19-01-2012

Selas fluid wins contract for ethylene furnace

Selas Fluid, a wholly owned subsidiary of The Linde Group's Engineering Division, has been awarded a contract by BASF FINA Petrochemicals LP for a cracking furnace with flexibility for ethane, naphtha and LPG feedstock. The furnace will be installed at BASF FINA's steam cracker in Port Arthur, Texas, as an addition to one of the largest single train cracking units in the world. BASF FINA Petrochemicals LP is a joint venture between BASF Corporation and Total Petrochemicals USA.

Selas Fluid's scope includes engineering, procurement, and construction of the new furnace and integration of this furnace into the existing plant.

"With our long history and extensive experience with the design and supply of ethylene cracking furnaces, we are ready to meet the challenges of this project, and are pleased to have won the confidence of BASF FINA," said Paul van Helmond, Product Manager for Ethylene Furnaces at Selas Fluid. "Our timing is good; with falling feedstock prices, the ethylene industry in North America is poised for a boom period in the next few years. Many North American olefins producers are in advanced stages of expansion planning," said Bruce Hensinger, President and CEO of Selas Fluid. "Selas Fluid has grown its EPC capabilities over the last few years and we are ready to execute LSTK furnace projects both in our 'back yard' and worldwide."

Selas Fluid Processing Corporation, a subsidiary of Linde Engineering, provides engineering design, supply, and construction of combustion-based equipment and oxidation technologies. Since 1946, Selas has established a tradition of providing technology-based, cost effective solutions for the chemical, petrochemical, refining, gas, and pharmaceutical industries. The Company's product portfolio includes pyrolysis furnaces for olefin plants, steam hydrocarbon reformers for methanol, ammonia, and hydrogen plants, EDC pyrolysis furnaces for vinyl plants, fired heaters for refinery and specialty chemical plants, cryogenic vaporizers for liquefied gas plants, oxidation and incineration products.

The Linde Group is a world-leading gases and engineering company with around 50,000 employees working in more than 100 countries worldwide. In the 2010 financial year, it achieved sales of EUR 12.9 billion (USD 17.9 billion). The strategy of The Linde Group is geared towards long-term profitable growth and focuses on the expansion of its international business with forward-looking products and services.

Linde acts responsibly towards its shareholders, business partners, employees, society and the environment -- in every one of its business areas, regions and locations across the globe. Linde is committed to technologies and products that unite the goals of customer value and sustainable development.