Universal Industrial Gases, Inc....Engineering and Site Services

UIG has a wide range of home office and site services capabilities available to support the sale and installation of plants, and start up, operation and maintenance of customer-owned and UCG-owned-and-operated plants.

Capabilities include project development, project management, process design, cold box design, plant layout, mechanical and civil design, electrical, controls and instrumentation design, procurement, construction, plant relocation and refurbishment management, commissioning, start-up and follow-on operations and maintenance support. UIG utilizes a mix of in-house resources and specialized contract resources to support the full array of its activities in a cost-effective and highly responsive fashion.

During project evaluation and proposal development, UIG reviews customer needs, desires and priorities, examines expected variations in ambient conditions, operating conditions and delivery rates and makes initial determinations regarding the best fit in terms of process and physical equipment. Additional information about the proposed plant site is often gathered to ensure it is suitable and to determine the best arrangement of equipment on the site. Factors included in these more detailed analyses include the size of the site, distance and direction to the product use point, locations for tie-ins to utility systems, access, drainage, etc. The project development team may include process and project managers, potential equipment suppliers and specialized design engineering and field services subcontractors, with the mix of personnel dependent upon the type of project, its anticipated complexity and timing.

UIG may propose an all-new plant or one that includes both new and used equipment. Alternatives are compared on the basis of first cost, operating costs, schedule requirements, operational features and customer evaluation criteria.

UIG develops an optimal design around customer requirements, including consideration of off-design operations. Work products include process flow diagrams and heat and material balance analyses, process and instrumentation diagrams and equipment specifications. Assumptions and decisions are continually reviewed as more information is developed. The final process design is then turned over to detailed design groups to develop final mechanical designs, procurement and fabrication specifications.

UIG prepares equipment arrangement drawings, plot plans, and designs for vessels and piping, instrumentation, control and electrical systems, machinery, structures and foundations. Specialized engineering contractors supplement in-house staff as required.

UIG develops procurement packages and solicits bids from its network of qualified equipment, machinery, and materials suppliers, fabricators, construction and repair contractors. All proposals are evaluated to ensure full compliance with UIG and customer specifications. Orders are placed, work scheduled and expedited as necessary.

Experienced UIG supervisors are available to manage all required field activities from site preparation, through equipment erection, mechanical completion, commissioning, checkout, operator training, and startup. In the case of plant relocations, UIG also provides plant dismantlement, transportation and refurbishment services.

Field work may be performed by UIG-supplied field forces or by qualified local contractors that have been selected by the plant purchaser.

UIG works with customer operations and maintenance personnel to provide ongoing training and other assistance tailored to each customer’s specific situation and needs. The same group of operations support personnel hire and train local operations personnel who monitor Universal Cryo Gas plants, make periodic adjustments to operating parameters to reflect changes in customer demand, check and calibrate instrumentation, perform minor maintenance, arrange for outside support for more complex maintenance tasks, and maintain inventories of supplies and materials. They provide ongoing home office technical, operational, maintenance and procurement support to local UCG operations personnel.