Gasunie's Zuidbroek Nitrogen Factory is taking shape, Zuidbroek
It started for PMF with winning the tender for 6 cyclone separators for the Gasunie mixing station, followed by the delivery and assembly of the equipment for sampling and flow metering.
For the production installation, we were able to supply and assemble the pipe bridges, primary supporting steel as well as the stairs and platforms for the production installations from our location in Zuidbroek. In addition, we supported the main contractor with the installation and welding of piping systems.
The nitrogen plant is necessary due to the strategy to reduce gas production in in Groningen. Instead, gas will be imported from Russia and Norway in particular. Because gas from the Netherlands has a different composition to the imported gas it is necessary to add approximately eight percent nitrogen so that this can be used with appliances here in the Netherlands. This addition of nitrogen will soon happen at Zuidbroek.
The nitrogen is extracted from the outside air. The air is purified in the factory, and the nitrogen is separated from the oxygen in the high columns that you see. This happens at temperatures of 180 to 185 degrees below zero.
The nitrogen is then mixed under pressure with imported gas in a mixing station next to the factory.
The factory in Zuidbroek will be able to produce 180,000 cubic meters of nitrogen per hour, with which a maximum of 10 billion cubic meters of imported natural gas per year can be brought to the desired quality.
