Page 66 - TBN-2014-3

TyreBooster: First Locally-made High-Performance Nitrogen Inflation System
It is well known that nitrogen is used in high-tech sectors such as aerospace, military aircraft, commercial airlines and Formula 1 racing.
In the US and Europe, nitrogen had been widely used as a re- placement for air in tyres for many years. Until recently, this prac- tice was far less common in Malaysia. Even though nitrogen is now becoming available through several tyre service centres in the country, the number of outlets that offers nitrogen remains quite limited. This scenario in the passenger car tyre segment also ap- plies to that for commercial tyres.
“A key benefit of nitrogen is that it ensures a more stable tyre pres- sure, which in turn results in extended tyre life, increased levels of safety and handling, and improved fuel economy. Moreover, nitro- gen is far less reactive than oxygen. When oxygen passes through rubber, it comes in contact with the steel cords in the tyre and causes it to rust. Oxygen also causes the tyre to oxidise, accel- erating the rate at which rubber becomes brittle. Nitrogen, on the other hand, does not cause rust and corrosion on steel, nor does it degrade rubber, thus prolonging tyre life,” said Anox Corporation Sdn Bhd Sales Director J.K. Chin.
However, Chin continued, not many operators understood that ni- trogen purity was an important part of the nitrogen tyre inflation service. The lesser the oxygen and moisture in the tyre, the greater is the benefits.
“There are different brands of nitrogen tyre generators in the mar- ket but the level of purity might vary from one brand to the other. Our proprietary brand – TyreBooster - is a range of high perfor- mance nitrogen generators that is designed especially for the au- tomotive segment. It can supply high-purity nitrogen, ranging from 95 to 99.5 per cent,” said Chin.
Established in 2008, Anox was a company that was dedicated to the development of nitrogen and oxygen on-site solutions based on Pressure Swing Absorption (PSA) and Membrane Separation technologies. Anox had focused on industrial applications from day one as it saw huge potential and demand from this sector. It was a customer’s request that led the company into the automo- tive segment.
“We received a phone call from a fleet customer two years ago asking whether we could design a small nitrogen tyre inflator for his commercial vehicle workshop. We were quite reluctant in the beginning as we had never done that before and the cost of a custom-made unit can be considerably expensive. He told us that he had done his research and was hesitant in making a purchase from abroad as he was aware of the importance of after-sales ser- vice. His persistence finally convinced us,” Chin recalled.
The deal was confirmed some time in December 2012 and the first
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J.K. Chin, Sales Director of Anox Corporation Sdn Bhd
TyreBooster: 首款本地 制造高性能氮气充气系统
众 在欧美，氮气被广泛用来代替氧气为轮胎充气已经很多年 了。然而直到最近，氮气轮胎充气在马来西亚仍然不是很 普遍。即使目前国内已经有一些可为轮胎提供氮气充气服 务的轮胎服务中心，但是数量却不多。同样的情况不仅发 生在轿车轮胎领域，也同样发生在商用车轮胎方面。
“氮气充气的主要好处是确保通过稳定的胎压，来延长 轮胎的寿命，提高安全性和操控，进而改善燃油效益。 再加上，氮气的活性反应较氧气低。当氧气经过橡胶 时，就会接触到轮胎的钢线，导致它生锈。氧气也会导 致轮胎氧化，加速轮胎橡的脆化。氮气，相对的则不会 导致钢线腐蚀和生锈，或者致使轮胎退化，因此可延长 轮胎的寿命。”Anox Corporation私人有限公司销售董 事陈子乾表示。
然而，他续说，许多营运者不明白的是氮气的纯度，是 氮气轮胎充气服务中相当重要的一部分。轮胎里的氧气 和湿度越少，好处也就越大。
“市场上有许多不同品牌的氮气轮胎充气机，但每个品 牌所提供的氮气纯度却大有不同。我们的专利品牌— TyreBooster 是特别针对汽车领域所设计的高性能氮气 发生器系列。它能提供介于95至99.5%的高纯性氮气。” 陈子乾表示。
Anox，成立于2008年，是一家立志于发展以变压吸附 (PSA)和膜分离(Membrane Seperation)技术为基础的 氮气和氧气现场解决方案公司。 Anox从一开始就专注于 工业应用，因为该公司在此领域中看到巨大的潜能和需 求。据他表示，他们会踏入汽车领域，完全是因为客户 的要求。
所周知，氮气经常被用于高技术领域如航 空、军机、商业航空及一级方程式赛车。