Reporting on the business and technologies
driving today's global industrial gas industry

Matheson Tri-Gas, Inc. Reorganizes the Field
2009.12
Matheson Tri-Gas, Inc. (www.mathesontri-gas.com), a subsidiary of Taiyo Nippon Sanso Group, announced a major reorganization of the company’s field operations. Bill Kroll, CEO and Chairman, explained, “We have acquired nine businesses since 2004 each with different approaches to safety, quality, and the business in general. These new businesses provide opportunities for growth and also opportunities to standardize on the best business practices from across the Matheson Tri-Gas (MTG) team. The new organization is designed to place the highest level of focus on our customers and on continuous improvement in the areas of safety, quality, and lowest cost. In alignment with those goals, we will bring forth five Customer-Facing Divisions, and they will report to Scott Kallman, who in addition to his current role as COO is now President. Under Scott, this organization will not only grow sales, but will utilize Supply Chain Management to optimize operations.”


Five Customer-Facing Divisions
MTG’s new organization with its five Customer-Facing Divisions is intended to position the company with the large size and integrated footprint necessary to achieve accelerated growth in the coming months as the overall economy improves. The International & Helium Division is led by Phil Kornbluth, Executive Vice President. Kornbluth is responsible for international mergers and acquisitions (except Electronics and Solar), the international portion of the Enable Distributor Program, and global helium operations. Kevin Finn has been chosen to lead MTG’s Electronics & Solar Division as Executive Vice President. Finn is responsible for international Electronics & Solar operations and domestic sales development. The Bulk Division is led by Butch Miller, Senior Vice President. His responsibilities will include domestic merchant bulk liquid, on-sites, and pipelines. MTG’s Packaged Division is led by Howard Hubert, Senior Vice President. Hubert is responsible for industrial, medical, specialty, small bulk, welding supplies, specialty equipment sales, distribution and local service, and retail stores. The fifth Customer-Facing Division, Specialty Gas, Equipment, and Chemicals, is led by John Smickenbecker. As Vice President, Smickenbecker is responsible for specialty gases, equipment, and chemicals.


Six Supply Chain Groups
MTG’s newly reorganized Supply Chain Management function is now led by Steve Foster, Senior Vice President. Foster is responsible for industrial, specialty, electronics gases production and distribution, including purchasing and engineering. Six Vice Presidents will report to Foster within the Supply Chain Management group.

Responsible for the purchasing of mission critical goods and services, and best practices for inventory management, is Kevin Lynch, Vice President, Strategic Sourcing. Logistics and Distribution will be headed up by Paco Garcia, Vice President. Garcia will take responsibility for domestic logistics planning and dispatch for bulk, cylinders, propane, and tube trailers, fleet management, and bulk installation customer service. MTG’s ASU Operations will be led by John Fick, Vice President. He will be responsible for merchant air separation units, on-site, and pipeline operations. Vice President Tom Larson will take charge of ASU Engineering and be responsible for merchant air separation units, on-site, and pipeline engineering support. Packaged Operations will be led by Roland Ostrowski, Vice President, who will be responsible for industrial, specialty, and electronics operations. And Packaged Engineering will be led by Jeff Thompson, Vice President. Thompson will be responsible for Electronics and Solar, and Packaged Divisions engineering support.

Matheson Tri-Gas, Inc. is a single source for industrial, medical, specialty and electronic gases, gas handling equipment, high performance purification systems, engineering and gas management services, and on-site gas generation with a mission to deliver innovative solutions for global customer requirements. Matheson Tri-Gas, Inc. is the largest subsidiary of Taiyo Nippon Sanso Corporation, one of the top five suppliers of industrial, specialty, and electronics gases in the world.

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IGCC Project Captures CO2 in CA
2009.12
GE Energy (www.ge-energy.com) has signed a technology licensing agreement with Hydrogen Energy (www.hydrogenenergy.com) for a proposed 250-megawatt power plant that would use integrated gasification combined-cycle (IGCC) technology. The plant, to be located near Bakersfield, CA, would be designed to capture up to 90 percent of its carbon dioxide for enhanced oil recovery and sequestration in an adjacent oil field.

