INOX Air Products (INOXAP), India's largest manufacturer of industrial and medical gases has announced that it has completed the commissioning of its 5th Air Separation Unit (ASU) at the Hazira Unit of ArcelorMittal Nippon Steel India (AM/NS India).

 

The entire process from design to commissioning took 15 months, compared to a global industry standard of 27 months, setting a new benchmark in the industrial gases industry.

 

The ASU, installed with an investment of INR 350 Cr., has a capacity to produce 700 Tons Per Day of Gaseous Oxygen and 300 Tons Per Day of Gaseous Nitrogen, besides other liquid medical and industrial gases. On completion, the gas complex now has a combined production capacity of more than 9,000 TPD of industrial gases.

 

INOXAP's engineers began working on the ASU in February, 2021, with a severely shortened completion deadline to enable AM/NS India to meet the enhanced requirements for oxygen and nitrogen as it expanded steel manufacturing at its flagship Hazira plant from 7.2 MTPA to 8.6 MTPA. INOXAP's engineering feat was achieved against the headwinds of the second wave of COVID-19 and disruptions to global shipping supply chains due to geopolitical developments, which slowed the movement of critical equipment and raw material required for the ASU. The ongoing commodity crunch has additionally held up the delivery of sub-contracted equipment.

 

Siddharth Jain, Executive Director – INOX Air Products, adds, "In the process of setting up our 5th ASU at the Hazira Unit, we have rewritten the ASU installation timelines in the global industrial gases business landscape. We have created new benchmarks with our innovative approach towards engineering and project management, with meticulous execution. We are proud to have added new dimensions of speed, precision and reliability to Make in India."