speciality gases

Specialty gases have become critical components for nearly every industry, from chemicals, biotechnology and environmental, to materials processing, food, and medical. These high-stakes, high-precision applications are driving the need for rare, volatile and high-purity gases with unparalleled stability. Daniel Langenhoven, Design Engineer at Luxfer Gas Cylinders, answers a few questions about the impact of cylinder technology on ensuring that rare, volatile, and high-purity gases remain stable.

Q: How important are gas cylinders in ensuring that specialty gases remain stable?

Gas mixtures, once measured in parts-per-million (ppm), are now commonly evaluated in parts-per-billion (ppb) or even parts-per-trillion (ppt). This level of precision – where impurities of a few ppm might have severe implications for the end user – necessitates the use of stable and reliable gases, making the manufacturing and storage process as important as the gases themselves.

Luxfer continues to lead the market through our innovative manufacturing processes and proprietary alloys, and we are proud to be at the forefront of developing cylinders that can maintain unrivalled gas stability with excellent longevity.

Our expertise and commitment to quality control has made our specialty gas cylinders the preferred choice across industries, where we continues to meet the evolving needs of our customers by providing reliable, high-performance gas containment solutions that ensure safety, accuracy, and stability.

Q: What are some of the factors that affect gas stability?

For specialty gases to perform optimally, they must maintain stability over time. Gas stability is measured in terms of the shelf life of a gas mixture, where the composition must remain within a defined and acceptable limit for a designated period.

Several factors can disrupt the stability of specialty gases stored in cylinders. These include reactions occurring within the gases themselves, pressure, storage time, temperature variations, moisture, cylinder internal surface finish and passivation processes.

Gas stability can also be affected by chemical reactions with the interiors of metal cylinders. As pressure decreases during gas usage, moisture and any containment adsorbed by the cylinder walls can be desorbed. These challenges are compounded when more complex gas mixtures are introduced. Maintaining stability is increasingly difficult as purity levels rise and the number of components increases.

Q: Are there tech and design considerations when it comes to specialty gases?

Cylinder design is one of the most important considerations in ensuring that rare, volatile, and high-purity gases remain stable.

A cylinder’s internal surface is especially important because it directly interacts with the stored gas. Any imperfections or reactive sites on the interior can cause unwanted reactions, ultimately affecting gas purity.

Luxfer is established as a leader in the specialty gas cylinder market. We are continually refining our manufacturing processes to meet the needs of our customers. With decades of expertise in manufacturing aluminium alloy high pressure gas cylinders for specialty and calibration gases, we understand the importance of stability and a long shelf life.

Our manufacturing processes are designed to produce cylinders with a high-performance internal surface, ensuring that even the most reactive gases can remain stable over extended periods. This is particularly important for applications where gases are stored in complex multi-component mixtures, which can contain as many as 60 different components and must maintain purity levels of 99.999%. Our highly controlled manufacturing environment, coupled with stringent safety and rigorous quality assurance controls, results in cylinders that strike the perfect balance between strength, toughness, and weight. This ensures the gases inside maintain composition stability during long periods of storage and use.

Q: What contributes to Luxfer’s success in the specialty gas cylinder market?

The company’s success can be attributed to our metallurgic innovation – materials science and engineering – which is part and parcel of the company’s philosophy.

Our proprietary manufacturing process generates a superior surface finish intended for demanding specialty gas service. Our L6X aluminium alloy was specifically developed to offer enhanced durability, fracture toughness, and tearing resistance, making it highly suited for storing rare, volatile, and high-purity gases. Since it was first formulated in the 1990s, more than 40 million L6X cylinders have been put into service across over 50 countries.

The combination of our expertise in materials science and our dedication to innovation has enabled Luxfer to remain at the forefront of the specialty gas cylinder market, ensuring that our customers can rely on long-lasting, stable gas storage solutions. We have also repeatedly been told by customers that our gas cylinders are some of the easiest to passivate. This saves time and cost for gas companies and delivers a product that can be provided straight from the factory with little intervention.

Q: Are Luxfer’s cylinders suitable for calibration gases?

Absolutely! In fact, one of our most recent innovations for the specialty gases market is the A981/1/l calibration gas cylinder. With a service pressure of 70 bar, it can store gases more efficiently, while its lightweight design – a mere 0.8kg – makes it easy to handle and transport.

Engineered to store a wide range of calibration gases, the 70 bar cylinder has been manufactured to Luxfer’s exacting safety and quality standards and meets all necessary regulatory requirements, including compliance with the Transportable Pressure Equipment Directive (TPED) and the Department of Transportation (DOT) standards.

The advanced internal surface of the cylinder offers enhanced stability for more unstable gas mixtures, further extending the shelf life and usability of the gases it contains. This latest innovation is based on decades of cylinder technology development and market leadership. It marks a milestone in our commitment to delivering high-quality gas containment solutions that offer superior performance, safety, and portability.