MAN Diesel & Turbo's AR-MAX1 140 is a main compressor driven by a 64 MW electric motor and has been delivered to an Air Liquide air separation plant in Secunda, South Africa. Following successful acceptance tests and prior to shipping of the AR-MAX1 unit from the MAN works in Oberhausen (Germany) to the African continent, executives of the companies Sasol, Air Liquide and MAN Diesel & Turbo held a small event on June 21st in Oberhausen. Although it has been released for the market only recently, the AIRMAX concept has already been ordered for 19 trains, including a first running customer machine in Yulin (China).
This also includes 11 trains having been ordered for what will be the largest air separation plant in total, currently erected and commissioned at Yichuan (China). With the ongoing trend to larger, more energy-efficient air separation plants, the concept allows volume flows of up to 1.5 million m3 per hour, enabling a production capacity of up to 8,000 tons of oxygen per day.