Commenting on this project, Monte Atwell, General Manager, Gasification of GE Energy, said, “GE technology was involved in the first IGCC pilot plant in Barstow, CA, and we are pleased to be deploying the next generation of this technology to deliver low carbon power to the people of Southern California.”

HEI is a joint venture of BP Alternative Energy and multinational mining company Rio Tinto Hydrogen. In 2007, GE and BP formed a global alliance to jointly develop and deploy technology for at least five IGCC power plants that could dramatically reduce CO₂ emissions from electricity generation. The Hydrogen Energy California County project would be the first power plant built under that alliance.

IGCC technology converts solid fuels, such as coal, into a cleaner burning hydrogen-rich fuel, which then is used by a gas turbine combined-cycle system to generate electricity, providing a cleaner, economical coal-to-power option. IGCC also significantly reduces criteria emissions — sulfur dioxide, nitrous oxide, mercury and particulate matter — and decreases water consumption by up to 30 percent (as compared to a conventional coal plant).

The technology proposed for the Hydrogen Energy California plant would convert petroleum coke, coal, or a combination of each, into a synthesis gas (syngas). Chemical scrubbers would filter out pollutants and would separate CO₂, leaving a hydrogen-rich fuel to power the gas turbine combined-cycle system. The carbon captured from the plant would be piped to an adjacent oil field, where it would be used for enhanced oil recovery and sequestration operations.

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GE Energy Gasification Moves into China
2009.12
GE Energy (www.ge-energy.com) is licensing its gasification technology to Hangzhou Jinjiang Group Co., Ltd. for use in a new chemical production plant in Hangzhou, China. GE’s gasification technology was chosen to help Jinjiang produce chemicals using low-cost, domestic coal resources. The agreement will grant Hangzhou Jinjiang Group the right to utilize GE’s proprietary gasification technology, which converts coal into synthesis gas (or syngas). It is expected that Jinjiang will produce above 2.1 million normal cubic meters (NCM) per day of syngas. The primary fuel source for the process will be coal from the Xinjiang Hongshan region of China. The new chemical production facility is expected to begin commercial operation in the third quarter of 2011.

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Air Liquide Starts Up California H2 Unit
2009.12
Air Liquide (www.airliquide.com) has started up its world-scale hydrogen production unit on the site of ConocoPhillips’ San Francisco refinery in Rodeo, CA. The hydrogen is used to convert heavy crude oil into diesel, jet fuel, and gasoline and to further remove sulfur from these products so that they meet the most stringent worldwide environmental regulations. The 142,000 Nm3/h steam methane reformer, owned and operated by Air Liquide Large Industries U.S. L.P., is one of the largest hydrogen units in operation in the United States. With this unit in production, Air Liquide now operates hydrogen units at 12 sites in the US with a total hydrogen capacity in excess of 592,000 Nm3/h.

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Air Liquide Invests in GTL
2009.12
Oryx GTL is a SASOL/Qatar Petroleum joint venture that produces clean diesel, naphtha, and LPG. Its first commercial gas-to-liquids (GTL) unit, located in Ras Laffan, Qatar, is the largest GTL unit in service in the world. GTL production capacity is rapidly increasing in Qatar thanks to the North Field, the world’s biggest reserve of natural gas.

Oryx GTL and GASAL Q.S.C., Air Liquide’s (www.airliquide.com) subsidiary in Qatar, have signed a long-term oxygen supply agreement. GASAL will invest $70 million in a new oxygen and nitrogen production unit with a capacity of 750 tonnes per day (tpd) of oxygen. The new unit, designed and built by Air Liquide Engineering, will be commissioned at the end of 2010.

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Air Liquide Builds ASUs in Vietnam
2009.12
Air Liquide (www.airliquide.com) has commissioned three air separation units (ASU) in Vietnam. The first ASU is based in the Saigon High Tech Park where Air Liquide has signed a long-term contract with one of the world’s leaders in the semiconductor industry, and will be supplying gaseous nitrogen to this customer’s largest assembly and test unit. The new ASU will be able to produce 100 tpd of liquid oxygen, nitrogen, and argon for the region’s customers.

