Domestic production of polypropylene vertical hydrogen presses achieved! Hainan Refining & Chemical’s million-ton ethylene project is set to go into operation soon

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The domestic development project of the “polypropylene vertical hydrogen compressor”, in which Sinopec Hainan Refining & Chemical Co., Ltd. (hereinafter referred to as Hainan Refining & Chemical) was involved, has met the requirements of production technical standards after testing, and has recently passed the factory acceptance inspection. This production equipment will be put into use for the first time in Hainan Refining & Chemical’s million-ton ethylene project. The hydrogen compressor in the propylene plant is a pressurization device for polypropylene molecular weight regulators, and it is one of the key equipment in the loop-type polypropylene (STPP) plant. This compressor is specifically designed for transporting flammable and explosive substances, and requires extremely high levels of sealing safety; it has long relied on imports. To address issues such as long delivery times, high procurement costs, and expensive spare parts for imported hydrogen compressors, which pose constraints in this field, China began researching and developing domestic versions of vertical hydrogen compressors for polypropylene production facilities in 2018. On March 31, 2021, the Coordination Group for the localization of vertical hydrogen compressors used in polypropylene plants, led by Sinopec Engineering Construction Company and involving Sinopec’s Materials and Equipment Department, Hainan Refining & Chemical Industry, and Zhejiang Qiangsheng Compressor Manufacturing Co., Ltd., was established in Wenzhou, Zhejiang, to work on achieving this localization. After half a year of design and development, the test was successful on October 22, 2021, and the unit met the requirements for factory acceptance. This achievement broke the long-standing monopoly held by foreign companies in the field of hydrogen compressors for propylene plants. It enhanced China’s manufacturing capacity for hydrogen compressors, effectively addressed the issue of local production of small vertical hydrogen compressors, and provided strong support for ensuring the supply of equipment needed for Hainan Refining and Chemical’s million-ton ethylene project, thereby reducing the costs associated with purchasing equipment for this project. According to Huang Qize, an engineer at Hainan Refining and Chemical Industry, this unit possesses numerous independent intellectual property rights, and its manufacturing processes meet high standards; for example, the crankshaft is forged as a single piece and features a design without oil holes ； Cylinder forged as a whole ； The crankcase shaft extension end features a mechanical seal design, which helps to reduce wear and enhances the sealing performance through nitrogen filling in the crankcase. From design to production, this unit broke foreign technological monopolies and made a positive contribution to China’s equipment technology in the polypropylene plant sector.