【Project in Progress】Jilin Petrochemical’s 40,000-ton/year EPDM production facility has entered the equipment installation phase

Thread Content

On February 2, 2024, with the monomer flash tower T-5201 of the plant capable of producing 40,000 tons per year of EPDM rubber at Jilin Petrochemical’s refining and chemical processing facility being firmly installed on its base, it marked the point at which the plant truly reached the stage where the towers were in place and the equipment was ready for use, thus officially entering the equipment installation phase. “The plant with an annual production capacity of 40,000 tons of EPDM rubber has a total of 15 towers, and this is the 5th tower to be installed. Given the importance of the monomer flash tower to the entire plant, its installation is a milestone. ”Lü Jingjing, the person in charge of the organic synthesis plant project for the transformation and upgrading of refining and chemical operations at Jilin Petrochemical Company, explained. The plant with an annual production capacity of 40,000 tons of EPDM is one of the 28 new and renovated (expanded) plants as part of Jilin Petrochemical’s project to transform and upgrade its refining and chemical manufacturing operations; construction on it began in December 2022. The unit is equipped with 2 single-stage flash towers, namely T-5201 and T-6201. The monomer flash tower is a key piece of equipment in the main process flow of the EPDM production plant. It is used to flash-vent the unreacted monomers in the rubber solution so that they can be reused in the polymerization reaction. This not only helps to ensure that the rubber solution is not affected by fluctuations in the gas and liquid phases during washing, but also enables the washing unit to achieve an initial washing temperature while reducing steam consumption. Jilin Petrochemical is the first domestic manufacturer of EPDM rubber, ranking second in terms of production capacity in the country. It offers more than 20 different grades of this product, which are used in over a dozen industries such as lubricants, seals, and hoses, and it holds a significant influence within the industry. In recent years, with the continuous development of high-end, differentiated, and customized new products, Jilin Petrochemical’s production of EPDM has been increasing year by year. In 2023, the export volume of binary EPDM exceeded 10,000 tons for the first time, boosting its reputation within the industry and making it an important revenue-generating product for Jilin Petrochemical. “To accelerate the ‘three transformations’ – from refining to chemicals, from chemicals to materials, and from materials to high-end products – and to increase the production and sales of high-value chemical products, the company has planned to build a new facility with an annual production capacity of 40,000 tons of EPDM rubber. ”Zhang Guanying, a first-level engineer at the organic synthesis plant, explained. According to Zhang Guanying, the process technology used in this device is an in-house set of technologies developed by Jilin Petrochemical, enabling independent control over the key core technologies related to EPDM rubber. Once the plant began operation, the Project Management Department for Transformation and Upgrading at Jilin Petrochemical, the project management team for the central area, and the various construction units worked together in a coordinated manner, adopting a \"list-based\" management approach. By overcoming challenges such as tight deadlines, heavy workload, high difficulties, insufficient personnel, and complex tasks, they were able to advance the construction of the plant efficiently and with high quality. “We are fully aware of the importance of transformation and upgrading projects for the company’s future development as well as for the comprehensive revitalization of the Northeast region; it is our undeniable responsibility to build a high-quality EPDM production facility. All members of our project management team worked overtime voluntarily, giving up holidays, and strictly monitored safety, quality, and progress in order to turn this facility into a benchmark project in the industry and enable it to start operating as soon as possible. ”Lü Jingjing said. In December 2022, the design drawings for the first batch of pile foundations for the facility were completed ； In February 2023, construction of the main underground pipeline network began ； In March 2023, work on the civil engineering foundations began ； In October 2023, the first unit was delivered to the site... It is expected that the plant with an annual production capacity of 40,000 tons of EPDM rubber will reach completion by April 2025, and begin operations in June of the same year. Once the facility is completed and put into operation, Jilin Petrochemical’s annual production capacity for EPDM will reach 125,000 tons, allowing it to fully leverage its scale advantages and further enhance the differentiation of its products.