【Haichuan’s Best Practices】Reorganized ammonia compressor self-service online refueling system – saves time and effort

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“Since the self-service fueling system was introduced, there’s no need to transport the lubricant tanks back and forth anymore; it can be done in half an hour, saving both time and effort. ”Compared to the previous manual refueling process, Chen Ruojian, the shift leader of Guangzhou Petrochemical’s Refining Department 2, has deep feelings on this matter. 　　The ammonia compressor C203 of Guangzhou Petrochemical’s No. 2 reforming unit serves primarily to provide a cooling source for the recapture system, thereby recovering the hydrogen-containing gases from the reforming reaction. To ensure the reliable operation of the unit, approximately 150 liters of lubricant must be added to the ammonia compressor on a monthly basis. Before this, adding lubricating oil was mainly done by closing the inlet valve of the unit to create a negative pressure, which was used to draw the lubricating oil into the machine; each refueling process took more than 5 hours. During the refueling process, air may be drawn into the unit along with the lubricating oil, where it is compressed to form non-condensable gas, affecting the operation of the unit. A reduced opening of the inlet valve can also lead to a decrease in the system’s cooling capacity, thereby impacting the process production system. Since the refueling point is located on the second-floor platform above the engine compartment entrance, it is necessary to manually transport the lubricant, which requires a lot of physical effort. 　　To address the challenges related to fueling, ensure the safe and stable operation of the units to the greatest extent possible, and at the same time reduce the burden on frontline staff, Guangzhou Petrochemical established a specialized task force to carry out comprehensive technical research. By taking into account the operating conditions of the unit as well as practical aspects of maintenance, they developed a new type of self-service online fueling system. This system uses diaphragm pumps to pressurize the lubricating oil, which is then fed into the fueling pipeline, thereby enabling self-service fueling for the ammonia compressors. This approach helps to avoid disruptions to the process system and reduces labor costs. 　　Recently, this self-service online fueling device has been successfully applied to the ammonia compressor in Unit 2 reformer. The results showed that the time required for a single refueling of the ammonia compressor was reduced to about 30 minutes; the flow of ammonia liquid during refueling was stable, and the unit operated smoothly.