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Are You in the Market for a Gas Generator?

Find out what respondents' most sought-after features are when choosing a laboratory gas generator and more in our latest survey results

by Andrea Cole

In many laboratories, gas generators are quickly replacing traditional tanks, offering greater flexibility, convenience, safety, and cost-effectiveness. Gas generators offer the ability to produce on-demand supply and specialty blends of highly pure gases for various applications.

Top 6 Questions You Should Ask When Buying a Gas Generator

  1. What is your application? As the range of available gas generators continues to expand, consider what it will be used for. For example, Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy operates best in the absence of carbon dioxide, so users will require a generator that creates CO2-free gas
  2. Do you require high quality gas? In many cases, gas generators can produce a superior product both in purity and consistency without the risk of contamination during gas-line changing.
  3. What volume of gas do you require? Many instruments now require higher volumes of gas. If your space is small, or you expect your needs to increase over time, you may wish to consider a gas generator that will take up much less space than storing tanks of gas.
  4. Are long-term cost savings important to your project? Beyond convenience, gas generators save on shipping costs, time-related costs for changing tanks, and managerial costs for managing the safety and supply of tanks.
  5. Is noise a factor in your lab? Noise can be both bothersome and present a real health concern for those exposed. If low-noise is desirable, consider a gas generator with detachable or low-noise compressors. 6. What sorts of service agreements are available? Is training in self-maintenance sufficient, or are service representatives available?

Gas generator types used by survey respondents:

Nitrogen46%
Hydrogen35%
Zero Air26%
Calibration5%
Purge3%
TOC2%
Other32%

Of those respondents interested in purchasing a new gas generator, the reasons for these purchases are as follows:

Cheaper than gas cylinders38%
Increase safety11%
Upgrading old system11%
Starting a new lab process8%
Switching from helium to hydrogen5%
Building/renovating lab2%
Other26%

Top 10 features/factors respondents look for when purchasing a gas generator:

Performance of product78%
Low maintenance / easy to clean71%
Safety and health features68%
Value for price paid64%
Availability of supplies and accessories62%
Total cost of ownership60%
Low operating costs60%
Warranties59%
Service and support58%
Footprint/size46%

For more information on gas generators, including useful articles and a list of manufacturers, visit www.labmanager.com/gas-generators