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UIG designed and supplied onsite gas and bulk liquid production plant |
Cold boxes,
product storage, |
UIG has designed and supplied
multiple all-new
air separation and merchant liquid production plants for major
manufacturer / distributors of bulk liquid products and packaged
gases, and for individual end users. This page focuses on the New Carlisle Indiana air separation plant,
which came on-stream in December, 2008, and the
Carrollton Kentucky air separation plant began service in May,
2009. Those plants were built for Airgas, now part of Air
Liquide. Several similar bulk liquid and onsite gas production plants were also supplied to Airgas, as well. The cryogenic Air Separation Unit (ASU) section of the plants produce pure oxygen, nitrogen, and argon. A portion of the available gas production is compressed and delivered to an onsite gas customer via pipeline. The liquefier section of each plant (NLU) generates the refrigeration required to produce more than 350 tons per day of oxygen, nitrogen and argon as bulk liquid products. Production rates for liquid oxygen (LOX) and liquid nitrogen (LIN) can be varied to reflect changes in near-term demand projections for each of these cryogenic refrigerated liquid products. The total engineering, procurement, construction and commissioning scope required to design and install these plants was split between UIG and the purchaser.
UIG designed and supplied the product loading facilities - providing pumps, valves, instruments, piping specialties; computer control logic and equipment. UIG also provided design and supply of cryogenic piping to and from the product storage tanks. UIG field advisory and supervision personnel provided support throughout the project during critical construction activities, plant commissioning and plant start-ups. |
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The following series of pictures show portions of the fabrication, transportation, field assembly and construction work for these plants. |
Cold Box Fabrication, Transport, Inspection, and Pre-erection Site Work
Cold boxes are a distinctive feature of every cryogenic air separation and liquefaction plant. They house process components which operate at very cold temperatures, such as heat exchangers and distillation columns. Cold boxes are shop fabricated, field-insulated process modules. Process and mechanical design considerations required that the air separation (ASU) cold box be designed, fabricated and shipped as four modules; to be interconnected at the site. The liquefier cold boxes (NLU) were fabricated, shipped and erected as a single unit. |
Shop-fabricated cold box modules leave the fabrication shop and are transported to the plant site: |
ASU and NLU Cold Box Erection and Construction During erection, each inspected and prepared cold box module was raised to the vertical position in the staging area and re-inspected. It was then lifted and moved to its intended location; where it was set down and secured to its foundation and/ or interconnected with adjacent modules. Cold box erection required carefully coordinated use of multiple heavy-duty cranes. A lifting plan was developed well in advance to ensure that the process proceeded in a safe and efficient manner. All erection-related field work was coordinated and closely supervised by experienced UIG personnel. |
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Erection, Phase 1: Lifting and tailing cranes raise the first cold box module to the upright position. |
The bottom-level ASU module is then moved to, and lowered onto, its foundation; and securely attached. |
Erection Phase 2: The second ASU cold box module is set, anchored and joined to the first. |
Erection Phase 3: The liquefier cold box is lifted and moved into position. |
The liquefier is installed on its own foundation near the partially-assembled ASU cold box. |
Erection, Phase 4: The first upper level ASU cold box module is lifted and inspected. |
The module is moved to position, lowered onto, and secured to, the previously-set ASU modules. |
Erection, Phase 5: The last of the tour ASU cold box modules is lifted, inspected, and raised. |
The final module is aligned with the adjacent lower-level and upper-level modules, then secured. |
After erecting the cold box modules, internal process line interconnections were made, internal Instrumentation and control system component installations were finalized, and the cold boxes were filled with insulation. |
Other Site Work
At the
time the cold boxes were delivered and erected, work was proceeding in all
areas of the plant site.
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Links to related Grand Opening celebration news and other information: |
UIG New Cryogenic Plants | UIG Engineering and Field Services | UIG Products & Services Overview | Cryogenic Air Separation Technology Overview |
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Universal Industrial Gases, Inc.
3001 Emrick Blvd., Suite 320
Bethlehem, Pennsylvania 18020 USA
Phone (610) 559-7967 Fax (610) 515-0945
All material contained herein Copyright 2003 / 2018 UIG.