Perfectly Joined Gases for Life
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No. 10 Issue 03 | August 2013 Gases for Life The industrial gases magazine Service and know-how for welding and cutting: Perfectly joined Gas supply: Paper production: PVC recycling: MegaPack The footprint is Floor powder innovation getting smaller Editorial View of the “Big Air Package”, inside the Oberhausen Gasometer. Dear Readers, Did you take the car for a spin or go for a bike ride at the weekend, or did you simply relax in a sun lounger? If you did any of these things, you will have come into contact with steel or aluminium structures, the compo- nents of which are cut to size and joined with the aid of welding and cutting gases. Welding and cutting – at first, that sounds like a traditional trade. But there is much more to it than that. It requires extensive experience as well as the optimal gas and the right process for the particular application in question. Messer is happy to pass this knowledge on to its customers, including in the form of welder train- ing. We also supply the appropriate gases – from standard through to customised special mixtures. You can find out more about this in our cover story. One example of an unusual metal structure is the Gasometer in Oberhausen, where the “Big Air Package”, a fascinating installation by artist Christo, can presently be experienced. Messer is sponsoring this event and we are offering a special prize for the winner of our competition (page 19): a copy of the exhibition catalogue signed by Christo. So it is certainly worth leafing through this issue of “Gases for Life”. I hope you enjoy it. Best wishes, Stefan Messer 2 Gases for Life 03 | 2013 Contents Cover Story 10 Perfectly joined Steel production and sheet metal working methods have been greatly refined over the last few decades. The advanc- Cover photo: Achim Wankum, welding es in welding have also made a major contribution here, and cutting application thanks in no small part to new gas mixtures. Messer has specialist at Messer in always played a part in driving forward improvements in Germany. welding and cutting processes through targeted research, development and consultancy. Practical Focus 6 MegaPack innovation Gas cylinder bundles have barely changed for more than 30 years. But the requirements they are expected to meet certain- ly have. With its newly developed MegaPack bundle, Messer has now made a quantum leap in the supply of gases, offering clear advantages in terms of safety, handling and ergonomics. Using Gases 14 The footprint is getting smaller Paper production requires huge quantities of water and chemicals. Gases and sophisticated technologies can be used to significantly reduce the consumption of energy and resources as well as the emission of harmful substances. Other Sections Good for you and the environment 4 News This magazine not only brings you interesting articles and interviews 8 Worldwide – it is also kind to the environment. 9 People Focus “Gases for Life” is printed on 100% 16 Industry Spotlight recycled paper. 17 Green Page If you want to stop reading „Gas- es for Life“ please cancel your subscription 18 GaseWiki rather than simply throwing the magazines 19 Dialogue, Imprint away. You can do this by sending a short e-mail to [email protected]. We would kindly ask you to dispose of any magazines Collect “Gases for Life” that you have finished reading as waste paper. For long-term storage of our magazine, We will gladly send you additional copies of request the free “Gases for Life” slipcase. “Gases for Life” and are always happy to get new Contact: [email protected] readers. In both cases, all that is required is a quick e-mail to [email protected]. Gases for Life 03 | 2013 3 News Anita Kötél, former member of the Gases for Life editorial team and currently on maternity leave, feeds her twin girls with healthy baby food. Hungary: CO2 for whey neutralisation Serbia: Gases for the car industry Good for babies Tank instead of trailer As the largest producer of semi-hard cheese in Hungary, Since last year, Messer in Serbia has been supplying hydrogen, the Tolnatej dairy processes 250,000 litres of whey nitrogen and oxygen to rubber and plastic manufacturer every day. It uses carbon dioxide from Messer to regu- ContiTech’s new plant in the northern Serbian city of Subotica. late the pH of this valuable raw material in the produc- A subsidiary of German firm Continental AG, the company tion of whey powder, which is in demand as an ingredi- manufactures hoses for the car industry. The gases are used for ent in baby food and other food products. Whey contains heat treatment. What is unusual here is that the hydrogen is healthy minerals as well as proteins that resemble those stored in an on-site tank rather than being supplied in trailers. found in breast milk, which aid babies’ digestion. ContiTech currently employs some 300 members of staff in Mónika Csere, Messer Hungarogáz Subotica. However, there are plans to expand the