【Ten Years of Rapid Development in Chemical Equipment】The First Domestic Large-Scale Plate-and-Shell Heat Exchanger for a 650,000-ton/year Phenol Propionic Acid Plant, 1180–2021

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Looking at the development of chemical technology over the past decade, we celebrate the prosperity and strength of modern China. This is just a starting point to encourage further discussion among everyone; with your participation, things will become even more interesting. [Ten Years of Progress in Chemical Equipment] – Continuous updates and summaries are available; feel free to join the discussions: https://bbs.hcbbs.com/thread-3576046-1-1.html. It is important to enhance quality awareness and promote high-quality development. ----------------------------------------- On February 20, 2021, the first domestically produced large-scale plate-and-shell heat exchanger for phenol propylene units, with an annual capacity of 650,000 tons – specifically, the top condenser of the pre-vaporization tower – was put into use. This marked a new chapter in the localization of such heat exchangers for phenol propylene units. The top condenser of the pre-vaporization flash tower is a key equipment in the concentration unit of the phenol propylcate plant; its main function is to condense and cool large volumes of gas at high vacuum conditions ； This device is closely tied to specific process requirements, making technical development difficult; as a result, it has long been monopolized by foreign manufacturers. Lanke High-Tech established a specialized technical research team. Leveraging its years of expertise in high-efficiency heat transfer as well as in the construction of large-scale petrochemical plate-and-shell heat exchangers, and through more than a year of strenuous efforts, it successfully overcame numerous technical challenges, including the development of special plate designs for high-flow, low-resistance condensation applications, the forming and welding of 2507 super duplex steel, the reliable design of large-scale negative-pressure thin-walled composite structures and the development of systems for managing thermal expansion, as well as the high-precision manufacturing and assembly processes for heavy, ultra-long plate bundles. As a result, multiple patentable technologies were created, bringing the company’s capabilities to an internationally advanced level. The successful development of this device marks the entry of Lanke High-Tech’s core product, the plate-and-shell heat exchanger, into the field of fine chemicals. It demonstrates the company’s capability to carry out in-depth development of key process equipment, enabling China to achieve self-sufficiency in terms of the core heat exchange equipment used in phenol propylene plants. This breaks the long-standing reliance on imported equipment, fills a gap in domestic production, and will bring the expected economic benefits to users.