Packaging and transporting gases
Gases are, by nature, extremely light and not very dense: they take up a large volume but are very low in mass. For example, one liter of nitrogen or oxygen weighs about one gram, while one liter of hydrogen weighs less than 100 mg.
To transport these gases efficiently, it is necessary to increase their density and therefore reduce the volume they take up.
There are two ways to achieve it.
- The gases can be compressed. This entails significantly increasing their pressure up to 200 bars and in some cases up to 700 bars. These gases are then placed into cylinders that are made of steel or composite materials. They can also be delivered via gas pipes.
- Gases can also be liquefied by lowering their temperature: -183°C for oxygen, -196°C for nitrogen and even as low as -269°C for helium. Then, they are transported to the customer’s site where they are stored in specific tanks.
Gases can also be directly produced on Group customers’ site.
