Large-scale equipment upgrades: chemical companies are taking action. Have the opportunities for chemical machinery enterprises arrived?

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Following the \"Action Plan for Promoting Large-Scale Equipment Upgrades and the Exchange of Consumer Goods for New Ones,\" many chemical companies have recently taken prompt action to carry out large-scale equipment upgrades. 　　Henan Anhua Group Company carefully studied the relevant policies, maintained thorough communication with the local Development and Reform Commission as well as the Department of Industry and Information Technology, and also exchanged ideas with the Provincial Equipment Management Association, third-party service agencies, and other enterprises in the industry, striving actively to plan for project development and application processes. 　　Chen Ruyi, the head of the Mechanical Power Department at Anhua Group Company, said that most of the production facilities at Anhua have been in operation for over 15 years. In accordance with the requirements of the relevant plan, the company has formulated a equipment renewal plan for the period 2024–2027, aiming to invest tens of millions of yuan each year in equipment upgrades. To date, the company has registered 3 equipment renewal projects with the National Development and Reform Commission, and it will continue to intensify its efforts in equipment renewal with a focus on energy conservation, carbon reduction, as well as safety and environmental protection. 　　Following the introduction of the Plan, Henan Xinlianxin Chemical Industry Group Co., Ltd., building on its previous efforts to upgrade its equipment, has continued to focus on improving energy-saving equipment. It has pushed forward with technical upgrades aimed at reducing energy consumption and carbon emissions in its nitrogen fertilizer production systems, updating some of the existing production units and equipment to enhance the system’s energy efficiency and help reduce energy use and carbon emissions. Additionally, it has upgraded the process technologies and equipment used in its compound fertilizer production system at the Xinxiang facility, thereby further improving production efficiency and product quality. Secondly, continuous improvements are being made in the upgrading of intelligent equipment; the fertilizer logistics system at the Xinxiang facility has been upgraded with intelligent technologies, including automatic loading systems, driverless forklifts, and smart warehousing solutions. This has enhanced logistics efficiency, reduced labor intensity, and ensured production safety ； At the same time, nearly 7 million yuan was invested in introducing intelligent inspection equipment such as drones and smart inspection robots into the production system at the Jiangxi facility. From 2024 to 2027, Xinlianxin Company will invest approximately 3.5 billion yuan in equipment upgrades. 　　Li Jizhou, general manager of Hengtong Chemical Company under Lu’an Chemical Industry Group, said that promoting large-scale equipment upgrades is of great significance for accelerating the phasing out of outdated and inefficient equipment and facilitating the high-quality development of enterprises. Based on the actual conditions of Hengtong Chemical, the company plans to invest 37.75 million yuan to upgrade 467 sets of equipment, covering facilities for chlor-alkali production, olefins, resins, hydrogen peroxide, etc., in order to improve the overall level of the company’s equipment. 　　“Every year, we phase out a batch of outdated processing equipment, and through upgrades, renovations, or replacements, we drive industrial optimization, technological progress, product iteration, and equipment upgrading in order to consolidate and strengthen our cost advantage. ”Yu Fuhong, deputy general manager and chief engineer of Shandong Hualu Hengsheng Chemical Co., Ltd., said that this year the company took advantage of the rare opportunity to carry out large-scale equipment upgrades, scheduling nearly 40 technical improvement projects aimed at reducing consumption through system optimization, utilization of low-grade thermal energy, steam and electricity savings. At the same time, intelligent manufacturing equipment and software were employed to promote ‘intelligent transformation’, ‘digital transformation’ and ‘network connectivity’. 　　A responsible official from Jiangsu Huachang Chemical Co., Ltd. said that they have already established a list of projects for large-scale equipment upgrades, aiming to renew the existing production equipment; these upgrades include intelligent modifications to the ammonia synthesis plants as well as measures to reduce energy consumption and carbon emissions in the urea production facilities. The former obtained its construction permit in April this year and has entered the construction phase. 　　“The energy-saving and carbon-reduction technological upgrade project for the urea plant involves converting the existing two urea production units with a total capacity of 400,000 tons per year into one urea production unit using the ultra-low energy consumption (ULE) carbon dioxide stripping process, while retaining the granulation tower and the auxiliary facilities related to urea production. The new device utilizes a ultra-low energy consumption urea production process developed by the Dutch company Stamicarbon, featuring low energy use and a high level of intelligence and automation. The project is scheduled to begin construction next year and be completed by June 2027; it is currently in the design and preliminary approval phase, with all investments coming from own funds. ”The company’s manager said. 　　After the release of the Plan, some chemical enterprises formulated equipment renewal plans based on their own circumstances. Henan Zhongyuan Dahua Group Company established a dedicated leadership team for equipment renewal to define the objectives and safeguard measures, and formulated specific work plans. 　　Chen Tao, general manager of the Mechanical Power Department at Zhongyuan Dahua, said that in the future the company will pursue energy-saving upgrades for key equipment, implement the \"One Transformation and Three Modernizations\" initiative (where digital transformation drives the advancement of manufacturing in terms of sophistication, intelligence, and sustainability), and make significant efforts to upgrade heat exchangers, reactors, transformers, as well as power generation, transmission, and distribution equipment. Efforts are being made to promote the use of green equipment and to improve the level of intrinsic safety; a number of equipment renewal projects have been planned, such as the replacement of dust collection filters on power unit 3# and high-pressure ammonia heaters, with a total investment of nearly 25 million yuan. Upgrade outdated and inefficient equipment; in accordance with mandatory standards regarding energy consumption, emissions, safety, and the requirements set out in the equipment phasing-out lists, eliminate equipment that has exceeded its service life, is outdated and inefficient, has high energy consumption and emission levels, or poses safety risks. If it is planned to replace a section of the gas collection pipe below the synthesis furnace, as well as the urea synthesis tower ； Implement reforms to the fertilizer and methanol air compressor units. The total investment in equipment renovation is 250 million yuan. 　　Some companies have also put forward suggestions regarding the implementation of the Plan: they hope that the government will issue relevant detailed rules to enhance its practicality, such as specific policies for equipment replacement in the chemical industry. Other companies suggest organizing more policy interpretation activities such as \"policy briefings in enterprises\" to help them understand the relevant policies aimed at supporting businesses in a more timely and accurate manner.