylinder. The gas in the cylinder can be consumed in as little as 4-6 hours. |
| Others | a. Convenient, no need to carry and collect cylinders. b. Energy efficient. c. Environmentally friendly. | A large amount of energy is consumed during gas extraction, cold filtration and distillation, pressurization and handling. |
| Carbon dioxide gas supply method | Cylinder | Liquid nitrogen tank | Gas generator |
|---|---|---|---|
| Replacement | Frequent ordering and replacement required | Frequent ordering and replacement required | No need for replacement |
| Volume and appearance | Compared to liquid nitrogen tanks are more compact, and need to be fixed upright when placed. | Large volume and heavy weight make transportation and handling difficult. | Specially designed for laboratory. Compact and easy to place, it can be placed under the lab bench. Wall-mounted carbon dioxide generator is available. |
| High temperature and high-pressure gas storage | Potential safety risks during transportation and storage with cylinder pressure up to 150 bar. | The temperature of liquid nitrogen is -196℃, which poses a potential safety risk when transporting and storing. | No high-temperature and high-pressure gas storage. |
| Gas supply continuity | According to the cylinder capacity gauge pressure indication, gas cylinders need to be ordered and prepared in advance to ensure that there is no impact and loss of continuity of the analysis. | Liquid nitrogen tanks are often used up without obvious warning, so users need to store a tank of liquid nitrogen in the lab. | On-demand production with 24/7 continuous gas supply. |
| Gas source stability | Cylinders are prone to purity differences. | The liquid nitrogen tank will be automatically deflated in stages to reduce pressure protection, resulting in unnecessary waste of gas. | Stable and safe operation with only annual maintenance of some filter components. |
| Cost | The price of the cylinder includes the cost of renting the cylinder and purchasing the gas. The price fluctuation is large and the cost is less controllable. | The price of a liquid nitrogen tank includes the cost of renting the tank and purchasing the liquid nitrogen. Large price fluctuations, large regional differences, and poor cost controllability. | One-time investment with cost recovery in about 3-5 years. Higher cost controllability. |
