The cold box of Tower 1 in the air separation unit of Tarim’s 1.2 million tons/year Phase II ethylene project has been successfully hoisted into place

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On August 4, the lifting team of CPECC First Construction Company made significant progress on the Tarim 1.2 million tons per year Phase II ethylene project at Dushanbe Petrochemical Company, successfully lifting and installing the cold box of Tower No. 1 of the air separation plant. As an important \"gas supply support center\" for the project, the main tower cryogenic tank and the main heat exchange cryogenic tank of the air separation plant are the core equipment for achieving gas separation and heat exchange. This lifting operation not only overcame the challenges associated with installing large-scale precision equipment, but also integrated green and low-carbon principles throughout the process, contributing to the creation of a \"green ethylene\" production facility at the air separation plant. It is reported that the air separation unit of this project is responsible for providing high-quality oxygen and nitrogen to the ethylene plant, with its main tower cryogenic tank and main heat exchanger tank serving as the \"core components\" of the entire air separation unit. Given the characteristics of the equipment, namely large size and high precision, the construction team incorporated low-carbon considerations while adopting the \"single-host lifting and delivery method\". The LR1400—2 type 400t crawler crane is used as the main lifting device, supplemented by a 220t truck crane for lifting the tail. By using BIM technology to simulate the lifting path in advance, unnecessary operations resulting from direction adjustments after the equipment is lifted are effectively reduced, thereby lowering the energy consumption associated with the machine running idly. In addition, high-strength torsion-free steel wire ropes are used for the lifting devices, which not only ensures safety but also reduces material waste by about 30% compared to traditional lifting devices, thanks to their high reuse rate. To ensure the precise positioning of the equipment, digital simulations are used prior to lifting to identify any interference from surrounding pipe racks and steel structures, thereby avoiding prolonged operation of the machinery due to on-site adjustments. This lifting operation was completed 1.5 hours earlier than planned, resulting in a reduction of diesel consumption by about 0.3 tons, which is equivalent to a reduction in carbon dioxide emissions of 0.8 tons. Two total stations were used to monitor the verticality of the equipment in real time; as a result, the alignment error of the cold box of Tower No. 1 was only 3.2 mm, which is well below the 31 mm allowed by the design. This precise installation prevented increased operational energy consumption due to any deviation of the equipment later on. Temporary solar lighting is used on site, and biodegradable protective materials are employed in the lifting command area to reduce carbon emissions and waste generation during construction.