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Problems Solved:
Never Worry About Gas Purity Again

Consistent Purity
As a gas chromatographer, you may question whether the gas in the cylinders connected to your instruments consistently meets specified purity levels. The fact is, gas suppliers rely upon statistical quality control and batch testing to certify gas purity. This means that most cylinders are not individually analyzed; neither the gas supplier nor the end user really knows the impurity levels. Many chromatographers install in-line purifiers to remove impurities that vary from cylinder-to-cylinder and to protect their instruments against the "bad gas" from the rare but real, highly contaminated cylinder that we call a "rogue" cylinder.

"Air Products' BIP system means absolute peace of mind on gas purity."

�Tony Rycroft, Analytical and Environmental Services Ltd.

(Read the testimonial, "BIP Technology Saves Time and Money at AES")

"Installing in-line purifiers to upgrade lesser gases ... is not a good solution: they sometimes produce interfering peaks ... and they can have a short lifetime ... GC operators often pay little attention to the purifiers ... and they are rarely maintained to specification."

�Dr. Frank David, R&D Manager, the Research Institute for Chromatography

(Read the testimonial, "Up to 30% Higher Response in GC with Gas from Air Products' BIP Cylinders")

Although in-line purifiers can effectively ensure gas quality at the point of purification, they are not a perfect solution:

At least two fittings downstream of the last purifier train element are not controlled.
The purifiers don't remove all impurities equally well.
Purifiers can become saturated or consumed, allowing contaminants to break through.
Checking purifier performance requires time and instrumentation you may not have.
Purifiers entail capital and labor investments for proper maintenance. Disposal costs are rising.
And, ironically, purifiers allow the rogue cylinder to escape undetected; contaminants from a rogue cylinder captured by the purifier train may break through and contaminate the system long after the actual culprit cylinder has been replaced.

You never know when you'll get a rogue cylinder, and neither does the gas supplier.

That's why we developed the BIP technology. It allows us to guarantee unmatched purity specifications for each and every BIP cylinder, no matter when or where you order them. We can make this claim because we designed the capacity of the purifier bed in excess of that needed to meet our guaranteed specifications. Plus, the patented cylinder valve prevents accidental back streaming of air during cylinder change outs or during cylinder refilling. Finally, BIP cylinders are dedicated to the BIP product line; cylinders are not swapped from one service to another.

Unmatched Purity
BIP cylinders deliver the highest purity helium and nitrogen available. Gases are guaranteed to contain the following maximum concentrations (actual concentrations will be much less):

< 10 ppb oxygen
< 20 ppb water

"BIP helium met my strict tolerance of <10 ppt volatile hydrocarbons; it was as clean as liquid nitrogen scrubbed helium. I analyzed 11 cylinders; all met my specifications."

�A government chemist in Canada doing air analysis

Note that these specifications are for the product gas, not the gas residing in the cylinder. The BIP purifier system guarantees that all gas exiting the cylinder, no matter how full or empty it is, meets these exacting specifications. In contrast, gas supplied in conventional cylinders often does not meet the listed specifications at lower pressures, since the specs apply only for a fully pressurized cylinder. Only BIP gases are guaranteed to meet specs even when the cylinder pressure is less than 500 psig (34 barg).

Many Applications
Numerous applications can benefit from the ultra-high-purity gases produced with the BIP technology:

GC carrier and detector gases: helium and nitrogen
Detector mixes (PDECD, etc.: 1% Ar/He)
ICP-MS: Ar
Blanketing and purging
Zero gases for continuous monitors
High-tech clean room manufacturing
Laser mixes
All applications where low and consistent H₂O, O₂, and THC are required

We've made it a lot easier to identify potential rogue cylinders.

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