The second ASU Air Liquide is building will be located in the Phu My industrial park near Ho Chi Minh City, and will have a production capacity of 190 tpd of liquid oxygen, nitrogen, and argon in addition to gaseous nitrogen production.

Air Liquide will also deliver an ASU with a capacity of 1,200 tpd to HQCEC (Huanqiu Contracting and Engineering Corporation). Designed and built by Air Liquide Hangzhou, this will be the largest ASU in Vietnam when it comes on-stream at the beginning of 2012.

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More H2 for Monsanto
2009.12
Global hydrogen provider Air Products (www.airproducts.com) has signed a longterm supply contract with Monsanto Company (www.monsanto.com) to build a world-scale hydrogen production plant at Monsanto’s Luling, Louisiana Roundup^® facility. The new hydrogen plant, scheduled to be on-stream in January 2012, will be built through the global alliance between Air Products and Technip (www.technip.com).

Air Products will build a steam methane reformer (SMR) producing over 100 million standard cubic feet per day (MMscf/d) of hydrogen. The SMR will be connected to Air Products’ East Gulf Coast pipeline network, which supplies refineries with hydrogen needed to make cleaner burning transportation fuels, in addition to meeting the hydrogen needs of the local petrochemical industry. This hydrogen pipeline system currently reaches more than 175 continuous miles from Baton Rouge to Chalmette, LA. The facility will produce additional hydrogen via a cleanup of a hydrogen-rich off-gas feed coming from Monsanto. Monsanto will use steam from Air Products’ SMR process to benefit its Roundup^® production plant.

“We have enhanced our SMR design to target minimal loss of heat to the environment, which in turn reduces natural gas usage requirements to make hydrogen. These efforts and other productivity improvements support the company’s overall goals of reducing energy consumption and emissions,” said Tom Wendahl, Manager, Tonnage Gases, East Gulf Coast Area for Air Products.

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AP Builds Energy Efficient ASU
2009.12
Air Products (www.airproducts.com) plans to build a new world-scale ASU at its La Porte, TX industrial gases facility. The energy efficient ASU will replace older assets at the site and provide benefits to customers through higher-reliability pipeline oxygen and nitrogen supply, and enhanced production of merchant and electronics products including argon and xenon. The new ASU is to be on-stream in October 2011.

The new La Porte ASU will ensure the long-term operational viability and customer supply security of one of Air Products’ key liquid argon sources for the North American market. Argon is used primarily for welding, electronics, steel, and metals processing applications. The plant also will expand Air Products’ xenon production capacity and improve customer supply security and reliability. Xenon continues to grow as a key material used in the etching steps of semiconductor manufacturing, and the additional volume will support growth in the emerging technologies of plasma display and other lighting applications, which depend on xenon’s special properties.

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Photovoltaic's Contract for Air Products
2009.12
Air Products (www.airproducts.com) has signed a turnkey gas supply contract to provide its SunSource^TM Solutions liquid bulk and specialty gases, related gas distribution equipment, and engineering services to DuPont Apollo (Shenzhen) Limited at its new amorphous silicon thin-film photovoltaic (PV) facility in GuangMing New District, Shenzhen, China. The contract includes the long-term supply of nitrogen, hydrogen, argon, oxygen, and specialty gases, such as silane, as well as phosphine mixtures and other dopant gases. Air Products also will install complete gas distribution systems from it source containers to the point-of-use within DuPont’s Shenzhen facility.

DuPont has been a leading supplier of PV materials, primarily serving the crystalline silicon cell and module markets, and is building a new research center in Hong Kong and a manufacturing facility in Shenzhen to support the emerging amorphous silicon, thin-film PV market.

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Air Products Lands Large LNG Deal
2009.12
Air Products (www.airproducts.com) has signed an agreement with Technip to supply Air Products’ proprietary liquefied natural gas (LNG) process technology and equipment for an LNG project in Yinchuan, China. Air Products’ technology will be vital for two liquefaction trains, each producing 400,000 tons per year of LNG for Ningxia Hanas Natural Gas Company, Ltd. The units are targeted to be completed in the second half of 2011.

