Is Hydrogen Generator the Best Option in Laboratories?

In laboratories, hydrogen gas is used more than anycylinders as in case of hydrogen cylinders.
other gas. The popularity of hydrogen gas is mainly- They keep giving highly pure hydrogen gases
due to its advantages of resolution, speed ofconstantly, eliminating gas purity as an operating
analysis, as a fuel gas for GC-FID applications andvariable in the analysis providing reliability for the GC
sensitivity over other gases. There are severalsystem.
options for supplying hydrogen gas including- Hydrogen generators are usually small in size as
point-of-use hydrogen cylinders, multi-cylindercompared to the gas cylinders and so can be easily
configurations, and hydrogen generators. Hydrogenplaced on lab bench without consuming much of the
generators, one of the widely used laboratory gasbench space.
generators, are gaining popularity and replacing otherConcerns and Considerations of Hydrogen Generator
options quickly. Here we will have a brief look on the- Some of the hydrogen generator models supply
reasons due to which they are substituting otherhydrogen at only 60-100 psig. In some labs it could be
options.a problem if the generators are located remotely to
Advantages of Hydrogen Generatorthe GC or when several generators are connected to
Hydrogen generators are one of the mostly usedone generator.
laboratory equipments. Here are the benefits over- The cost of a typical hydrogen generator lies in the
other traditional sources.range of $5000-$8000. Due to high cost it may be a
- Hydrogen generators are considered the safestconsideration for some laboratories. But it should be
option for sourcing hydrogen in labs. It eliminates thecompared to the current costs of cylinder product,
risk of carrying high-pressure cylinders and storingcylinder rental, and cylinder handling to fully
large volume flammable hydrogen on the premises.understand the impact of the investment.
Some of the hydrogen gas generators units are- Proper maintenance is required for proper
attached with alarms, which alerts the users and shutfunctioning. Some generators need additional caustic
down the system in case of any malfunctioning.electrolyte solution for the production of hydrogen.
- Once installed properly and start operating,Some models require the monitoring and changing of
hydrogen generators give high purity gasesdesiccant cartridges to remove residual moisture
continuously. There is no such problem of changingfrom the hydrogen.