Adorned with a banner appropriately marking the milestone occasion, Air Products'
APD
+2.73%
employees at its Wilkes-Barre, Pennsylvania manufacturing facility said
bon voyage to the shipment of its 100th coil wound heat exchanger
today. This Air Products proprietary and industry leading technology,
vital to helping meet the world's increasing energy needs and desire for
clean energy, is operating in 15 countries around the globe, processing
and cryogenically liquefying valuable natural gas for consumer and
industrial use.
"This is a testament to both what is an excellent and world leading
technology, and the Air Products employees who for decades have
manufactured this equipment. There is a lot of pride that goes into
every single project and to see number 100 pass through the gates on its
way to another global project site is an outstanding achievement," said
Steve Jones, senior vice president and general manager, Tonnage Gases,
Equipment and Energy, and China president for Air Products, who was at
the Wilkes-Barre facility to celebrate with employees. The unit marking
the 100th liquefied natural gas (LNG) heat exchanger manufactured in
Wilkes-Barre is bound for the Donggi-Senoro LNG Project in Indonesia and
is targeted to be placed onstream in 2014.
LNG is growing in importance globally in addressing the world's
increasing energy needs and desire for cleaner energy. Air Products' LNG
process technology and equipment is the heart of an LNG production
plant. "We are able to place our technology at some of the most remote
locations around the world and liquefy natural gas. Air Products' LNG
technology takes this natural gas, which is essentially a stranded
valuable resource, and unlocks it by liquefying it and making it
possible to economically ship it around the world. The LNG is eventually
re-gasified for energy use," said Jones.
At Wilkes-Barre, tube bundles, separators, distributors, piping, and
other components are fabricated and positioned within the heat exchanger
shell. The typical heat exchanger, which may be as large as 16.5 feet
(5.0 meters) in diameter, 180 feet (55 meters) long, and weigh as much
as 500 tons (455 metric tonnes), is then shipped via rail to an Air
Products manufacturing annex at the Kinder Morgan Fairless Terminal in
Bucks County, Pennsylvania, where final assembly is completed. The heat
exchangers are then loaded on a ship and travel to LNG projects far from
Wilkes-Barre including to locations in Algeria, Indonesia, Nigeria,
Peru and Qatar, to name only a few sites, to make LNG to supply the
world.
"These are very large pieces of equipment, measuring more than half a
football field (60 yards in length), to manufacture and to ship. We have
successfully done this now 100 times, safely and proficiently. In fact,
heat exchangers we made here and supplied more than 35 years ago for
customers are still operating, and many at production rates well in
excess of their original design capacity. Every time we ship one of
these units, there is just a great deal of satisfaction in a job well
done," said Sandy McLauchlin, general manager at Air Products'
Wilkes-Barre facility.
A majority of total worldwide LNG is produced with Air Products'
technology. Air Products has now designed, manufactured and exported 100
coil wound heat exchangers for LNG projects around the globe from its
Wilkes-Barre facility over the last four decades. In support of the LNG
industry, Air Products provides process technology and key equipment for
the heart of the natural gas liquefaction process, and also nitrogen
plants for the baseload LNG facility, as well as process technology and
equipment for small and mid-sized LNG plants, floating LNG plants, and
LNG peak shavers. Upstream, Air Products provides both nitrogen and
natural gas dehydration membrane systems for offshore platforms.
Downstream, Air Products provides dry inert gas generators for LNG
carriers, shipboard membrane nitrogen systems, and land-based membrane
and cryogenic nitrogen systems for LNG import terminals.
About Air Products
Air Products
APD
+2.73%
provides atmospheric, process and specialty gases; performance
materials; equipment; and technology. For over 70 years, the company has
enabled customers to become more productive, energy efficient and
sustainable. More than 18,000 employees in over 40 countries supply
innovative solutions to the energy, environment and emerging markets.
These include semiconductor materials, refinery hydrogen, coal
gasification, natural gas liquefaction, and advanced coatings and
adhesives. In fiscal 2011, Air Products had sales of approximately $10
billion. For more information, visit
www.airproducts.com .
NOTE: This release may contain forward-looking statements within the
safe harbor provisions of the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act
of 1995. These forward-looking statements are based on management's
reasonable expectations and assumptions as of the date of this release
regarding important risk factors. Actual performance and financial
results may differ materially from projections and estimates expressed
in the forward-looking statements because of many factors not
anticipated by management, including risk factors described in the
Company's Form 10K for its fiscal year ended September 30, 2011.
