Plant revitalizes Canadian helium resource industry with pioneering Linde Membrane/ PSA technology

Linde Engineering and Weil Group Resources, LLC announce commercial operation of helium purification technology in Saskatchewan

MANKOTA, SK, /CNW/ – Linde Engineering, along with its customer Weil Group Resources, announced today the formal commencement of operations in Mankota, Saskatchewan.  This first-of-its-kind helium purification facility uses a hybrid process of Membrane and PSA (Pressure Swing Adsorption) technology and promises to revitalize the Canadian helium resource industry.  Provincial government officials, as well as company and contractor personnel, celebrated the facility’s opening this morning.

Helium tube-trailer deliveries to customers began last month from the Linde designed and engineered plant, owned and operated by Weil Resources Group, which uses a unique process to enrich wellhead gas with a 1-2% helium concentration to high grade, industrial (99.999%) quality product.  The project has been recognized by the Saskatchewan government as bringing new life to the helium industry in Saskatchewan, where the element was discovered in the early 1960s, but has been dormant ever since.

“Linde is proud to play a role in providing industrial gas purification expertise and technology to this project.  We appreciate the collaboration with Weil Group as pioneers in this field.  It has required innovative design and process elements.  It is rewarding to see new concepts come to life with good success,” says Linde Engineering Executive Vice President Tobias Keller.

Weil CEO, Jeff Vogt, said, “Weil has revitalized a 60 year old industry in Saskatchewan by our commissioning of the first high quality helium purification facility in Canada. The $12 million facility will process 10 million standard cubic feet of feed gas to high quality, purified helium (99.999%) for industrial customers in Canada and the western U.S. We are grateful for our alliance with Linde Engineering and appreciate their quality, technological leadership and reliability in this unique arena.  The plant is an impressive result of collaboration between our teams.  We look to replicate that soon in neighboring projects.”

For more information about Weil Group Resources visit www.weil-group.com
For more information about The Linde Group visit www.linde.com