LEHIGH VALLEY, Pa.,
July 29 /PRNewswire-FirstCall/ -- The
environmental and energy markets present a very broad opportunity
for Air Products (NYSE: APD) across many of its business segments.
Increasing its focus on these markets, Air Products today
commissioned a new Clean Energy Combustion Lab at its headquarters
in Allentown, Pa. This
large-scale, state-of-the-art facility will enhance Air Products'
position as a provider of world-class combustion technology.
The advanced lab will be used to demonstrate how Air
Products' industrial gases and technologies can improve a
customer's energy efficiency and reduce environmental emissions.
"We will be able to use the lab for testing across all of our
major businesses. The facility will allow Air Products to
test actual fuels from customers and demonstrate at scale the
advantages of certain applications operating in an oxygen-enriched
atmosphere," said David J. Taylor,
vice president, Energy Businesses at Air Products.
"Increasing demand for large oxygen supply holds really great
promise for Air Products moving forward. We have over 70
years of experience delivering oxygen safely, and designing and
operating air separation units, and now we can demonstrate the
capabilities of our related technologies at large scale."
The new lab leverages over 40 years of application knowledge and
intellectual property in combustion and burner technology and
expands Air Products' combustion capabilities from the original
labs commissioned at the same location in the mid-1980s. The
lab now gives Air Products the capability to demonstrate and
optimize combustion and gasification of a wide variety of fuels
including solids such as coal, petcoke and biomass; liquids ranging
from light to heavy fuel oils, bio-liquids and other alternative
fuels; as well as a wide variety of gaseous fuels. One of the
key uses for the lab will be to test-fire various types of coal in
oxyfuel combustion mode, showcasing Air Products' capabilities for
carbon dioxide (CO2) capture for power plant applications.
The lab will show customers the efficiency, productivity and
environmental benefits to be gained from Air Products' portfolio of
combustion technologies. "Combusting fuels with pure oxygen,
or in an oxygen-enhanced environment, can improve a facility's
operational efficiency by saving fuel as well as increasing
production. It also significantly reduces air pollutants such
as nitrogen oxides and particulates. Of course, less fuel
consumed means less CO2 emitted," said Taylor.
The facility is designed to perform oxyfuel and advanced burner
combustion tests for traditional and new market applications served
by the company. Oxyfuel combustion has been applied in
markets such as glass, metals and refining with the primary
advantages of increased productivity and lower emissions compared
to air-firing. Oxyfuel also plays a key role in rapidly
growing gasification or direct combustion applications of renewable
fuels such as municipal solid wastes and biomass for electricity
generation and high-temperature industrial processes.
Air Products is a recognized leader in the emerging field of
oxyfuel CO2 capture technology. The combination of the
company's oxyfuel combustion technology and its unique compression
and purification system provides an integrated solution, with
potential to produce electricity economically from coal while
creating a CO2 stream of the purity required for carbon capture and
sequestration or enhanced oil recovery. Oxyfuel technology is
applicable to new-build supercritical power plants and can provide
a solution for retrofitting the existing installed base of
coal-fired and oil-fired power plants. More information on
Air Products' CO2 purification technologies can be found at
www.airproducts.com/CO2_capture.
Air Products (NYSE: APD) serves customers in industrial, energy,
technology and healthcare markets worldwide with a unique portfolio
of atmospheric gases, process and specialty gases, performance
materials, and equipment and services. Founded in 1940,
Air Products has built leading positions in key growth markets
such as semiconductor materials, refinery hydrogen, home healthcare
services, natural gas liquefaction, and advanced coatings and
adhesives. The company is recognized for its innovative
culture, operational excellence and commitment to safety and the
environment. In fiscal 2009, Air Products had revenues of
$8.3 billion, operations in over 40
countries, and 18,900 employees around the globe. For more
information, visit www.airproducts.com.
***NOTE: This release may contain forward-looking statements.
Actual results could vary materially, due to changes in current
expectations.
EDITOR'S NOTE: A downloadable photo of Air Products' new
Clean Energy Combustion Lab is available in the company's Press
Room at
www.airproducts.com/PressRoom/CompanyNews/Archived/2010/29Jul2010.htm.
SOURCE Air Products