If you’re budgeting your lab’s expenses and looking to buy nitrogen for Compact Mass Spectrometers, a nitrogen gas cylinder contract service delivery may not be your best option. A nitrogen generator, on the other hand, can offer a more cost-effective alternative.
With a nitrogen generator, you will no longer need to buy nitrogen gas in bulk supply. This means that your nitrogen gas supply is on-demand as opposed to having bulk stored
Resorting to a nitrogen gas cylinder may at first seem like the best option, as the upfront costs involved to buy nitrogen through a gas cylinder can initially be fairly low. However, prices for contracts can fluctuate from one year to another, and sometimes even months. What is more, nitrogen cylinder contracts involve additional hidden costs to cover delivery, installation, cylinder rental charges and maintenance. That’s why a nitrogen generator is a more economical option, with a return on investment within the first year of ownership.
One Advion CMS Expression instrument running 8 hours a day, 5 days a week that requires 10 L/min of nitrogen will consume around 1.72 million liters of nitrogen per year, that is equivalent to approximately 200 cylinders of nitrogen. The table below is a break down the costs associated with ordering 200 cylinders:
Typical 3 year cylinder supply costs for one Compact MS
| Year 1 | Year 2 | Year 3 | Total | |
| Cost of gas ($45 per cylinder) | $9,000 | $9,000 | $9,000 | $27,000 |
| Cost of cylinder rental ($50/month) |
$600 | $600 | $600 | $1,800 |
| Delivery cost ($30 per delivery of 5 cylinders) |
$1,200 | $1,200 | $1,200 | $3,600 |
| Total spend over 3 years | $32,400 |
Compare this with the cost of purchasing PEAK Scientific’s Solaris 10 nitrogen generator where you can save 29% over 3 years
Typical 3 year Solaris generator supply costs for one Compact MS
| Year 1 | Year 2 | Year 3 | Total | |
| Generator and Air Compressor* | $17,300 | $0 | $0 | $17,300 |
| Complete Maintenance Plan | Warranty Period | $2,035 | $2,035 | $4,070 |
| Power Consumption (8h per day @ 1.1 kWh for 365 days) | $550 | $550 | $550 | $1,650 |
| Total spend over 3 years | $23,020 |
*Solaris 10 should be connected to an air supply that, as a minimum, meets ISO 8753-1:2010 Class 1.4.1 or connected to the Solaris air compressor mode. To view data source, click here
