Twenty years ago, industrial gases were supplied through three methods — packaged gases, including cylinders and dewars; on-site bulk fills; and on-site gas generation.
While bulk fills and on-site gas generation are highly effective for large volume end users, a precipitous gap existed for packaged gas users whose needs were of a significant volume, but not quite at the levels where bulk deliveries made economic sense. The market was ripe for the introduction of micro-bulk and small bulk as a viable, and much welcomed, delivery method for industrial gases.
Micro-bulk is a modern concept where the customer’s gas is supplied by filling on-site versus the traditional delivery method for smaller volume users where gas is supplied by swapping full for empty cylinders and dewars, according to Air Products, an industrial gas supplier based in Allentown, Pennsylvania. Micro-bulk supply features specially designed tank trucks with integrated controls and flexible storage tank options built with automatic shutoff devices. End usage can be provided as pure gases, cryogenic liquids, or gaseous mixtures via a blender installed at the customer’s site.
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