The specialty gas industry is about 50 years old. During that time, there has been rapid innovation in production processes, instrumentation, cylinders, valves, distribution, and engineering. For example, Ultra High Purity (UHP, Grade 5.0) gases used to be produced in a...
The development and commercialization of new medical drugs is a complex and costly process and the pharmaceutical industry continues to demand ever more advanced products. The process of drug discovery revolves around identifying one molecule among millions of candidate molecules, followed...
Increasing recognition and acknowledgment of the environmental impact associated with the use of refrigeration and air conditioning equipment has brought about changes in the composition of refrigerant gases and in the way they are being used. This heightened awareness on the...
In 2011, a new feed-in tariff (FiT) scheme for solar projects was introduced by the NDRC (National Development and Reform Commission of the People’s Republic of China), a group that formulates and implements strategies of national economic and social development. A...
Manufacturers of photovoltaic (PV) devices are under constant pressure to improve the cost per watt in order to drive market growth and compete with other forms of energy. Reducing manufacturing costs has enabled significant market growth, but...
In just the recent past, “Specialty Gases,” to the Independent Gas and Welding Distributor, were considered mysterious and novel. They were to be purchased from and sold as directed by the major gas companies. Independents regarded these gases as too...
Silane (SiH4) is produced by large chemical companies such as Dow Corning (www. dowcorning.com) and is supplied to the end user via tube trailers. One of silane’s primary applications today is in semiconductor manufacturing, where electronic-grade silane is used when applying...
Thanks to the rising concern for the environment and the price of gas, electric-drive technologies are ready to compete with—and complement—the ubiquitous internal combustion engines (ICE), according to US Department of Energy (DOE) (www.energy. gov). By combining an ICE with new advanced...
In this feature we interview Praxair’s James Baughman, about the company’s North American specialty gases business.
Argon demand has been strong over the past year with key markets showing robust growth as the US economy comes out of recession. Production of argon is dependent on large volume oxygen production at air separation units (ASUs). Unfortunately, demand...
