Praxair Constructs Air Separation Unit in Jiangsu

By Jenny Du   
On March 23rd, 2007 construction on the 800 000 Nm3/h air
separation unit invested by Praxair, Inc. of the United States
was started in Zhenjiang, Jiangsu province. As the largest
single air separation unit in Asia, the unit after completion
will not only provide industrial oxygen for China's leading
acetic acid manufacturer - Jiangsu SOPO Group, but also provide
liquid oxygen, nitrogen and argon to Eastern China market. The
unit is expected to be put on stream in 2009.
    In recent 2 years, BOC Gases Co., Ltd. of UK successively
invested US$64 million to construct a large air separation unit
in Zibo, Shandong province. On October 24th, 2006 Sinopec Qilu
Petrochemical Co., Ltd. and BOC (China) Investment Co., Ltd.
established an industrial gases joint venture (JV) to be named
as Qilu BOC Gases Co., Ltd. (CCR2006, No.32) The JV supplies Qilu
Petrochemical and the third party markets for oxygen, nitrogen
and argon. In April 2006, BOC and Sinopec Shanghai Petrochemical
Co., Ltd. signed an agreement to form another industrial gases
JV. Praxair Co., Ltd. of the United States and Air Products Co.,
Ltd. of France set up Shanghai Chemical Industry Park Industrial
Gas Corporation (SCIPIG) in Shanghai Chemical Industry Park
(SCIP) to provide complete air products series, including oxygen,
nitrogen, concentrated air, hydrogen, carbon monoxide and
by-product steam for the companies located in SCIP.