Environmental Recognition Award for Praxair
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DANBURY, Conn., April 12, 2006 - Praxair, Inc. (NYSE: PX) received an Environmental Recognition Award from the Compressed Gas Association (CGA) at their Annual Meeting held March 21, 2006. The award recognized an innovative propylene recovery project that went beyond regulatory requirements.
In mid-2005, investigations following a fire at Praxair's St. Louis facility revealed a particular cylinder relief valve was releasing gas from propylene cylinders prematurely, before the normal safety parameters were exceeded. Praxair identified over 4,000 propylene cylinders fitted with the defective relief valve at its own and customer locations. Normal maintenance procedures when followed to remove and replace the valve would have required venting or flaring approximately 320,000 pounds of propylene. Though this action, when properly reported, would have been in compliance with SARA 313, Praxair engineers instead developed a system to effectively and safely recover the useful propylene from the cylinders and limit atmospheric emissions.
The Praxair team designed a system whereby an inverted propylene cylinder is connected to a recovery compressor which then transfers the propylene to an intermediate holding vessel. The defective valve can then be removed from the emptied cylinder and a properly functioning valve put in its place. The propylene can be returned to the cylinder with the new valve or transferred to a larger vessel for later use. Using this new method, a cylinder can be emptied in 5 to 7 minutes with an estimated propylene recovery of 99%. By contrast, emptying a cylinder via venting or flaring requires 24 to 36 hours.
Three new recovery systems have been installed at strategically located Praxair facilities in the U.S. and Canada that handle propylene. These new systems will be used prior to cylinder maintenance activities conducted at these plants. Similar systems are being used by Praxair to safely process and recover other liquid petroleum gases.
Praxair Distribution, Inc. and its subsidiaries and distributors deliver a wide array of industrial and specialty gases, equipment and supplies, technical expertise, and services to thousands of customers in the United States and Canada. With hundreds of locations throughout North America, Praxair provides differentiated products and service offerings that help customers achieve their objectives faster, better and at lower total cost.
Praxair is the largest industrial gases company in North and South America, and one of the largest worldwide, with 2005 sales of $7.7 billion. The company produces, sells and distributes atmospheric and process gases, and high-performance surface coatings. Praxair products, services and technologies bring productivity and environmental benefits to a wide variety of industries, including aerospace, chemicals, food and beverage, electronics, energy, healthcare, manufacturing, metals and others. More information on Praxair is available on the Internet at www.praxair.com
Contacts:
Gary Gillum, Praxair, Inc. Media (203) 837-2702 - gary_gillum@praxair.com
Elizabeth Hirsch, Investors (203) 837-2354 - liz_hirsch@praxair.com/
Carmen Martinez
Praxair, Inc.
Corporate Communications
Ph: (203) 837-2026
Fx: (203) 837-2454.
