Air Products is increasing capacity at its LNG equipment manufacturing facility in Port Manatee, Florida, to meet industry demand and improve equipment delivery schedules.

Specifically, the industrial gas giant will increase its winding capabilities by almost 20%. Winding is a fabrication process for the internal components of coil-wound heat exchanger (CWHE), in which layers of tubes are wound around a central mandrel.

Dr.John Palamara, General Manager of LNG at Air Products, said the investment reflects the company’s commitment to serving the needs of the LNG industry with liquefaction process technology and equipment.

He continued, “As the use of LNG continues to increase around the world with strong demand for clean, reliable, and affordable energy, we are investing in our business to ensure we meet the needs of our customers with proven reliability and on-time delivery.”

Air Products opened its LNG equipment manufacturing site in Port Manatee in January 2014, and rolled out its first LNG heat exchanger from the facility in September 2016.

In October 2019, the first plant expansion was completed, following the installation of a new LNG equipment test facility, which allows for the collection of data to develop the next generation of CWHEs.

The Port Manatee facility also builds other specialty cryogenic and gas processing equipment for air separation and hydrocarbons, including columns, vessels, cold boxes, prefabricated plant modules, and skids.

Back in August 2022, Air Products announced that it would supply the “world’s largest” LNG project. Located in Qatar, the North Field East LNG project is expected to increase the LNG projection capacity of Qatar from 77 million tonnes per annum to 110 million tonnes per annum by 2025.

According to the International Energy Agency (IEA), LNG was a particular dynamic area in 2022 as the value of global trade hit an all-time-high, doubling to $450bn.