【Ten Years of Rapid Development in Chemical Processing Equipment】Evaluation of the Application of \"Complete Set of Automatic Welding Technologies for Spherical Storage Tanks\" by Sinopec Nanjing Engineering, 2696–2025

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Let’s give praise and encouragement to the achievements made in China’s chemical engineering technology and equipment; your participation in discussions is the greatest encouragement. **********************【Ten Years of Great Development in Chemical Engineering Equipment】Regular updates and summaries are available; feel free to join the discussions: https://bbs.hcbbs.com/thread-3576046-1-1.html ***************** On September 18th, the Engineering Department of Sinopec Group held a review meeting in Nanjing to assess the application of \"complete set of automatic welding technologies for spherical storage tanks\". The review committee was formed by the China Special Equipment Safety and Energy Conservation Promotion Association, bringing together 11 industry experts. Shou Binnan from the Pressure Vessels Branch of the Chinese Mechanical Engineering Society served as the chairman of the committee, while the meeting was chaired by Wang Weiguo, the deputy secretary-general of the promotion association. The company outlined the strategic significance and overall progress of the development of automatic welding technology for spherical tanks. This technology covers various aspects such as all-position automatic welding processes, welding equipment, specialized welding wires, lean manufacturing of spherical shell plates, groove optimization, assembly processes, and information systems. It is a first of its kind both domestically and internationally, bringing about a fundamental transformation in traditional spherical tank construction techniques. The Storage and Transportation Engineering Branch presented an overview of the project’s technology development and applications. The collaborating units, Lansi Heavy Equipment, Shandong Juli, Kunshan Anyiyuan, and Hefei General Research Institute, gave reports on various aspects of research and development, including lean manufacturing, wire rod development, equipment design, and the evaluation of the test performance of wire rods. The experts on the review committee posed questions and conducted discussions on aspects such as technical foresight, economic benefits, and promotion and application, to which the project team members provided answers one by one. This set of technologies overcomes multiple key technical barriers, boasts excellent comprehensive performance indicators, and creates a unique technical advantage for China. It represents an important achievement in advancing the construction of spherical tanks toward higher standards of sophistication, intelligence, and sustainability; it is recommended that its adoption and promotion be accelerated. Han Lei said that the technical breakthroughs achieved by Nanjing Engineering Company in the field of spherical tank construction are inspiring, and he expressed hope that the company will continue to achieve excellent results in both domestic and international markets. He emphasized that proper compliance must be ensured when applying new technologies, and the municipal authorities will continue to support the company’s development in this regard. Chen Suqi delivered a concluding speech, in which he emphasized that the engineering construction sector of Sinopec should focus on technology as the foundation for its development, promote the deep integration of innovative achievements with practical engineering applications, and continuously strengthen its core competitiveness. He put forward three requirements for the next steps: raising awareness and earnestly implementing the review comments. Nanjing Engineering Company and all collaborating units must work together to optimize and upgrade welding processes, automated equipment, specialized welding materials, and information management systems. Guided by the review comments, they should continue to pursue technical advancements and integrated innovation to ensure that the outcomes of the meeting are put into practice. Strengthen demonstration and leadership, and ensure the promotion and application of these projects. Systematically summarize the experience gained from the Jiujiang project, deepen the application of the Maoming Petrochemical project, create model projects, and develop models that can be replicated and promoted elsewhere. Promote the development and improvement of relevant process standards, quality acceptance criteria, and safety operating procedures, establish enterprise and industry standard systems, ensure quality control and traceability throughout the entire process, and enhance the intrinsic safety level of large spherical tanks. Conduct cost analysis to help reduce costs and improve efficiency in projects. Establish a scientific cost analysis model to comprehensively evaluate the overall economic benefits of this technology in terms of equipment investment, labor savings, quality improvement, shortened project timelines, and safety advantages. By focusing on key areas, efforts are made to reduce costs through the coordinated improvement of processes and equipment; technological upgrades enable overall optimization of efficiency, quality, and costs, thereby creating a positive cycle of \"technology-economics-safety\" and enhancing the sustainability of the dissemination of these achievements.