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General
- Argon was
discovered by Sir William Ramsay, a Scottish chemist, and Lord
Rayleigh, an English chemist, in 1894. Argon makes up 0.93% of the
earth's atmosphere, making it the third most abundant gas. Argon is
obtained from the air as a byproduct of the production of oxygen and
nitrogen.
- Argon is
a chemical element designated by the symbol Ar. This highly stable
chemical element is colorless, odorless, tasteless and nontoxic in
both its liquid and gaseous forms. Argon is inert under most
conditions and forms no confirmed stable compounds at room
temperature
Technology
- Metal powder
technology is one of the most established production methods
nowadays in all kinds of industries. Inert gas atomization, combined
with melting under vacuum, therefore is the leading powder-making
process for the production of high-grade metal powders which have to
meet specific quality criteria such as: Spherical shape;
High cleanliness; Rapid solidification; Homogeneous
microstructure.
Manufacturing
Process
- Atmospheric
air contains 0.93% argon and its economic removal has been assisted
by the construction of very large distillation plants for the
production of oxygen and nitrogen.
- For higher
purity levels argon is purified by the addition of a small excess of
hydrocarbon, catalytic combustion to water and finally
redistillation to remove both the excess hydrogen and any traces of
nitrogen.
Uses
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Argon is perticularly important for the metal industry, being used
as an inert gas shield in arc welding and cutting. Other uses incude
non-reactive blanket in the manufacture of titanium and other
reactive elements and as a protective atmosphere for growing silicon
and germanium crystals.
- Argon is
frequently used when an inert atmosphere is needed. It is used to
fill incandescent and fluorescent light bulbs to prevent oxygen from
corroding the hot filament. Argon is also used to form inert
atmospheres for arc welding, growing semiconductor crystals and
processes that require shielding from other atmospheric gases.
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Argon Gas is Used In winemaking to top off barrels,
displacing oxygen and thus preventing the wine from
turning to vinegar during the aging process. In the
pharmaceutical industry to top off bottles of
intravenous drug preparations , again displacing
oxygen and therefore prolonging the drug's
shelf-life
Market
- The U.S.
analytical market for specialty gases is estimated at more than $400
million annually, according to Air Products. Volumes are not great,
but it is a high value-added business that seems to be attracting
more and more players, especially since the cost of setting up a
quality specialty gas shop continues to decline.
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US industrial
gas demand will grow 3.6 percent annually through 2010. Best
opportunities will remain in the key petroleum and natural gas
market while faster growth will occur in smaller volume uses such as
electronics and healthcare. Hydrogen will continue as the most
valuable market while argon will be the fastest growing gas.
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