| Have you ever heard of liquid air? The process of | | | | pressurized air at the exchanger outlet. It was a simple |
| liquifying air was a major scientific achievement that | | | | and inexpensive matter to extract the oxygen from |
| took place over 100 years ago. Even after 100 years | | | | this liquefied air. If liquifying air sounds like a mystical |
| there are only a few companies that liquify air, which is | | | | process now, in an age full of advanced technology, |
| probably why you've never heard of it before. | | | | just imagine what people thought of Georges Claude |
| Liquifying air is a cheap way to isolate different gasses | | | | when he told the world he was going to form a |
| like oxygen and nitrogen.The task of liquefying air | | | | company that liquified air!The company he formed is |
| began in 1892, when Frenchman Georges Claude | | | | called Air Liquide, and it is now the world leader in |
| began working with acetylene. At the time, acetylene | | | | industrial and medical gases and similar services. Air |
| was thought to be a very promising substance as it | | | | Liquide's core business is to supply oxygen, nitrogen, |
| was used in lighting fixtures, but it was very difficult to | | | | hydrogen, and other gasses and services to all kinds |
| produce and transport. Georges Claude worked out a | | | | of industries. Steel, oil refining, chemicals, glass, |
| method for liquefying air in order to remove its | | | | electronics, healthcare, food processing, metallurgy, |
| different components and isolate the oxygen. Oxygen | | | | paper, and aerospace are all industries that employ Air |
| had nothing to do with acetylene at the time, except | | | | Liquide products and services. With a global presence |
| Claude felt that using oxygen could help reduce costs | | | | of 130 subsidiaries in over 70 countries. What began |
| of producing the fires necessary to separate | | | | as a small private experiment to build the components |
| acetylene.When Georges Claude heard that a scientist | | | | of old light bulbs has grown into a major modern |
| named Carl von Linde had managed to liquefy air, | | | | company.Air Liquide is a private carrier, which means it |
| Claude set out to do it himself but vowed to do it | | | | maintains its own fleet and hires truck drivers. Because |
| faster and more efficiently. During the day he worked | | | | Air Liquide is such a diverse, international company, |
| as an engineer at Thomson-Houston and he spent his | | | | driving jobs with Air Liquide are stable, well supported |
| nights conducting tests in an old warehouse. For two | | | | positions. Solo Air Liquide drivers can expect to be |
| years he worked with a second-hand expansion | | | | home 80-90% of the time and make between $50,000 |
| engine, conducting experiments by trial and error to | | | | and $70,000 a year depending on the type of run and |
| solve all his technical problems. When he needed to | | | | work performance. Air Liquide provides benefits like |
| lubricate refrigerated moving parts he replaced oil with | | | | medical and life insurance, performance benefits, ample |
| petroleum ether so it would remain liquid down to 140 | | | | vacation time, flexible spending accounts, and quarterly |
| degrees. To seal moving parts he used dry leather | | | | profit sharing. As Air Liquide grows and succeeds, so |
| packing between the piston and the cylinder liner.And | | | | do each of its employees! If you are interested in a |
| finally, after all these small tricks were put in place, he | | | | truck driving job, you should apply here to drive for Air |
| succeeded! He created a system using cold air from | | | | Liquide, or to find out more about Air Liquide. |
| the expansion cylinder to liquefy pre-cooled | | | | |