The company said it is planning to make a significant investment to meet industry demand.
LEHIGH VALLEY, Pa.—Air Products, a supplier of liquefied natural gas (LNG) technology and equipment, is planning to make “a significant investment to meet industry demand” by increasing its winding capacity at its LNG equipment manufacturing facility in Port Manatee, Florida, the company said in a release.
Winding is a fabrication process for the internal components of coil-wound heat exchangers (CWHE) in which layers of tubes are wound around a central mandrel. Air Products said it expects the increase in capacity, coupled with new proprietary innovations in fabrication methods, will enable the company to improve its equipment delivery schedules.
The investment will reportedly increase Air Products’ manufacturing capacity by almost 20 percent. It follows a previous expansion, completed in 2019, that is said to have increased the facility’s original capacity by 60 percent.
Air Products said its liquefaction process technologies and equipment are used to produce a majority of the total worldwide LNG, and are known for reliability and efficiency.
“This continued investment in our manufacturing capacity reflects Air Products’ commitment to serving the needs of the LNG industry with unrivaled liquefaction process technology and equipment,” said Air Products General Manager, LNG, John Palamara, Ph.D., in the release. “As the use of LNG continues to increase around the world with strong demands for clean, reliable, and affordable energy, we are investing in our business to ensure we meet the needs of our customers with proven reliability and on-time delivery of our world-leading technology.”
Air Products opened its LNG equipment manufacturing facility in Port Manatee in January 2014 and rolled out its first LNG heat exchanger from the facility in September 2016. The company said it has shipped more than 20 CWHEs since then.
In October 2019, the company completed its first plant expansion, following the installation of a new LNG Equipment Test Facility (ETF). The ETF allows for the collection of data to develop the next generation of innovative CWHEs. The Port Manatee facility also builds other specialty cryogenic and gas processing equipment for air separation and hydrocarbons, including columns, vessels, cold boxes, prefabricated plant modules, and skids, the company said.
Air Products said its proprietary LNG process technology and equipment are vital to helping meet the world’s increasing energy needs and desire for clean energy and processes. The company has manufactured LNG heat exchangers, which currently operate in more than 100 LNG trains in 20 countries around the world, for more than 50 years.
Typically, an LNG heat exchanger can be as large as over 15 feet (5 meters) in diameter and 180 feet (55 meters) long. A finished unit can weigh as much as 500 tons, the company said.