Danbury industrial chemical giant Praxair Inc. said the largest steam methane reformer it has built to date is now operations in a new plant in Port Arthur, Texas.
The reformer is part of a hydrogen plant serving the Valero refinery and other customers.
The plant is designed to supply hydrogen and up to 450,000 pounds of steam per hour to Valero’s new hydrocracker, a machine used to break down hydrocarbon molecules in heavier crude oil.
The new plant is connected to Praxair’s existing Gulf Coast pipeline network, which has a capacity of 750 million standard cubic feet per day.
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The company completed a similar plant with a pipeline expansion in Louisiana.