LEHIGH VALLEY, Pa. (February 22, 2000)—A modular, state-of-the-art hydrogen plant built by Air Products and Chemicals, Inc. (NYSE:APD) is onstream and supplying 750,000 standard-cubic-feet-per-day (scfd) of product to Cabot Corporation's (CBT:NYSE) fumed silica manufacturing facility in Midland, Mich.
Florio K. Young, development manager in Air Products' Chemical Process Industries (CPI) Division, noted that the plant is part of the company's line of smaller hydrogen production plants, with offerings in the 500,000 scfd to five million scfd range.
"Previously, it would take three to four months to complete construction and plant start-up," Young said. "With this new generation design, we completed the field installation for Cabot in one week, and the plant was in commercial operation within two weeks. Our new design approach can substantially reduce costs."
Mr. Young also noted that since 1992, Air Products has supplied Cabot's Tuscola, Ill. fumed silica manufacturing facility via an on-site hydrogen plant.
Commenting on the supply relationship, Kong-Ling Yang, product line representative for Cabot, said that Air Products' hydrogen is being used in the flame process of hydrolysis for converting chlorosilanes to silica. "The purity of the hydrogen, as well as the reliability of its supply, are vital to our operations and to the quality of our fumed silica product," he said.
The process for the new hydrogen plant was designed by KTI SpA, a subsidiary of Technip Italy. Air Products has a worldwide cooperative agreement with Technip to supply on-site, high-purity hydrogen to the global CPI industry. Under the agreement, Technip provides design expertise for hydrogen plants and steam methane reformers, while Air Products provides pressure swing adsorption cleanup systems and owns, operates and maintains the facilities for customers under long-term agreements. Together, the two have completed 15 projects over the course of their seven-year alliance, working to bring customers competitive plant configuration, faster bid responses, shorter project schedules and superior plant technology.
Air Products and Chemicals, Inc. is an international supplier of industrial gases and related equipment, and selected chemicals. With corporate headquarters in eastern Pennsylvania's Lehigh Valley, near Allentown, the company has annual revenues of $5 billion, operations in over 30 countries, and employs more than 17,000 people |
|
