Iran joins group of six countries capable of producing advanced cryogenic equipment

Iran has secured a place among the world’s six countries capable of designing and manufacturing advanced cryogenic equipment, a strategic and heavily sanctioned technology.

Cryogenic technology refers to equipment and processes used to produce, store, or transfer materials at extremely low temperatures — usually below minus 150 degrees Celsius — such as in LNG, gas, and petrochemical industries.

According to a report by Iran’s Vice Presidency for Science, Technology and Knowledge-Based Economy, Hadi Soheilipour, vice chairman of the board and market development director at Hila Viss Arena, a knowledge-based company, said they have fully developed the equipment domestically, from design to production.

“The product we have successfully localized is a fixed cryogenic unit used in petrochemical, refining, steel and copper industries, and all stages of its design and manufacturing are now carried out entirely inside the country,” Soheilipour said.

He noted that the equipment had been specifically listed under European Union and US sanctions imposed in 2009, making access to the technology highly restricted.

“Despite the sanctions, we focused on domestic development of this product years ago. Production infrastructure was fully established in 2020, and in 2021 the first completely indigenous unit was delivered to the South Pars Gas Complex,” he added.

Soheilipour explained that the cryogenic heat exchanger is designed to operate under extremely low temperatures and high pressure conditions and is widely used in olefin, PDH, LNG, oxygen and methanol units.

“In other words, this equipment is considered one of the key components and the heart of process units in industrial plants,” he said.

He stressed that only a limited number of companies worldwide possess the capability to design and manufacture such systems.

“At present, only a handful of international companies — including two Japanese firms, two European companies, one American company and several Chinese manufacturers — are capable of producing this equipment. Today, the Islamic Republic of Iran has also achieved the technical know-how and manufacturing capability, becoming the sixth country in the world to do so,” Soheilipour stated.

The official said the product has already entered the industrial operation stage and has shown successful performance in operational services.

He also revealed that the company is currently working on an export project with Venezuela’s PDV Gas involving the construction of five LNG unit boxes, adding that the project is in its final stages and will soon be exported.

Soheilipour said Hila Viss Arena employs more than 200 young specialists and experts and aims to further expand domestic technological capabilities and industrial production.

“This product is categorized among strategic and sanctioned equipment, and only a limited number of countries have the capability to produce it. At present, Hila Viss Arena is the only domestic manufacturer that has successfully brought the product to the industrial supply stage,” he said.

He added that several other Iranian companies are also attempting to acquire the technical expertise required for manufacturing the equipment.

“We welcome the emergence of new domestic capabilities in this field because increasing the number of local manufacturers will strengthen the country’s industrial capacity and help prevent imports of this strategic product,” Soheilipour highlighted.

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