Unit Conversion Data for Nitrogen

Weight Gas Liquid

pounds
(lb)
kilograms
(kg)
cubic feet
(scf)
cu meters
(Nm

)
gallons
(gal)
liters
(l)
1 pound 1.0 0.4536 13.803 0.3627 0.1481 0.5606
1 kilogram 2.205 1.0 30.42 0.7996 0.3262 1.2349
1 scf gas 0.07245 0.03286 1.0 0.02628 0.01074 0.04065
1 Nm
3
gas 2.757 1.2506 38.04 1.0 0.4080 1.5443
1 gallon liquid 6.745 3.06 93.11 2.447 1.0 3.785
1 liter liquid 1.782 0.8083 24.60 0.6464 0.2642 1.0
1 sort ton 2000 907.2 27605 725.4 296.2 1121
!cf "standard cu#ic foot$ gas measured at 1 atmospere and 70%&.
Nm
3
"normal cu#ic meter$ gas measured at 1 atmospere and 0%'.
(iquid measured at 1 atmospere and #oiling temperature.

Conversion form liquid nitrogen to gas nitrogen is normally theoretically 1 Liter
LIN = 0.65 Nm3 N!.
"o# for !6000 liter = 16500 Nm3$!6000 % 0.65&.
Accurately Calculate Nitrogen Requirement for
Pressure Purging
&iled in )ecnical *apers +ecem#er 4t, 2011
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42'( 0 -il 5 4as 'onsultant
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)e start7up of process plants containing .drocar#on feed streams are usuall. preceded #.
creating an inert atmospere 8itin te s.stem. -ne of te options of creating tis inert
atmospere is 9ia pressure purging, using nitrogen.
*ressure purging is #ased on using nitrogen to inert a s.stem to lo8 o:.gen concentration #elo8
8ic a flamma#le atmospere is not sustaina#le. )o acie9e tis, nitrogen is used to raise te
pressure of te s.stem "e.g 9essel, eat e:canger, piping etc$ from initial condition, 8ic is
usuall. atmosperic, to a cosen 9alue ": #arg$. ;it a9aila#ilit. of pressure control from te
nitrogen eader into te s.stem, te pressure of te s.stem does not a9e to reac te nitrogen
s.stem pressure.
/fter pressuri<ing "to : #arg$, te s.stem is 9ented #ack to te initial "atmosperic$ condition.
)is pressure79enting c.cle is repeated until te required inert condition is acie9ed 8itin te
s.stem.
)e follo8ing steps are used to determine num#er of pressure79enting c.cles and nitrogen
requirement for pressure purging to acie9ed required inert -2 concentration
1. 'oose or calculate inert -2 concentration
required "9ol =$.
2. 'alculate num#er of c.cles "pressure79enting$
#ased on initial 5 inert "final$ o:.gen
concentration, initial s.stem pressure and cosen
nitrogen pressure.
3. 'alculate quantit. of nitrogen per c.cle to
determine total nitrogen required.
Step 1. Choose or calculate inert O2 concentration required (ol
!"
)e first stage is to determine 8at le9el of -2 is accepta#le 8itin te s.stem for te
.drocar#ons #eing introduced. /s a rule of tum# 9 9ol= o:.gen is #elo8 te 1inimum -:.gen
'oncentration "1-'$ 9ol= required for complete com#ustion of .drocar#ons, 8ilst 6 9ol= is
still sufficient for incomplete com#ustion. /s suc most s.stems are assumed to #e safe at
appro:imatel. 4 0 5 9ol= -2.
3f te required inert -2 concentration is not kno8n, ten te 1-' for te .drocar#on stream
must #e calculated. / 9alue #elo8 te 1-' is ten selected as te inert -2 concentration.
)e minimum o:.gen concentration required #. a gas can #e calculated from te equation>
(o8er &lamma#ilit. (imit for most .drocar#on gases can #e o#tained in literature. &lamma#ilit.
data for some more common gases is pro9ided ere
!"ample # $ Calculate the %&C for a 'C mi"ture( )* vol+ C',- * vol+ C#') and .* vol+
C'/0
1ssume complete combustion 0 0.6'?4 @ 0.3'2?6 @ 0.1'3?8 @ 2.75-2 0A 1.5'-2 @ 2.5?2-
Note2 Bolume fractions ratio of 6>3>1 is equal to mole fractions ratio of 6>3>1 on ideal gas molar
9olume #asis
1etane (&( 0 4.5=9ol in /ir, 2tane (&( 0 3=9ol in /ir, *ropane (&( 0 2.15=9ol in /ir
Step 2. Calculate num#er of cycles required to achiee chosen
o$ygen concentration
3t can #e pro9ed anal.ticall. tat te num#er of c.cles "n$ is related to te initial and final o:.gen
mole fractions ".o and .n$ and te initial "(-;$ and ?34? pressure used for purging #. te
equation
Note2 )e a#o9e relationsip assumes pure nitrogen is used for inerting. 3t sould also #e noted
tat te num#er of c.cles is independent of te 9essel 9olume. /s suc a 2m
3
9essel 8ill require
te same num#er of c.cles as a 50m
3
9essel.
!"ample $ Calculate the number of c3cles required to inert an atmospheric vessel do4n
to #+vol &#- using a Nitrogen pressure of #0#5barg
/n atmosperic 9essel 8ill #e at *( C 1.01325#ara and .o C 0.21D #ased on /ir of 79= N2 and 21=
-2.
8it .n C 0.02 and *? C 3.283#ara,
&rom a design point of 9ie8, nitrogen pressure "e.g 2.27#arg$ can al8a.s #e cosen to ensure
tat num#er of c.cle is a 8ole num#er, suc as 2, 3, 4 etc. 3f nitrogen pressure is constrained
and num#er of c.cle is not a 8ole num#er ten c.cles sould #e rounded up to te ne:t 8ole
num#er, suc as a 1.4 c.cles sould #e designed as 2 c.cles.
Step %. Calculate quantity of nitrogen required to achiee
chosen o$ygen concentration
)o determine te total amount of nitrogen required, te nitrogen per c.cle needs to #e calculated.
)otal nitrogen is ten calculated as te num#er of c.cles multiplied #. nitrogenEc.cle.
!"ample , $ Calculate the total quantit3 of nitrogen in Nm

