Air Products to invest in new large air separation unit in South Korea

Air Products, a world-leading industrial gases company, recently announced its plans to construct a new large air separation unit (LASU) in Ulsan, South Korea. Scheduled to come on stream in 2018, the state-of-the-art LASU will produce over 1,750 tons per day of gaseous and liquefied oxygen, nitrogen and argon.

This investment will demonstrate the company’s commitment to meet the growing market demand driven by the refining, petrochemical, and non-ferrous metals industries, as well as the merchant gas market in Korea and the southern region.

The plant will also meet the increasing demand of Air Products’ existing and future pipeline customers in Ulsan, as well as the liquid gas market.

“We are pleased to invest in this strategic location to support the growth plans of the refining, petrochemical, non-ferrous metals, and many other industries,” said Kyo-Yung Kim, president of Air Products Korea. “The new plant, built with our leading-edge technology, will enable us to better serve customers who depend on our safe, reliable and high-quality gases supply for their production.”

Considered as an industrial powerhouse for the country, Ulsan is home to many sectors including oil refining, automobile production, and shipbuilding.Air Products has been supplying the region for nearly 30 years and has built a pipeline system and gas facilities in Onsan’s large non-ferrous metals complex and Yongyeon’s petrochemical complex.

This latest investment will enable the company to produce extra oxygen and nitrogen to meet increasing needs. The additional high-purity liquid argon, which is used in the chip manufacturing process and to maintain an ultra-clean atmosphere to protect manufacturing tools, will position Air Products to better serve the demand driven by integrated circuit and display customers.