The ideal concept for every project – Linde brings modularisation to plant engineering

• Efficient assembly at well-established locations
  
• Time and money savings through modular design
  
• Design fine-tuning to suit individual needs
  

Tokyo, Japan / Pullach, Germany, 3 April 2017 - Technology group The Linde Group is expanding its portfolio and strengthening its position as one of the world’s leading plant engineering companies. Through its new, dedicated ‘Competence Centre Modularisation’ (CCM), the company is bringing modular designs to large industrial plants. The Linde Engineering Division is showcasing the benefits of this approach at the Gastech trade show from 4 to 7 April in Tokyo, Japan.

Linde’s modularisation concept means that plants, plant components and special process units are premanufactured at well-established production sites known as yards and then shipped as a whole to the customer. “Customers benefit from this approach on multiple levels,” explains Marcus Lang, Executive Vice President Natural Gas Plants at Linde Engineering. “A modular concept enables us to deliver complex projects extremely efficiently.” This saves time and money. There are other reasons why Linde engineers are increasingly turning to this modular approach: plants often have to be built at remote locations with limited infrastructure such as access roads, power supply or even equipment like cranes. In contrast to conventional stick-built facilities, where the entire plant is constructed on site, the modularisation concept allows Linde to keep the amount of work carried out under extreme conditions to a minimum. This approach played a key role, for example, in enabling construction of the world-scale LNG plant in the Norwegian town of Hammerfest.

High wages and an insufficient pool of qualified personnel can also hamper on-site construction plans. This is why, last year, Linde assembled an entire nitrogen rejection unit (NRU) in Europe that was then shipped to a customer on the other side of the world. The NRU was destined for the coast of Western Australia, where it will be used to remove nitrogen from gas destined for private households, thus increasing its calorific value. Linde manufactured core components such as the cryogenic heat exchangers at its plant in Schalchen, Germany, and shipped these to the Spanish port of Tarragona. Engineers then assembled the 35-meter, 900-tonne process module in Tarragona before it was transported by ship to Australia. “Only a few companies in the world can offer a one-stop service such as this,” adds Lang. This complex project was tailored to the local operating conditions and Linde was responsible for the design, engineering and transport steps.

Coordinating the different sub-processes is just as big a challenge as technical execution. “To provide our customers with the best technologies and the right concepts, we have bundled all of our expertise at our ‘Competence Centre Modularisation’,” continues Ralf Bellaire, Head of Engineering at Linde's Engineering Division. “Our modular design offers four key benefits to customers: it cuts costs, accelerates time-to-solution, reduces risk and increases the quality of the process unit.”

About The Linde Group

In the 2016 financial year, The Linde Group generated revenue of EUR 16.948 bn, making it one of the leading gases and engineering companies in the world, with approximately 60,000 employees working in more than 100 countries worldwide. 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. The company is committed to technologies and products that unite the goals of customer value and sustainable development.

For more information, see The Linde Group online at www.linde.com