Air Liquide has announced that it was awarded a contract by RasGas Company Limited to supply a large, turn-key helium extraction, purification and liquefaction unit. The unit will be installed in Ras Laffan, Qatar, and will be the largest in the world.
The unit uses proprietary Air Liquide advanced technology to purify and liquefy helium at a temperature of -269 degrees C.
The combined production of the new unit and of a unit previously developed on the same site will make Qatar a leading producer of helium, with 25% of worldwide production. Air Liquide will be entitled to purchase 50% of the helium volumes produced by the new unit. The Air Liquide Group predicts that this advantage, along with the recent acquisition of international helium supplier and distributor Pure Helium, will make the Air Liquide Group one of the main players in the worldwide helium market.
Qatar has been a major helium producer since 2005.
