The benefit of purging the head space in a storage vessel with
nitrogen to minimize the presence of volatile organic compounds
and oxygen, thus mitigating the possibility of an explosive
mixture is well understood. Without a fuel source and oxygen,
there is little opportunity for an ignition source to enable an
explosion.
The blanket gas provides the added benefit of mitigating
corrosion of the storage vessel and associated equipment, as it
removes the moisture that can come in with the ambient air.
A nitrogen purge or blanket can also be found in reactors, to control
the amount of oxygen present and to ensure product quality.
