Air Products Commercializes Second Hydrogen Plant In
Alberta, Canada
May 12, 2008
Lehigh Valley, PA - Air Products , and its subsidiary Air Products Canada
Ltd., recently announced the commercialization of its new hydrogen plant
producing in excess of 100 million standard-cubic-feet-per-day (MMSCFD) to
serve the Petro-Canada refinery near Edmonton, Alberta, Canada and other
customers in the Alberta Heartlands industrial corridor. Air Products owns
and operates the hydrogen and steam generating facility, the largest
outsourced hydrogen production plant in Canada, and serves its customers
under long-term agreements.
"We are pleased to expand our relationship with Petro-Canada in this
important oil sands region," said Alex Masetti, vice president, Tonnage
Gases North America for Air Products. "We will continue to invest to serve
the growing industrial gas needs of upgraders, refiners and other industrial
customers in Canada."
The newly commercialized facility is the second to be constructed by Air
Products to supply hydrogen to Petro-Canada's refinery, as well as several
additional customers in the Edmonton area. An earlier facility was
successfully placed on-stream in June 2006. The two inter-connected hydrogen
facilities are part of Petro-Canada's Refinery Conversion Project that will
allow the Edmonton Refinery to run entirely on oil sands feedstock. The
project is scheduled for completion in 2008 and will process bitumen from
the company's oil sands holdings, along with other oil sands feedstock, into
135,000 barrels per day of refined products.
Oil sands are composed of bitumen, sand, water, and clay, and must be
physically separated prior to further processing. The separated bitumen is
processed into synthetic crude oil. With the addition of hydrogen, the
synthetic crude oil is then further refined into value-added products like
gasoline and diesel fuel.
"The Alberta Industrial Heartland is an area that will continue to grow in
hydrogen demand as more oil sands crude is processed. Refiners need a
dependable supply of hydrogen to maximize production of fuels, and Air
Products is recognized in this industry for the reliable and safe production
of hydrogen," said Steve Losby, general manager - Canada for Air Products.
Air Products' three hydrogen facilities now operating in Canada are the
first third-party on-purpose production facilities serving Canadian
refineries.
The new hydrogen facility was built under the global alliance between Air
Products and Technip. This alliance continues to provide the worldwide
refining industry with competitive technology, plus world-class safety with
"over the fence" hydrogen supply. Technip provides the design and
construction for hydrogen generation units while Air Products provides the
gas separation technology. Air Products, through its extensive operating
network, and Technip, from its large reference base, also bring effective
operational and engineering knowledge to "design-in" high reliability and
efficiency. The plants are operated and maintained by Air Products under
long-term agreements with customers.
SOURCE: Air Products
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