6hr required to achieve the inert

atmosphere in e"ample for a vessel and associated piping of .7m

at #78C and Nitrogen

temperature of 58C
-ne approac tat as #een used to calculate te quantit. of nitrogen is to determine te quantit.
per c.cle as
?o8e9er, tis approac is onl. a good estimation 8en te s.stem and nitrogen temperature are
equal #ut not equal to <ero degrees 'elsius "gi9en tat Normal gas 9olume is defined at
1.01325#ara 5 0F'$ and is e9en less accurate 8en te nitrogen temperature is not equal to te
temperature of te s.stem to #e inerted.
/ more accurate approac 8ill #e to appl. a material 5 energ. #alance to determine te num#er
of moles of nitrogen required to acie9e te required pressure in te 9essel.
)o determine te quantit. of nitrogen more accuratel., use te follo8ing steps
Step %.1 Calculate the num#er of &mols in the essel and
piping system at initial conditions
Gsing *B C nH)
Step %.2 'teratiely determine the mi$ture temperature and
num#er of moles in the essel at high pressure of %.2(% #ara
)is step in9ol9es calculating te num#er of kmols in te 9essel at te ig pressure end of te
c.cle. ?o8e9er, as te equation is dependent on temperature in te s.stem at te ig pressure
and tis final temperature is not kno8n due to difference in Nitrogen and s.stem pressure, te
calculation #ecomes iterati9e.
)e #asis of te iteration is to
3.2.1 4uess a 9alue for final temperature
3.2.2 'alculate num#er of kmols in 9essel #ased on ig pressure and "guessed$ final
temperature
3.2.3 +etermine num#er of kmols N2 introduced into s.stem (kmols in 3.2.2 initial kmols)
3.2.4 'eck energ. #alance Ieat gained #. initial kmols in s.stem "0.61314 kmols$ C eat lost
#. kmols of N2 introducedJ.
3.2.5 3f energ. #alance in 3.2.4 is satisfied, ten correct 9alue of temperature and N2 kmols is
o#tained. 3f not, repeat steps 3.2.1 to 3.2.4 8it ne8 9alue of temperature.
3.2.6 'alculate Nm
3
of N2 using Normal molar gas 9olume of 22.4 Nm
3
Ekmol. )e calculation can
#e set up in e:cel and sol9ed for temperature using goal seek. /n iteration ta#le is also so8ed
#elo8 for te case #eing considered ere>

+ata> N2 > 'p C 1.04 kKEkg 5 H11 C 28kgEkmol, /ir> 'pC 1.006 kKEkg L 5 H11 C 28.96 kgEkmol
4uess ) "F'$ kmols 6
3.283#ara
kmols of N2 ?eat gained #.
/ir "kK$
?eat lost #. N2
"kK$
2nerg. #alance
"kK$
31.00 1.9474 1.3343 107.18 233.13 125.95
34.00 1.9284 1.3153 160.77 114.90 745.86
32.50 1.9379 1.3247 133.97 173.59 39.62
33.25 1.9331 1.3200 147.37 144.14 73.23
33.19 1.9335 1.3204 146.30 146.49 0.19
Gsing te last line of data at temperature of 33.19F' eac calculation step from 3.2.2 to 3.2.6 is
detailed #elo8
'ompare te 59.16Nm
3
to te nitrogen 9alue of 68.10Nm
3
determined from te first appro:imate
metod in tis e:ample, tere is a conser9ati9e 15= o9er estimation.
)is approac tus pro9ides an accurate 8a. of determining te nitrogen requirement for
pressure purging.
'olume of the 3( )i)eline is*
3(%!5#+,1000=0.0-6!m diameter of the )i)eline in meters
0.0-6!%0.0-6!%3.1+,+=0.00+55.06m! area of the cross/sectional diameter
0.00+55.06%!00=0.011m3 volume of the )i)eline
If they 1ant to )ressuri2e u) to 5 3ar 1ith 54 helium you have to in5ect*
N!cylinder $054& =5%0.011%0.05=+.33 cu3ic meter of nitrogen
6e cylinder $54& =5%0.011%0.05=0.!! cu3ic meter of helium
if the N! cylinder is 50 liters you have to release*
1000,50%+.33=.6.6 3ar for Nitrogen
If inside the cylinder you have !00 3ar you have to release u) to*
!00/.6.6=113.+ 3ar
if the 6elium cylinder is +5 liters you h*ave to release*
1000,+5%0.!!=+... 3ar of 6elium
If inside the cylinder you have 1+0 3ar you have to release u) to*
1+0/5=135 3ar