Producing a specialty gas can be a complicated process. It requires knowledge of all grades of gas, of equipment ranging from the simplest component to the most technically advanced analyzer, and diligence to quality control. Not every company will want to assume the tasks and responsibilities required to produce the grades of gases that go beyond industrial. But a facility that handles the gas with quality equipment, processes, and analysis makes all the difference when producing high purity specialty gases that meet the exacting standards the customer requires.
Know Your Source
Before a gas with any level of purity can be produced, you have to know the purity of the bulk source gases. Most facilities that produce specialty gas grades of pure gases (argon, helium, and nitrogen) use the same bulk gas source that they use to fill industrial gas orders. Typically the product being delivered in bulk meets at least 5.0 grade of purity. There is no guarantee of this, however, so the actual purity needs to be confirmed. This can be done by first requesting a specific analysis certificate from the supplier with the next delivery.
Second, fill cylinders with the gases you want to produce, after properly prepping cylinders and checking the system for leaks. Then have them independently tested by an outside lab. The results are then compared to the certificate of analysis (COA) of the source gas.
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