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Combustion

The discovery that oxygen promoted combustion has been the basis for most industrial uses of oxygen. All fuel combustion processes use oxygen, and normally the 21 percent concentration in air is sufficient. However, the increased efficiency and energy savings provided by replacing or enriching air with oxygen led to its use in steel (the first and largest area developed for oxygen applications), metallurgical, chemical processing, rocket fuel and glass applications. In the glass industry, oxygen/fuel combustion is used to reduce particulate and NOx emissions in melting operations. For metal fabrication, oxygen is burned with acetylene, propane, and other gases used in welding and cutting torches to provide a secure joint, stable fixture and fastening. In the pulp and paper industry, oxygen in used for lime kiln enrichment.

In petroleum refineries, oxygen is often used to debottleneck sulfur recovery units (SRU). Air Products pioneered this technology in the mid 80s and offers several oxygen enrichment technologies for this application. Also, oxygen if often used to increase the capacity and conversion of a Fluid Catalytic Cracker (FCC) in a refinery. This is done by oxygen-enriching the combustion air to the regenerator and offers a very quick and economic means of boosting refinery profits.

In the chemical industry oxygen is a key raw material in the synthesis of several important chemicals. Oxygen is also often used to debottleneck chemical processes. One example is in sulfuric acid regeneration where oxygen enrichment of the combustion air can result in significant increases in plant capacity.

Medical

In addition to industrial applications, oxygen is also recognized for its respiratory aid attributes. Air Products' oxygen also has its life-giving aspect in the medical field.

Traditionally, used for life saving applications, oxygen has been supplied to hospitals and through bulk tank installations, or larger cylinders, where the patient is confined to the institution. More recent advances have been concerned just as much with the quality of life, rather than just the saving of life.

Such quality can be enhanced if the patients can be allowed to return to their own homes, and even a more normal way of life, rather than being dependent on oxygen only available through the hospital or fixed installations.

The first step to this was with the 'Evasion' lightweight cylinder. By incorporating an integrated pressure regulator and flow controller in a lightweight cylinder, this allowed patients to use cylinders in their own homes, really for the first time; however, they were still 'housebound' as the cylinders were OK for handling in the home, but were not really portable for external use.

Just recently the PA2 cylinder has made an even bigger impact. Similarly using a small lightweight cylinder of 2 litre capacity, with integral pressure and flow control, but at an all up weight of only 7 pounds, this cylinder in a back pack has given truly mobile capability to patients. Lasting up to 5–8 hours, it allows housebound patients for the first time to have external access back into the community.

Today Air Products services over 120,000 people a day with oxygen therapies.

Environmental

As pure oxygen contains 5 times the concentration of oxygen in air, it can be used very successfully to provide ample oxygen to living systems that may be short of oxygen under normal atmospheric conditions. Such systems include biological wastewater treatment plants, rivers, lakes and fish farms.

In the pulp and paper industry, oxygen is used for pulp bleaching and black liquor oxidation.

Other Industrial Applications

Oxygen is used in the metals industry for steel making and metal-cutting applications, in the chemical and petroleum industries for gasification applications in the production of  fuels, chemicals, electricity, hydrogen or steam and in the pulp and paper industry for a variety of applications, including pulp bleaching, black liquor oxidation, and lime kiln enrichment.

Air Products also offers technologies that focus on eliminating oxygen. We provide nitrogen and hydrogen to metals processing customers to eliminate oxygen in their atmospheres and provide reducing atmospheres to eliminate surface oxidation. This technology is used metals processing, inerting applications and food preservation, to name a few.