Ursa-Chemie consistently optimises its processes to make production more efficient, sustainable and economical. One current project is our new nitrogen generation plant.
The decision to build this plant was based on a clear cost optimisation approach – and it is already clear that this was exactly the right step to take.
Why have your own nitrogen generator?
A detailed analysis revealed that a significant proportion of our previous costs were attributable to the rental and freight costs of nitrogen bundles. These expenses were ongoing and therefore ideal for leveraging potential savings.
By switching to our own power generation, we can reduce these costs immediately. In addition, we use electricity from our company’s own PV system for our operations, making production particularly sustainable and resource-efficient.
Technology we rely on – powerful and future-proof
For nitrogen production, we work with high-tech components that are reliable, efficient and designed for continuous industrial operation:
- compressed air generation
The compressed air required is generated by an oil-free scroll compressor.
Output: approx. 880 l/min
The oil-free design ensures maximum purity and process reliability.
- Nitrogen production using PSA technology
The compressed air is then fed into a PSA nitrogen generator.
Output: 16 m³/h
The generator delivers an output pressure of approx. 5 bar.
- High-pressure compression for bundle filling
In order to be able to fill the nitrogen into bundles as usual, the 5 bar is compressed to up to 300 bar using a high-pressure booster.
This allows us to continue using the existing infrastructure without any modifications – a decisive advantage in terms of project costs and implementation time.
- A strong partner at our side
The implementation was carried out in collaboration with Druckluft Schorsch, our long-standing partner for compressed air and nitrogen technology.
The company has been providing solutions for over 30 years – from small piston compressors to complete industrial stations.
The 24-hour emergency service is particularly valuable, offering us additional operational reliability.
Rapid effects and short payback period
The elimination of rental and transport costs has a direct positive effect on costs. The investment pays for itself in less than three years, or even faster depending on capacity utilisation. This was a key reason why the decision to start in-house production was made so quickly. Due to the general rise in costs, Ursa-Chemie is doing everything it can to contain them as much as possible in order to protect our customers from excessive cost increases. This is certainly not feasible in all areas, but where it is possible, Ursa-Chemie reacts quickly.
Supply for both locations and reserves for the future
The new plant was deliberately designed to be slightly larger than our current requirements. This will enable us not only to cover future developments, but also to reliably supply both Ursa-Chemie sites with nitrogen.
Test phase and scaling planning
Four bundles were purchased at the start. However, initial experience shows that we will probably need six to eight bundles for optimum roundness.
We therefore plan to reorder two more bundles at the beginning of 2026 – and then evaluate them again.
Conclusion
With our new nitrogen production plant, we are sending a strong signal for efficiency, sustainability, security of supply and planning reliability. In-house production makes us more independent, more economical and technologically future-proof – a real milestone for Ursa-Chemie.
