A special moment for Speciality Gas
At the back of the Packaged Gases facility, there is a plain building surrounded by many different types of cylinders. This is the home of Air Products’ Speciality Gas section. The gases that are produced here play a profound role both within the life of Air Products and in the day-to-day business of hundreds of the company’s customers.
November 10 this year was the 20th anniversary of the opening of the Speciality Gas section in the building it occupies today. Though there was no formal celebration, it being close to Christmas, the staff in this yellow-brick building might raise a toast to two successful decades.
Speciality gases are one of two things. They are either a gas of high purity over and above the normal standard gas that Air Products supplies. The second type of speciality gas is where a customer specified a type of gas blend he requires. Normally Air Products supplies gases to a fixed specification, and this is supplied as an ‘off the shelf’ product, however in the second instance, speciality gas is made to order.
When a speciality gas is produced, it is analysed and certified as being fit for the specific customer’s use. When testing gases, Air Products imports certain standard gases or blends of gas, which they will use as controls when checking the local product.
Ironically, often customers buy a gas, not for what it contains, but rather for what it doesn’t. For example, when the customer does an analysis of an environmental gas, this person will want a gas that contains impurities at very specific levels. This gives the customer the knowledge during the analysis procedure that any impurities that are detected are not emanating from the Air Products gas.
The typical users of speciality gases come from a wide spectrum of industry. Some of these are medical, various types of laboratories, universities, laser cutting customers, environmental monitoring agencies, mines to name a few.
For example, in fiery mines, the methanometers need to be calibrated. Air Products supplies the gas to do this. In lasers, Air Products supplies the gases of the generation of the laser.
It is a highly critical business and one where if an error should be made in production, the consequences could be dire.
Consistency is also a key attribute of Air Products’ speciality gases. For example, a laboratory may need to compare a sample it took five years ago to one it took yesterday. If the speciality gas used is not consistent, then the results of the tests will not be valid.
When cylinders arrive at the Speciality Gas section, these are checked, then prepared and analysed. Once the cylinder is deemed suitable, it is filled with the gas. The cylinder then has to pass certification. Every cylinder is sent out with a Certificate of Analysis (COA) and with some of the pure products a Certificate of Conformance.
The quality of our gases is absolutely critical to certain processes and these certificates are our guarantee that the product is 100% to specification.
When the Speciality gas section first started, it had to staff of two people. Now, 20 years later, this has grown to 30 people, a remarkable growth, which speaks volumes for the reputation that this section has built up over the years.
The gases embrace the complete range, including toxic and corrosive gases, depending on what the customer wants.
Most of the people working in Speciality Gas section have a strong chemistry background and most are very experienced. Often these people need to make decisions on whether a specific gas can be produced or not. A mistake here could be fatal. The section employs currently two B.Sc Chemists to spearhead the section’s knowledge base.
Over the years, some names of now senior people such as Mike Hellyer and Josua le Roux have spent time in this section.
Apart from its services to external customers, Speciality Gas products are needed to calibrate the output of every other department in Air Products. The Speciality Gas section touches many lives in a quiet and unobtrusive manner, and few people realise the critical role this section plays.
In spite of the smallish volumes it produces, the section is a substantial revenue generator for Air Products.
Published on July 30, 2008 in Air Products News, Product News |
Out and About in October
PROPAK
14 – 16 October 2008
Opening times: 09h00 – 17h00
Cape Town International Convention Centre, Cape Town
http://www.specialised.com/exhibits/propakcape/introduction.htm
Air Product’s Freshline Congress
13th October 2008
Radison Hotel, Cape Town
For more information contact
Gillian Taylor
011 570 5156 or email taylorg@apsap.co.za
Published on July 21, 2008 in Event & Exhibition News, Spotlight |