Atlas Copco Rental provides oil-free air for pressure testing at the second largest air separation facility in Canada

July 25, 2017

Alberta, Canada, July 25, 2017: Yanda Canada Ltd., a leading provider of specialized fabrication and installation services and products, was contracted for pressure testing vessels and interconnecting piping at Praxair’s newest air separation facility in Alberta. In order to run the tests, 100% oil-free, high pressure air would be needed and Atlas Copco Rental was selected as the preferred provider.

Atlas Copco Rental equipment installation for Yanda Air separation project in Canada
This new facility will provide Oxygen, Nitrogen, Argon, Hydrogen and other common gasses utilizing a 40,000 Hp compressor as its key piece of equipment. Exchangers, interconnecting piping and multiple vessels needed to be tested with ranges from 1,000 to 296,000 cubic feet and at pressures from 15 to 1,700 psi. Yanda Canada’s project manager, Rob Hamilton, set up a range of tests needing a variety of air treatment equipment products leading him to call Atlas Copco Rental for an ideal solution. During the testing, the air treatment equipment would feed into high and low pressure headers with nine lines for testing. Each vessel would contain a different process creating gas that would then be piped directly to the refinery necessitating 100% oil-free, high pressure air. To meet the requirements, Atlas Copco Rental supplied a PTS 1600 oil-free air compressor, a PNS 1250 high pressure oil-free air compressor, a high pressure air dryer, booster and two filter packs. When high pressure air is needed, boosters are used to significantly increase pressure range. The only problem with using boosters for this job is they use oil to lubricate pistons - increasing the risk of contamination for the end product. It was important to ensure oil-free air to eliminate this risk therefore the Atlas Copco Rental team used a filter pack with the booster to remove up to 99.9% of oil in the air stream. Additionally, a second filter pack was added to catch any containment and provide oil-free air. During the start-up and on-site equipment testing, Praxair used a white cloth swap at the outlet and tested the cloth under black light to find there was no contamination. The project offered a valuable learning experience for the Atlas Copco Rental Canada team and harbored a great working relationship with Yanda.

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Atlas Copco is a world-leading provider of sustainable productivity solutions. The Group serves customers with innovative compressors, vacuum solutions and air treatment systems, construction and mining equipment, power tools and assembly systems. Atlas Copco develops products and services focused on productivity, energy efficiency, safety and ergonomics. The company was founded in 1873, is based in Stockholm, Sweden, and has a global reach spanning more than 180 countries. In 2016, Atlas Copco had revenues of BSEK 101 (BEUR 11) and about 45 000 employees. Learn more at www.atlascopcogroup.com. Specialty Rental is a division within Atlas Copco’s Power Technique business area. It serves customers in all industry segments around the world with temporary air, power, flow, steam and nitrogen rental solutions. The specialty rental services are offered under several brands. The divisional headquarters is located in Belgium.