Of the many products used throughout countless industries, some of the most common for industrial uses are gases or gas mixtures. Gas mixtures are designed according to required compositions to improve operations in a variety of applications. To learn how various industries use gas mixtures, read below.
Welding and cutting of metals are reliant on gas mixtures. Specialty gas mixtures have to be mixed and procured for welding torches to operate. The gas that’s fed through the tube connected to the bottom of the handle lights the torch’s flame. The oxy-acetylene welding torch is the common model used for manual brazing and braze welding. This includes metal forming, preparation, and heat treating.
Gases are also used for laser technology, such as laser cutting and welding. There are categories for gases that assist with laser technology—assist gases and beam pathway purge gases. Assist gases have several uses including debris removal, oxidation prevention, additional cutting speed, shielding, and cooling. Beam pathway gases clean out and prevent contamination in the beamline.
One of the most common industries that rely on something like modified atmosphere packaging is the food industry. Food industry professionals use protective gases during quality control, as it assists in making the food packages germ-free and preserving the food as it’s sealed.
Interestingly, the quality of your beer has much to do with the use of gases. Brewers have systems that allow them to produce and contain their beer while keeping it fresh. CO2, or nitrogen, is generally the gas that’s used. Operators can control the gas flow by remote control, along with gas analyzers which make it easy to gauge and ensure they introduce the right amount to produce the best quality.
Another industry that uses gases is glassmaking. This is a product that also requires special burners in the production process. Special, modern gas regulation systems are used to create a gas and oxygen mixture at a certain precision to keep the burner running. The burners heat furnaces that melt the raw materials that form the glass.
Gases are vital for humans to dive deep underwater. Heliox gas mixtures are used in aqualung cylinders and pressurized vessels to help a diver readjust to the normal pressure if they dove too deep without decompressing, known as a diving chamber. There are special systems that mix heliox with oxygen to create the right gas concentration.
When wondering how various industries use gas mixtures, instrument calibration is an example used across many. Many instruments, including gas readers, medical equipment, and any other devices that take measurements, rely on calibration gases. Two different types of calibration gas are commonly used: volumetric and gravimetric gas mixtures. These vary based on the methods used to measure and procure gas. Calibration gas is vital for adjusting instruments so they can take accurate measurements.