“This project is an important one for Air Products for several reasons. First, it marks our entry into the Chinese LNG production market. At the same time, it demonstrates the capabilities of our technology in terms of LNG production scale and reinforces our commitment and presence to serve all spectrums of the LNG market, from baseload to peak-shaving, and now to the mid-scale LNG market,” said Jim Solomon, Director–LNG at Air Products.

Under the agreement, Air Products’ single mixed refrigerant process technology, as well as engineering, design, and manufacturing of the heat exchanger equipment for the liquefaction sections, will be supplied for each train. The process uses Air Products’ proprietary wound coil main cryogenic heat exchanger technology. The Yinchuan LNG plant will be the largest of its kind in China. The LNG produced will be distributed to the Chinese market to help meet the growing demand for clean energy.

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New Tonnnage for Tata
2009.12
The Linde Group (www.linde.com) will build and commission a state-of-the-art 2,550 tpd ASU at Tata Steel Ltd.’s plant in Jamshedpur, India. Tata Steel is one of the world’s leading steelmakers. Once commissioned in early 2012, this will be the largest ASU in India and one of Linde’s largest units in Asia. The investment for the new ASU amounts to nearly EUR 85 million.

The announcement follows The Linde Group’s signing of a long-term contract with Tata Steel for the supply of over 4,000 tpd of gaseous oxygen, nitrogen, and argon. The new ASU will cater to Tata Steel’s current expansion of its steel making facility in Jamshedpur. Linde will also acquire and operate three existing ASUs owned by Tata Steel for the supply of gases to Jamshedpur.

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Linde Sets Up Systems Systems for Special Labs
2009.12
Linde Gases, a division of industrial gases company The Linde Group, (www.linde.com) has an agreement with both Università degli Studi Salerno and Sardegna Ricerche, two of Italy’s most prestigious higher education and research facilities, for the installation of their central gas supply systems at their newly built science laboratories. The installations are scheduled for completion by end of 2009 and 2010 respectively.

The central gas systems, with a combined value of over EUR 1,300,000, are part of REDLINE^® — one of Linde’s specialty gases equipment product ranges. The systems will transport specialty gases including helium, nitrogen, argon, and hydrogen for chromatography and other instrumentation. The installations will consist of almost 20 combined kilometers of gas piping made from stainless steel, the preferred choice of material for high-purity gas delivery. The systems are expected to be key reference sites for similar projects in Italy and southern Europe.

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GSFC Chooses Burckhardt
2009.12
Gujarat State Fertilizers & Chemicals (GSFC), India, has ordered a Laby^® Compressor from Burckhardt Compression (www.burckhardt.com) that will be used for oxygen compression in their methanol plant in Baroda, India. The compressor, scheduled for delivery at the end of September 2010, will be installed in the 525 MTPD methanol plant that is scheduled for start-up in March 2011. The Laby Compressor has a unique labyrinth sealing system and piston rod gland that guarantees oil-free and contact-free compression. No contamination of the pure gas can occur making it the safest solution for oxygen compression. 

 

ACD Services India
2009.12
ACD (www.acdcom.com) opened its newest service center, ACD-India, in Vadodara, to serve the large ACD industrial gas customer base throughout India. ACD, a Cryogenic Industries company, is an engineering and manufacturing firm that designs and develops cryogenic centrifugal and reciprocating pumps, and turbo expanders for the air separation, industrial gas distribution, alternate fuels, and petrochemical markets.

The new facility sits on 17 acres and houses the most up-to-date repair equipment and spare parts inventories for the complete line of ACD cryogenic pumps and turboexpanders. The Vadodara center is staffed with highly-trained professionals and backed by the continual interface with engineers at ACD headquarters in the US. All aspects of pump installation, operation, maintenance, and repair will be performed at ACD-India using OEM parts and components. ACD-India’s technical team of professional engineers is providing turboexpander repairs, field service, maintenance, and training. With ACD-India, the group can now meet the local demands of the local gas market with a wider product range, shorter delivery time, commonality of products, and flexibility in supply.

