New Praxair Air Separation Plant Opens in Kansas City
Praxair, Inc., (Danbury, CT) has start up a $30 million, 640-tons-per-day (576 m.t./d) on-site air separation plant to supply oxygen, nitrogen and argon to customers in the greater Kansas City area.
The new plant replaces a smaller, less-efficient plant and supplies oxygen and nitrogen via an 11-mile pipeline network to three new Praxair customers: Bayer, CertainTeed, and Owens Corning. Long-time on-site customer GST Steel and existing bulk-delivery customers and cylinder gas distributors will continue to be served here.
Praxair President, North American Industrial Gases, Paul J. Bilek joined the mayors of Kansas City, Mo., and Kansas City, KS, regional economic development officials and local customers at ceremonies here to mark the dedication of the new plant.
Praxair supplies oxygen and nitrogen to Bayer Corporation for agricultural products production. to improve productivity in the company's agricultural products division. CertainTeed and Owens Corning use oxygen in the producing fiberglass insulation. GST Steel uses oxygen and nitrogen in steelmaking, operating two, 160-ton electric arc furnaces to produce about 1 million tons per year of steel bar, rod and grinding media.
Some gases produced at the new plant, such as argon, are cryogenically liquefied and delivered by truck to other customers in the region. This practice is consistent with the company's strategy of sourcing new liquid products from on-site plants, which offers customers a low-cost source of liquid products at lower capital costs to Praxair.
Praxair began operations in northeast Kansas City, Mo., in 1968 with an 80 tons-per-day (72 metric tons-per-day) air separation plant to supply gases to Armco Steel (now GST Steel.) Additionally, the company's subsidiary, Praxair Surface Technologies, Inc., operates an engine component repair and coatings plant and division offices to serve aviation customers. Also in the Kansas City area, Praxair operates a cylinder filling station and two retail stores for welding gases and equipment. Combined, total Praxair employment in the area is 500.