Safe filling of krypton and xenon in Leuna

1. The Challenge

Krypton and xenon are extremely rare and, consequently, expensive noble gases. Even the slightest loss or contamination during filling can result in massive financial losses. At the new production facility in Leuna, Linde needed to fill these high-purity gases into cylinders under pressure—with maximum leak tightness and without any risk of contamination. At the same time, multiple filling tasks were to be handled using as little different technology as possible to limit effort and complexity. Conventional compressor solutions were either too risky or too costly for this purpose.

2. The sera Solution

For filling the high-purity noble gases, Linde relied on hermetically sealed metal diaphragm compressors from sera. These compressors are designed so that no gas can escape to the outside during operation and no contamination of the medium occurs. The system was designed so that three different functions could be covered using a unified technical basis. This allowed the number of variants to be reduced and the overall system design to be simplified. The lubricant-free compression and the elimination of purge and barrier gases prevent additional risks in the process. As a result, the filling of these extremely valuable gases could be carried out safely and with process stability.

3. Customer Benefits

• Safe, loss-free compression and filling of krypton and xenon
• No contamination of the high-purity gases by lubricants or sealing systems
• Reduced complexity through standardized plant technology
• Lower design, procurement, and manufacturing costs

4. Brief Summary

The project demonstrates how extremely valuable and sensitive gases can be handled economically and safely only with consistently hermetically sealed and clean compressor technology.