Canadian Nitrogen Services

Nitrogen is an essential element in the oil and gas industry and is used for a whole range of processes like purging, blanketing, drying, pigging, pressure testing, and other applications. The traditional method of supplying cryogenic nitrogen involves considerable energy consumption, with liquid nitrogen being produced at a remote facility and delivered to the work location in tanks, where it is then converted back to gas. This significantly increases the carbon footprint and cost due to the fuel used for transporting the product and labor required for loading and unloading.

A privately-owned oilfield service firm, Canadian Nitrogen Services (CNS) simplifies the complex process of nitrogen supply with its onsite nitrogen membrane generators. This nitrogen generation equipment eliminates the risk of cryogenic liquid exposure—which is often the case with supplying nitrogen through tanks—and delivers a constant flow of nitrogen anytime, anywhere.

“Our services greatly reduce a customer’s carbon footprint by eliminating the energy-intensive process associated with producing and storing liquid nitrogen and the fuel used for multiple delivery trucks,” says Tim Pirie, president, operations, CNS.

The onsite nitrogen ensures significant cost savings and reduces the tension of supply chain issues. These services are proven to be notably beneficial for remote sites, where high delivery costs and delays are common. CNS quickly and safely deploys nitrogen generation equipment to remote sites without downtime at a fraction of the cost.

The equipment only needs a small footprint to operate as everything is self-contained within the unit taken to the site. This self-sufficient equipment can be operated continuously for 24 hours a day with the only delivery required being diesel.

Eliminating the Liquid Nitrogen Component

CNS equipment’s ability to generate nitrogen right on site eliminates the cryogenic liquid component. Unlike other market players that deliver liquid nitrogen to site in road tankers and then convert it to a gas, CNS does not require any such supply. The benefits of generating nitrogen on location are higher when clients require large volumes as it cuts down on the supply chain and transportation costs.

Addressing the need for a reliable and consistent method of obtaining nitrogen, CNS’ onsite nitrogen generators produce a high purity level of 95 to 99 percent to ensure a consistent and reliable nitrogen supply for the displacement of hazardous and combustible materials and cleaning of pipelines and vessels. Its services include nitrogen purging, drying, cooling, pressure testing, and gas lifting. CNS also offers a complete range of pipeline and facility testing, as well as plant commissioning services.

CNS understands the importance of nitrogen for business operations and is truly committed to providing clients with the best services possible to meet their needs. The combination of state-of-the art equipment and highly trained professionals with decades of industry experience allows CNS to achieve this goal. All of its equipment is maintained regularly to avoid breakdowns and resulting business interruption. CNS makes sure to deliver quality services in every aspect.

Customized and Collaborative Approach to Client Engagement

The client engagement process begins with understanding client requirements. CNS collaborates with their engineering department to analyze the pressure and flow rate of nitrogen they need. If the equipment meets those requirements, CNS takes it to the site and installs it to get up and running in no time. It records the data of every project to utilize it and help other clients with similar requirements design their operations effectively, maximizing efficiencies. For instance, when a client approaches CNS with a need, it leverages prior information suitable for that operation and models the data to optimize the operation.

In addition to reducing cost and carbon footprint with its reliable and quality services, CNS is focused on safety and operates with a high set of standards to keep its team, worksites, and the public safe. Its onsite nitrogen generation equipment plays a key role in LNG plants for safety and helps companies meet stringent environmental legislations.

“In LNG plants, we provide nitrogen services for plant commissioning, turnarounds, testing, inerting, purging, and drying,” says Jacques Simard, vice president, operations, CNS.

Most LNG plants have extremely large facilities and sometimes take up a massive footprint, almost like a small city. Though bringing equipment to these facilities is logistically difficult, CNS quickly positions their equipment in one spot and starts addressing client needs. They do not have to worry about continuously bringing in other equipment multiple times daily, which is often the case with liquid nitrogen. In addition, the equipment is trailer mounted and doesn’t require any cranes for offloading from the back of trucks.

Driving Excellence

The value of this small, tight-knit company can be determined by the success it drives for clients. In an instance, one of CNS’ clients requested its services to continuously inject nitrogen at a constant rate in excess of 80 m3/min for a duration exceeding 30 days. It completed this job on schedule and eliminated 148 bulk transport loads of liquid nitrogen and kept the highways safer in the process while dramatically reducing carbon footprint.

Another client requested its services on a multi-well site where they had been continuously pumping nitrogen using liquid nitrogen for a few weeks. CNS took over and dramatically reduced their overall costs while maintaining the same level of effectiveness. This also eliminated hundreds of bulk liquid Nitrogen transport loads, allowing for more effective use of their time instead of coordinating timing for all truck loads.

Similarly delivering value to many clients through its professional, dependable, and cutting-edge solutions, CNS takes pride in its high level of service and knowledgeable team of experts that collaborates with clients to get the job correctly done. These experts have worked in the oil and gas industry for more than three decades in Canada and worldwide. In addition to the experience the team brings, CNS has a continual training process on the safety and operational side. All employees proactively take part in the competency training and enhancement it conducts on an ongoing basis.

Going forward, CNS is continuously adding to its fleet in a different capacity, varying the output and capacity of each unit to better suit client needs. It continues to keep up with the latest trends to improve its technology and support its business in the Middle East region, operating in Saudi Arabia, Kuwait, and Bahrain.

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