UIG designs, builds, and operates cryogenic air separation plants (ASU) that deliver high-purity oxygen, nitrogen, and argon for industrial operations. Designed for maximum energy efficiency and uptime, our ASUs optimize cryogenic distillation to produce industrial gases at scale—minimizing costs while ensuring a stable, high-purity supply.
Separating Air. Powering Industry.
Our Air Separation Units (ASUs) are designed in-house and produce oxygen, nitrogen, and argon for a wide range of product flows, pressures and purities common across multiple industries.
Turn Air Into Essential Gases
Our cryogenic air separation plants deliver high-purity oxygen, nitrogen, argon and rare gases with unmatched reliability, and are ideal for industries that demand precision, efficiency, and continuous supply.
Oxygen
Supports clean combustion, oxidation, and life-support melting.
Nitrogen
An inert gas used for cooling, blanketing, and pressurization.
Argon
A noble gas ideal for shielding and specialized applications.
Rare gases (Neon, Krypton, Xenon)
High-value gases used in lighting, electronics, and insulation.
ASUs Purpose-Built for Your Industry
From steel and chemicals to electronics and healthcare, our cryogenic air separation systems are tailored to meet the unique gas demands of your industry with precision-engineered solutions.
Steel
Our ASUs deliver high-purity oxygen and nitrogen, engineered for seamless integration into steel production.
Energy
We design ASUs that support gasification, LNG, and power generation with reliable gas supply.
Glass
Our air separation plants optimize oxygen supply for glass manufacturing, improving efficiency and quality.
Chemicals
Custom-built ASUs provide the industrial gases essential for efficient chemical processing and production.
Mining and Minerals
We build ASUs to support metal extraction and mineral processing with consistent oxygen delivery.
Metals
From refining to heat treatment, our ASUs provide the gases needed for high-performance metal production.
Gas Supply, Your Way
UIG gives you the freedom to choose how you source your gas – whether you want a fully managed solution or complete control over your production. Our flexible approach ensures you get the reliability, efficiency, and cost structure that works best for you.
Turnkey Options
We can handle everything – from design and construction to operation and maintenance – so you get a hassle-free gas supply.
DIY Gas Supply
Take full ownership of your plant and production while leveraging our expertise in design, equipment, and setup for a customized solution.
Cryogenic Air Separation FAQs
Cryogenic air separation is a process that cools air to extremely low temperatures to liquefy its components, allowing for the separation of oxygen, nitrogen, argon, and rare gases through distillation.
The process involves compressing and purifying air, cooling it to a liquid state, separating its components by distillation, and then delivering purified gases for industrial use.
The primary gases produced are oxygen, nitrogen, and argon, along with rare gases such as neon, krypton, and xenon.
Industries such as steel, energy, glass, chemicals, mining, and metals depend on cryogenic air separation for a steady and high-purity gas supply.
Cryogenic separation delivers high-purity gases at large volumes, making it the preferred method for industrial applications that require consistent and reliable gas supply.
Ambient air contains moisture, carbon dioxide, and other impurities that can freeze or interfere with the cooling and separation process. Compression increases air density, while purification removes these contaminants to ensure safe and efficient gas production.
After purification, the air is cooled to cryogenic temperatures—often below -300°F—causing it to condense into a liquid. This step is essential to prepare the air for separation, since different gases liquefy at different temperatures
Using advanced distillation columns, the liquefied air is separated into nitrogen, oxygen, and argon. Each gas has a distinct boiling point, allowing them to be isolated through careful temperature control.
The gases undergo a final purification step to meet industry or customer-specific purity standards. They are then stored in liquid or gaseous form and delivered directly through pipelines or used onsite.
The best solution depends on your volume requirements, operational preferences, and financial strategy. UIG works with you to develop a tailored gas supply plan.
UIG offers flexible supply options, from turnkey plants to DIY solutions, ensuring that you get a gas supply model that aligns with your business needs – not the supplier’s bottom line.
UIG, a wholly owned subsidiary of Nucor Corporation, designs, builds, and operates air separation plants across North America.
We offer plant design, construction, operation, maintenance, and consulting services to ensure your industrial gas supply is efficient and cost-effective.
Contact us to discuss your gas supply needs, and our team will help you determine the best solution for your business.