The largest integrated steel mill in South China has received a boost in efficiency and quality as a result of the introduction of leading-edge technology provided by the U.S. industrial gases supplier, Praxair Inc. Praxair China, which is headquartered in Shanghai, recently completed construction on a 23,500-cubic-meters-per-hour air separation plant with a liquid supply system, making it the largest such facility in Guangdong Province. The facility, a US$29.6-million joint project between Praxair and Shaoguan Iron and Steel Group Co. (Shaogang), is part of the modernization process of the Shaoguan plant. The opening of the new plant will mean that Shaogang will more than double its industrial gas supply, which includes oxygen, nitrogen and argon. Other technical revamping projects implemented by Shaogang include blast furnace enrichment and oxygen injection for its state-of-the-art electric arc furnace. The new air separation plant will provide energy efficiency 25% higher than that of the existing plants, as well as improved reliability and safety.

More information on Praxair is available at http://www.praxair.com.