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Liquid Argon
Liquid Argon is produced in large quantities at air separation plants which liquefy and distil air into oxygen, nitrogen, and argon.
It is delivered to customers by cryogenic tankers into onsite vacuum-insulated storage vessels which typically, with associated vaporisation equipment, can provide several days' supply.
Features
- Refrigerated liquid gas
- Boiling point -186°C
- Non-flammable
- Heavier than air
- Inert at most temperatures and pressures
- Colourless and odourless
-
Constitutes 0.93% of atmospheric air
Specification
- Argon 99.999%
- Oxygen <2vpm
- Moisture <1vpm
-
Nitrogen <6vpm
Application and use
| Electronics | In the semiconductor industry, argon is used in a number of device fabrication steps but its largest volume use is as a protective atmosphere in the manufacture of single crystal silicon by a number of processes known as crystal pulling. |
|---|---|
| Fabrication | Argon is used as a shielding gas for MIG and TIG Welding processes and plasma-cutting.Argon is used alone or mixed with other gases such as helium, carbon dioxide, oxygen, nitrogen or hydrogen. |
| Lasers | Argon can be used for the assist gas for the laser cutting of titanium as well as laser welding in CO2, ND:YAG and Diode machines. |
| Metals | The argon-oxygen decarburising (AOD) process is the most common method of refining stainless steel. Argon is used to prevent oxidation of molten metals and alloys and for degassing and desulphurisation of molten iron and steel. |
| Spectrographic analysis | Arc-spark analysis uses argon in the process of measuring the characteristic wavelength of light generated by striking an arc onto the metallic sample being analysed. |
| Window unit insulation/Double-glazing | Argon is used to fill the inter-space in double-glazed window units because of its low thermal conductivity relative to air or nitrogen. |
Please note:
Industrial argon is also available. To give better penetration as a shielding gas, it contains 2% oxygen. This is mixed with varying proportions of CO2 for MIG welding and used on its own for TIG welding.