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Air Liquide Gets Enabling Materials Award
2009.12
SEMICON Europa 2009 recently awarded the IC Industry Award to an advanced precursor developed by Air Liquide (www.airliquide.com). The group designated Air Liquide’s ToRuS^TM the winner of the Enabling Material prize. This award recognizes inventions that allow for significant progress in electronic components manufacturing.

To make increasingly efficient electronic devices, the semiconductor industry must rely on new chip materials. Ruthenium, one such material, is used in manufacturing new generation hard disk reading heads based on a novel physical effect, known as giant magnetoresistance. Its discovery by Albert Fert (France) and Peter Grünberg (Germany) earned them both the Nobel Prize in Physics for 2007. To develop these new reading heads, as well as memories and other electronic components, Air Liquide’s research teams created and patented ToRuS, a new advanced precursor, which is used to deposit very thin ruthenium layers only a few atoms thick.

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Air Products Sells to COIM
2009.12
Air Products (www.airproducts.com) has signed an agreement to sell its polyurethane pre-polymers business, marketed under the Airthane^® and Versathane^® trade names, to COIM USA Inc., a fully owned subsidiary of global polyurethane chemicals producer COIM SpA. Also included in the deal is Air Products’ manufacturing facility in Paulsboro, NJ. Terms of the deal are not being disclosed. 

 

Cyl-Tec Launches New Website
2009.12
Cyl-Tec, Inc., a full line supplier of compressed gas cylinders and the largest US D.O.T. approved ultrasonic and hydrostatic cylinder re-qualification center in the Midwest, has launched a newly designed website, www.cyl-tec.com. Cyl-Tec’s products and services, such as compressed gas cylinder parts, liquid cylinder repair parts, and beverage carbonation engineering services, are highlighted on the site and additional customer resources are available, including CGA references and industry links. According to Cyl-Tec President Jim Bennett, “The new web site was developed to assist our customers with improved navigation. The web pages work in intuitive and consistent ways, making it easier for visitors to find what they are looking for and know where they are within the site.”

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Virtual Reality Welding Simulator
2009.12
To help improve the training of the nation’s future welders, Lincoln Electric (www.linconelectric.com) has developed a new virtual welding teaching system called VRTEXTM 360. This next-generation virtual training system teaches welding techniques and was developed in partnership by teams at Lincoln Electric and VRSim Inc.

For an “under the helmet” experience, you can watch this video on Lincoln Electric Automation’s YouTube channel http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2xbILrZ1Alw. 

 

Linde's NOC Moves to New Jersey
2009.12
Linde North America (www.lindeus.com) is relocating its National Operations Center (NOC), the nerve center of its customer supply organization, to a newer and bigger location in Stewartsville, NJ. Linde’s NOC houses the production forecasting, delivery scheduling, and remote monitoring and operation of the company’s network of over 70 atmospheric and process gas plants throughout the US, Canada, and Mexico.

“Moving to Stewartsville enables Linde to put key components of our supply, distribution, and engineering functions under one roof. That way our people can help each other at a moment’s notice to keep customers’ businesses operating without a hitch,” said Steve Jennings, Head of Scheduling, who oversees the NOC.

NOC employees schedule and dispatch some 35,000 deliveries a month; collectively, Linde drivers travel over 80 million miles monthly to deliver oxygen, nitrogen, argon, hydrogen, helium, and carbon dioxide. Besides product scheduling and remote plant operations, the NOC also houses customer engineering services, rail/logistics, energy services, and safety, health, environment, and quality functions. The new 28,000 square foot location has enabled Linde to upgrade most of the technology used to keep customers supplied, such as remote monitoring of customer inventory, operating and monitoring plant production, and communicating with trucks on the road.

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Praxair Raises Prices for Gases and Facility Fees
2009.12
Praxair, Inc. (www.praxair.com) notified bulk industrial and bulk medical gas customers in the US and Canada of the following increases in prices and facility fees, effective November 15, 2009, or as contracts permitted: 10 percent for nitrogen, oxygen, argon, hydrogen, and carbon dioxide; five percent for helium; 10 percent for facility fees or monthly basic charges. Price adjustments may be higher or lower than these ranges in accordance with contract provisions.