In the industrial sector, nitrogen is used as an inert atmosphere in various chemical and metallurgical processes, for the storage and transportation of easily oxidizable products, in high-temperature metal processing processes that do not react with nitrogen, for the preservation of sealed metal vessels and pipelines, for filling the free space in mercury thermometers, and for the transfer of flammable liquids, among others. Liquid nitrogen finds applications in various refrigeration systems.
In the mining and metallurgical industries:
- During cryo-annealing and cryo-quenching of metals
- For vacuum degassing of melts
- As an inert atmosphere for continuous steel casting
- For cold etching
- As an energy source in coal mines
- As an inert atmosphere
- For filling explosive mines
In agriculture:
- As an inert atmosphere for food storage
- For the preservation of animal semen
- Freezing of products in field conditions
In oil extraction:
- As a safe working agent for gas lift oil production and wellbore initiation (replacing compressed air)
- For emergency situations in oil pipelines (freezing the rupture)
- For extinguishing fires in oil and gas wells, creating cryogenic platforms in open sea or weak soils for drilling purposes
In mechanical engineering and construction:
- Strengthening of steel parts and tools through low-temperature hardening
- Press-fitting and pressing of cold-connected parts
- Freezing of soils during the construction of subways, pipelines
- Chilling and removal of tiles
- Deep cooling of mineral raw materials for subsequent fine grinding (e.g., in the production of high-quality cement)
- In the production of tuff coating
In the chemical and petrochemical industries:
- In cryochemistry for high-quality polymer production such as ethylene, polyethylene, propylene, polyformaldehyde, etc.
- For the purification of explosive mixtures and regenerative catalysts
- For the storage and transportation of easily flammable liquids
In the food industry:
- For freezing, transportation, and storage of food products
In medicine:
- For preserving blood and blood transfusion products
- For rapid freezing and preservation of tissues, organs
- In the production of high-quality powdered medicinal preparations
Historical Note:
The experiments of A. Lavoisier on the role of the atmosphere in supporting life and combustion processes confirmed the existence of an inert substance in the atmosphere. Without determining the elemental nature of the gas that remained after combustion, Lavoisier named it “azote,” which means “lifeless” in ancient Greek. In 1772, D. Rutherford from Edinburgh discovered that this gas is an element and called it “noxious air.” The Latin name for nitrogen comes from the Greek words “nitron” and “gen,” meaning “forms saltpetre.”
