Question 1

Why use a gas generator instead of cylinders?

Accepted Answer

On-site generators give a continuous supply at consistent purity and pressure without storing, swapping, or paying repeatedly for high-pressure cylinders. They cut the safety risk of large compressed-gas storage (especially hydrogen), free up floor space, and remove the downtime of running out mid-run. The trade-off is upfront equipment cost, a power and clean-air requirement, and routine maintenance, which busy labs usually recover through avoided cylinder and delivery costs.

Question 2

What gas purity do I need for my application?

Accepted Answer

Purity is set by the instrument or process. GC-FID makeup and carrier nitrogen often needs high purity (low ppm oxygen, moisture, and hydrocarbons), and FID fuel hydrogen must be high purity to keep a stable flame and clean baseline. LC-MS nitrogen tolerates lower purity at high flow. Match the generator's specified purity to your most demanding instrument, since over-buying purity costs money and under-buying corrupts results.

Question 3

How do I size a nitrogen generator's flow and pressure?

Accepted Answer

Add up the peak simultaneous demand of every instrument the generator will feed, in liters per minute, and confirm each instrument's required delivery pressure. Size the generator to meet that peak with headroom for future instruments, not just the average draw. Remember that membrane and PSA nitrogen output drops as you demand higher purity, so size flow at your target purity, and verify your compressed-air feed can supply it.

Question 4

Is on-site hydrogen generation safe?

Accepted Answer

A hydrogen generator stores only a very small volume of gas at any moment, far less than a pressurized cylinder, which substantially lowers the stored-energy hazard. Units typically include leak detection, automatic shutdown, and limited internal inventory. You still need proper ventilation, leak monitoring, and adherence to local codes and the manufacturer's siting requirements. Generation is widely used for GC because it removes the larger risk of bulk hydrogen cylinder storage.

Question 5

Do I need an air compressor or air treatment with the generator?

Accepted Answer

Most nitrogen and zero-air generators draw ambient or compressed air as feedstock, so they need a clean, dry, oil-free compressed-air supply at adequate flow and pressure. Some include a built-in compressor; others require an external one plus filtration and drying to protect the membrane or PSA media. Hydrogen generators instead consume deionized water. Confirm the feed requirement before buying so the supporting air system is sized correctly.

Extraction

Temperature Control

Processing

Separation

Drying

Support Equipment

Gas Generators

Swiben CSH-300 SPE Hydrogen Generator — 0-300 ml/min, 99.999%

Swiben CSH-600 Hydrogen Gas Generator — 600 ml/min

Frequently asked questions

Swiben SWA-3 Lab Air Generator — 3 L/min, Triple-Stage Purification

Swiben SWA-5 Laboratory Air Generator — 0-5 L/min

Swiben SWH-300 Hydrogen Generator — 0-300ml/min, 99.99%

Swiben SWH-500 Hydrogen Generator — 0–500 ml/min, 99.99%

Swiben SWN-300 Gas Generator — 0–300 ml/min, 99.99% Purity

Swiben SWN-500 Nitrogen Generator — 0-500 ml/min, 99.99%

Swiben SWYA-3L Oil-Free Air Generator — 3 L/min

Swiben SWYA-5L Oil-Free Lab Air Generator — 5 L/min