Universal Industrial Gases, Inc....Engineering and Site Services

Engineering Design, Plant Installation, and O&M Services
Supply System Optimization, Plant Design, Equipment Supply, Installation, Startup, Operation & Maintenance

The mix of services employed during proposal development activities, and during design, build, and startup of a project will depend upon many variables; primarily the type of plant, the characteristics of the plant site, and the desires of the customer regarding division of the total scope of supply between both parties; including management of construction and infrastructure installation activities. Responsibility for field construction activities and site specific arrangements for utilities supply supply and tie-ins are often split between the parties.

UIG skill areas and services include project development; process design; project management; cold box design; plant layout; mechanical and civil design; electrical, controls and instrumentation design; procurement; construction; transportation; plant relocation and refurbishment management; commissioning; pre-startup training of operations personnel, start-up assistance, and post-startup support to plant operations and maintenance personnel.

In general, UIG plant supply services personnel can provide or manage essentially all activities required to bring a plant from the definition-of-needs concept stage, through startup, and verification of satisfactory plant operation.

Because UIG not only supplies air separation and other types of industrial gas plants, but also operates and maintains its own plants, it brings an owner mentality to the design and installation of all of the plants which it supplies.

UIG, together with Universal Cryo Gas (UCG), its onsite gas supply affiliate, can provide a wide array of plant O&M support services to purchasers of UIG plants, and to other owners of air separation plants in need of operations, maintenance and relocation/ upgrade advice and assistance.

Depending upon customer needs, post-startup operations support can include operations monitoring, auditing of operating procedures and performance, ongoing operations training, assistance with operations problem-solving; and assistance with planning and performing minor and major maintenance activities. UIG operations and maintenance support activities can include assistance with procurement of spare parts, replacement parts, and identification of qualified suppliers of specialty services.

Project Development

During project evaluation and proposal development, UIG reviews customer needs, desires and priorities, examines expected variations in ambient conditions, operating conditions and delivery rates and determinations the most cost effective, reliable and operationally flexible choices of product production cycle, plant production capacity range, and sizing and configuration for critical plant and operations support components. Non-production support components commonly include product liquid storage and loading systems (for bulk liquid production plants) and/ or backup liquid storage and vaporization systems to ensure continuous delivery of product from on-site gas supply systems.

As proposal development proceeds, additional information about the proposed plant site is gathered to verify or modify initial information and assumptions, and to determine the best physical arrangement of equipment on the site.

These more detailed analyses reflect the specific dimensions of available production plant sites, compatibility of potential layouts with access routes for construction and maintenance, distance and direction from the production point to the product use points, locations of utility system connection points, drainage, etc.

A typical project development team includes the primary sales contact, business and proposal development personnel, project and process managers; plus, depending on the type of project, input from critical equipment suppliers, specialized design engineering personnel and resources, field services supervisors and construction and installation subcontractors. The mix of skills utilized during proposal development will vary with the type of project, its anticipated complexity and timing.

Supply system alternatives are compared on the basis of first cost, operating costs, compatibility with schedule requirements, ability to meet required or desired operational features, and other customer evaluation criteria and preferences. UIG may propose supply of an all-new plant or one that includes both new and used equipment.

UIG develops an optimal supply system design which will meet customer-defined operational requirements and performance characteristics in a cost-effective and energy-efficient manner. The overall supply system must include provisions to deal with both rapid and longer term changes in required product delivery rate or pressure; and to maintain product flow rates or allow controlled shutdown of users during power supply outages or other supply disruptions.

Engineering work products include process flow diagrams and heat and material balance analyses, process and instrumentation diagrams and equipment specifications. Design assumptions and decisions are reviewed as new information is received.

The optimized process design becomes the basis for final mechanical designs, procurement and fabrication specifications.

The responsibility for field work is often split between UIG and the site owner. Experienced UIG advisors and supervisors are available to interpret requirements and to audit or supervise required field activities. Support can start with site preparation, and extend through equipment erection, mechanical completion, commissioning, checkout, operator training, and startup. In the case of plant relocations, UIG also provides plant dismantlement, transportation and refurbishment support services.

Field installation work may be performed by UIG-supplied field forces or by qualified local contractors selected by the plant purchaser.

During plant commissioning and startup, UIG supports customer operations and maintenance personnel with training and other assistance tailored to the specific needs of each customer site.

UIG-supplied plants are designed and instrumented to operate in a largely self-sufficient manner with only part-time operator support. Local operators make periodic adjustments to nitrogen and oxygen plant operating parameters to reflect changes in product demand and seasonal weather conditions. They check and calibrate instrumentation, perform minor maintenance, arrange for outside support for more complex maintenance tasks, and maintain inventories of supplies and materials. Should abnormal operating conditions occur, plants are designed to adjust as quickly as possible, and, if necessary, shut down quickly and safely. Operations support personnel at the site, or on call at other locations, are automatically notified via one or more types of alarm and "call out" mechanisms.

UIG provides an array of after-services to its plant supply customers, and to other operators of cryogenic air separation plants. Plant operations and maintenance support services include remote operations monitoring, operational audits, maintenance procedures audits, plant turnarounds, retraining, and other assistance to facilitate ongoing satisfactory plant operation and performance.

Customer Plant Support services are provided by members of the same experienced team which monitors UCG plant operations, and which provides technical, operational, maintenance and procurement support to Universal Cryo Gas onsite gas plants as needed.

Most UIG customer plant support is advisory and supplemental to the owner's operations team. However, if circumstances require, UIG can provide limited-duration or long-term operations and maintenance services on a contract basis.