BOC Gases Begins Supplying Hydrogen To Valero Refinery In Ohio

Murray Hill, NJ - BOC Gases, a member of The Linde Group, industrial gases and engineering company, has begun supplying hydrogen for cleaner fuel production from its hydrogen plant in Lima, Ohio.

The plant, which is capable of producing over 20 million standard cubic feet a day of hydrogen, began operating this fall, supplying Valero's 170,000 barrel-a-day Lima oil refinery with hydrogen for use in a new diesel hydrotreating unit. The new unit will help Valero meet or exceed the standards set by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency's Tier 2 cleaner fuel regulation for ultra low sulfur diesel fuel.

The hydrogen plant, located on Valero's site, is BOC's second in Lima. The other, a 12 MMSCFD plant supplies a nearby chemical facility for production of butanediol (BDO). In 2006, BOC has had some 175 million standard cubic feet a day of hydrogen that came on-stream in the U.S., as hydrogen plants in Toledo, Ohio and Salt Lake City, Utah, also began operating.

"BOC is pleased to support Valero in its efforts to protect our environment. We worked with Valero to develop a cost effective solution that enables them to meet consumers' energy demands. The hydrogen capacity enables Valero to process a variety of crude oil slates, a key consideration given the increasing amount of heavier, sour crudes coming to market," said Jim Quain, business manager, BOC Process Gas Solutions.

Pat Murphy, North America regional business unit head for Linde, said, "Around the world, BOC and Linde have decades of expertise in designing and safely delivering hydrogen supply schemes tailored to meet customers' unique needs. Our plants' reliability, which is critical to this business, is among the highest and continually rising. We also have the highest commitment to ensuring the safety of our employees, customers and neighbors."

SOURCE: Valero Energy Corporation, Linde Group and BOC corporate communications