INMATEC GaseTechnologie is one of the leading manufacturers of nitrogen and oxygen generators. The company, based in Herrsching am Ammersee, was founded in 1993 and has been part of the BOGE Group since August 2023, but remains an independent business unit. The premium manufacturer handles the design, production, commissioning and servicing of all systems for sustainable nitrogen and oxygen generation and delivers worldwide. Around 9,000 systems have been installed to date.
Easy Engineering: What are the company’s most important products and sectors?
INMATEC develops and produces oxygen generators that use pressure swing adsorption (PSA) technology and specially developed adsorbents to separate nitrogen from the ambient air and highly concentrate oxygen. This results in delivery volumes of 0.5 to 2,000 Nm³/h with purities of 90.0 to 95 %. These generators are used, for example, in fish farming, drinking water treatment, metallurgy, mining, medicine and the pharmaceutical industry. The fish farming sector in particular is growing enormously. More and more large facilities are being built that require oxygen to aerate the tanks and enable the animals to grow healthily. Oxygen generators are also used to desulphurize biogas plants.
INMATEC’s nitrogen generators, which also use PSA technology, are used wherever oxygen is undesirable as a reaction carrier. This is based on the adsorption principle using a carbon molecular sieve. In this way, the company guarantees a continuous supply of nitrogen in a delivery volume of 0.5 to 10,000 Nm³/h and purities of up to 99.9999 %. In addition to PSA technology, INMATEC uses membrane technology to separate oxygen and nitrogen from the ambient air. This allows nitrogen quantities of 0.14 to 10,000 Nm³/h to be produced with a purity of 95 to 99.5 %. Nitrogen is used in a wide range of applications, for example in the oil and gas industry, agriculture, the food industry and electronics. The demand for nitrogen systems is constantly increasing. The gas is inert and unreactive. In laser cutting, for example, nitrogen does not react with the molten metal and prevents the cutting edge from coming into contact with oxygen. This prevents oxidation and rust formation, which leads to an improved quality of the kerf.
E.E: What new products have been added in recent years?
We have developed a hydrogen catalytic converter that is combined with the tried-and-tested PSA nitrogen generator and delivers significant energy and cost savings. Hydrogen is added to nitrogen with a purity of 99.9 % in the catalytic converter in a thermal process. The oxygen reacts to form water, which is separated out. This increases the purity of the nitrogen to 99.999 %. Let us consider a normal process in which a compressor is combined with a nitrogen generator: To obtain 1 m³ of nitrogen of 99.999 % purity, 6 to 6.5 m³ of compressed air is required. We are then talking about an air factor of 6 to 6.5. By using the CE-certified H2Kat, the amount of compressed air required can be significantly reduced. The compressed air station and generator can then be much smaller. With an air factor of 3.5 – almost half the amount of compressed air previously used – we generate nitrogen with a purity of 99.9 %. With the catalyst, we then achieve purities of up to 99.9995 %. The lower volumes of compressed air naturally also have an impact on electricity requirements. Electricity costs can be reduced by up to 45 % with our H2Kat. Another advantage is that we can set the purity individually and thus optimally adapt it to the actual requirements. If the customer requires nitrogen with a purity of 99.99% or even just 95% for the process, for example, there are considerable economic advantages compared to a supply of liquid gas. INMATEC is constantly developing components and systems in order to further reduce the air factor.
E.E: What services do INMATEC customers benefit from?
We have an extensive portfolio and are expanding it even further this year. This includes, for example, the bestcair promise, which has proven itself at BOGE over the years. This gives customers up to five years warranty when using original parts. Certified service technicians carry out the necessary work on the system, thus ensuring maximum safety and availability of the systems. Special maintenance contracts are also available. In future, customers will also have the option of concluding service and maintenance contracts directly with an offer for the generators.
E.E: How will INMATEC start in 2024?
We have changed some of the processes and procedures in the company and aligned them with the structures at BOGE. In addition to the SAP business software, we have introduced numerous sales tools to achieve transparency, resilience and an improvement in information flows and business processes. We also rely on an innovative CRM system. Customer data, inquiries and other relevant information can thus be optimally checked, controlled, evaluated and managed. Our aim is to provide customers with the desired quotation information quickly and easily and to offer a wide range of different complete packages in conjunction with suitable compressors. Digital design tools are the key to success here.
E.E: What trends do you see for the coming years?
Medical technology will become increasingly important in the field of oxygen supply. At present, the supply of oxygen from liquid gas with a purity of 99% is widespread in EU hospitals. It is currently not permitted to supply medical “oxygen 93” produced in generators via the same infrastructure, as an undefined mixture is not permitted under the European Pharmacopoeia. Therefore, a hospital would currently have to install a completely new pipeline network in order to use “Oxygen 93” in parallel. However, the high purity of cryogenic oxygen is not required at all for operations and ventilators, meaning that the supply could be made much more cost-effective and energy-efficient. The relevant regulations and standards are currently being revised.
E.E: INMATEC and BOGE have been working together since August 1, 2023. What does this mean for customers?
The compressed air specialist has taken over INMATEC, but the company will remain an independent business unit with its site in Herrsching. The manufacturer’s portfolio includes generators in various sizes – from 20 to 3,000 liters. In addition, INMATEC also produces customized sizes and can therefore respond flexibly to specific requirements. Customers now benefit from an expanded product range. They can obtain complete solutions “made in Germany” from a single source. Thanks to the extensive product portfolio, inquiries can be served in an even more differentiated and industry-specific manner in the future. BOGE not only guarantees the highest quality in the field of compressed air generation, but also in the field of nitrogen and oxygen generation – a perfect symbiosis.
BOGE GROUP
Christian Schlüter, Leader Marketing Team
Phone: +49 5206 601-5830
Fax: +49 5206 601-200
E-Mail: C.Schlueter@boge.de