5-minute read | Reviewed by NOVAIR Nitrogen Engineering Team
Nitrogen is essential for laboratories across multiple industries. While commonly supplied by gas cylinders, many labs are switching to on-site gas generators as an economical and reliable choice.
Table of contents
The Growing Demand for Nitrogen in Modern Laboratories
Nitrogen is an essential component of laboratory operations, from pharmaceutical production floors to university research facilities and chemical manufacturing environments. Its value lies in a simple but critical property: it’s chemically inert. Nitrogen doesn’t react with most materials, making it vital for protecting sensitive processes, equipment, and samples from oxygen and moisture.
For years, the standard approach to nitrogen sourcing has been gas delivery. This model is familiar, but it comes with real costs and risks that many facilities are working to move away from. On-site nitrogen generation is the solution they’re increasingly turning to, breaking free from expensive contracts and hazardous gas cylinders.
What Is Nitrogen Used for in Labs?
Nitrogen supports a wide range of laboratory and facility-level applications. At the building or room level, five of the most common uses of nitrogen include:
- Purging and blanketing storage vessels, tanks, and process lines
- Maintaining inert atmospheres in manufacturing or controlled environments
- Supplying multiple instruments or workstations from a single centralized source
- Pressure testing and equipment maintenance
- Packaging and material handling in production settings
These high-flow, facility-wide applications differ from the ultra-high purity nitrogen used in specific analytical instruments like LC-MS or chromatography systems. The biggest operational and cost improvements are often found here, due to higher consumption volumes at the facility-level.
Why Facilities Are Making the Switch
Cost Control and Predictable Operating Expenses
Delivered nitrogen comes with a layered cost structure that’s easy to underestimate. The gas itself, delivery surcharges, and cylinder rentals add up fast, and long-term contracts are straightforward to sign but difficult to exit. On-site gas generation replaces all of that with one major capital investment and a predictable, consistent operating cost tied to your nitrogen demand. For procurement teams and operations leaders managing tight budgets, that kind of financial visibility is a meaningful advantage.
Continuous, Facility-Wide Supply
Cylinders run out and deliveries get delayed. A properly sized nitrogen generator produces gas on demand, directly from your facility’s air supply. This allows 24/7 nitrogen availability. For labs where a gas interruption means halted production or compromised research, supply continuity is a requirement.
Improved Safety and Reduced Compliance Burden
High-pressure cylinders and cryogenic liquid nitrogen carry real handling risks and storage compliance requirements. Removing them from your facility reduces liability exposure, simplifies your safety program, and eliminates a category of incident risk that EHS teams and lab managers would rather not manage.
Compact Footprint and Quiet Operation
Modern nitrogen generators are designed to fit within existing infrastructure and operate with minimal noise and maintenance. For research environments and healthcare settings where space and ambient conditions matter, this design offers operational advantages.
Which Laboratory Environments Benefit Most?
On-site nitrogen generation is a strong fit across a wide range of facilities:
- Research & Academic Laboratories: serving multiple departments and disciplines from a single centralized system, simplifying procurement institution-wide
- Pharmaceutical & Biotech Facilities: where supply continuity, purity documentation, and audit readiness are non-negotiable
- Chemical Manufacturing Labs: where high-flow nitrogen is a core process requirement, not just a support utility
- Healthcare & Medical Production: where reliability and regulatory compliance drive every infrastructure decision
Nitrogen Generators vs. Cylinder Delivery
For most labs with steady nitrogen consumption, on-site generation is the more cost-effective solution over the long-term. The initial investment replaces a stream of ongoing vendor costs that tend to increase over time. With membrane technology, NOVAIR’s nitrogen generators require only ambient air and electricity to produce nitrogen at the desired purity and flow rate. By generating nitrogen from air, facilities are no longer dependent on cylinder deliveries that may be delayed. Once the generator is installed, it requires only the cost of standard electricity to run, providing as much nitrogen as necessary by your lab operations.
About NOVAIR USA
Headquartered in North Tonawanda, New York, NOVAIR USA, part of NOVAIR Groupe, is an industry leader in manufacturing on-site nitrogen generators for industrial and healthcare applications. Our reliable, USA-made solutions are designed for safety and predictable operating costs. We also serve multiple healthcare and industrial sectors with our oxygen generators and medical gas equipment.
FAQ’s
A laboratory nitrogen generator is an on-site system that produces nitrogen gas from compressed air, eliminating reliance on delivered cylinders or bulk liquid supply.
NOVAIR has a range of nitrogen generators, with membrane generators best supporting laboratory applications. Ambient air is separated using a hollow fiber bundle that allows oxygen and other gases to permeate. This produces 95–99.5% nitrogen.
On-site generation requires an upfront investment but eliminates ongoing delivery fees, rental charges, and contract escalations. Most facilities with consistent nitrogen demand see a strong ROI within a few years.
High-performing systems combine reliable flow, consistent purity, and quiet operation. NOVAIR USA’s OmniN2 nitrogen generator is designed specifically for laboratory and life sciences environments, with automatic operation and US-based technical backing.
If your lab has consistent nitrogen demand and you’re currently managing delivered cylinders or bulk liquid, it’s worth a conversation. NOVAIR’s US-based representatives can assess your usage and walk you through the options for your specific environment.
NOVAIR USA — On-Site Gas Generation Since 1977
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