site, with the workforce expected to double by 2016. Sanja Šamatić, Messer Tehnogas Czech Republic: Industrial gases for the Benteler Group Switzerland: Medical gases for clinics Broad range Top in the Thurgau Automotive component manufacturer Benteler’s facility in The Spital Thurgau AG clinics in Switzerland require more Rumburk, Czech Republic, will work with a complete range than 2,000 cylinder fills of medical gases per year. Since of industrial gases in future. At this production facility for September 2012, the clinics in Frauenfeld, Münsterlingen automotive engineering, the company requires nitrogen, and Diessenhofen have been supplied by Messer. “The main argon, liquid carbon dioxide and liquid oxygen, as well as dry reasons for the switch to Messer included cost-effective- ice pellets for cleaning press dies with the dry ice blasting ness, quality and delivery flexibility as well as the user- process. This makes the Group the largest Messer customer friendly cylinder management system,” explains Claus in the Czech Republic. The Paderborn-based Benteler Wittel, Technical Services Manager at Spital Thurgau AG. Group’s operations are divided into three business divisions Messer has thus further consolidated its position in the - automotive, steel/tube and distribution. In the Czech Re- Swiss healthcare sector and become the market leader in public, the Group also operates production facilities in the Thurgau region. Chrastava, Stráž nad Nisou and Jablonec nad Nisou. Patrick Bodensohn, Messer Schweiz Radek Hanzlík, Messer Technogas 4 Gases for Life 03 | 2013 Hungary: Nitrogen for aerosol cans Austria: Nitrogen cooling for façade elements Small tubes purged Surfaces free of cracks and pores The small plastic tubes in aerosol cans are purged with Austrian firm Rieder uses nitrogen to cool the cement used in nitrogen to ensure that they are free of impurities before the the manufacture of glass-fibre-reinforced concrete panels. The spray cap is placed on the cans in the production line. Italian panels can look almost like wood and are capable of being company Farmol’s Hungarian subsidiary in Nyírbátor manu- handled on site without heavy machinery: the 13-millimetre- factures aerosol cans for pharmaceutical and cosmetic thin glass-fibre-reinforced concrete panels from Rieder are also products as well as completely fire resistant and do not require any subsequent household chemicals. painting or maintenance. The temperature during the forming Farmol’s customers process is a key factor in preventing cracking during production include companies of the non-porous concrete facade elements. Cooling with like Henkel and nitrogen ensures that the concrete component meets high Schwarzkopf. Messer standards regarding strength and leak-resistance and also supplies the nitrogen ensures that it achieves the desired surface quality. At the in cylinders. Kolbermoor works, all the cement is cooled with nitrogen – a Mónika Csere, Messer process which, in the construction industry, is typically only Hungarogáz used in the warm season. Herbert Herzog and Heinz Amon, Messer Austria Erika Dosztály, a member of the customer service team at Messer in Hungary, also uses aerosols to style her hair. Germany: Experts discuss energy storage Liquid air as energy store Experts from the energy sector met at Messer in Bad Soden to discuss Liquid Air Energy Storage (LAES). There is an urgent need for effective energy storage in Europe because the transition to renewables has seen a surge in electricity generation from wind and solar power. Surplus electricity now threatens to overload the grids, while the flipside of green energy is that there will also be lulls in supply. The process of liquefying air through compression and cooling – part of the process of separating air into its constituent parts, oxygen, nitrogen and argon – requires a great deal of electricity. Liquid air can be stored in insulated tanks without further energy expenditure. When it evapo- rates and turns back into gas, this process can be used to drive turbines which feed some of the electricity back into the grid while at the same time producing cold which can also be stored and used in the process. In the opinion of the experts, this technology represents part of a potential solution for ensuring electrical grid stability in Germany as well. Messer is continuing to work in this area with its British partner Highview. Diana Buss, Messer Group “The integration of wind energy in Europe means that grid balancing services will be a market worth billions by 2020. Cryogenic energy storage has the potential to be part of the solution. Get into Gases.” Tim Evison, Vice President Business Development and Strategic Marketing, Messer Group GmbH Gases for Life 03 | 2013 5 New gas cylinder bundle improves transportation, storage and handling MegaPack innovation The first chemists who worked with gases in the 18th century used glass flasks and animal bladders to store the newly discovered volatile substances.