【Ten Years of Rapid Development in Chemical Engineering Equipment】2842-2025 **The research on ‘Key Technologies for Surface Treatment of Storage Tanks in Pipeline Systems, as well as the Development and Industrial Application of Intelligent Maintenance Equipment’ has been evaluated as being at an internationally leading level】

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Let’s give praise and support 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】A continuously updated summary post is available – feel free to join the discussions: https://bbs.hcbbs.com/thread-3576046-1-1.html ***************** Recently, the project \"Research, Development, and Industrial Application of Key Technologies for Tank Surface Treatment and Intelligent Maintenance Systems\", carried out jointly by **West Pipeline Company of Pipeline Group** and **Central Plastics (Tianjin) Co., Ltd. under Pipeline Group’s Production Department**, was evaluated as being at an internationally leading level. It marks a historic leap in China’s technology for anti-corrosion overhauls of large storage tanks, shifting from \"inefficient manual methods\" to \"high-end, intelligent, and environmentally friendly approaches\". To address the industry challenges associated with high safety risks, low construction efficiency, and strict environmental regulations in tank overhauls, Western Pipeline Company launched specialized technical research in 2022. After three years of intensive effort, the project team developed a core technical framework: they created modular wall-climbing robots that are compatible with various processing devices such as femtosecond lasers and high-pressure water jets, enabling flexible operation on complex structures like the floors, vertical surfaces, and vaults of storage tanks ； Develop nano-modified solvent-free epoxy thick-coat anti-corrosion coatings and related technologies to ensure compliance with standards after just one coating application, thereby eliminating the reliance on manual labor in traditional processes from the source. Since 2024, this technology has been implemented on a large scale at various facilities in Shanshan, Dushanzi, Korla, and other locations; it is applicable to storage tanks of different sizes, ranging from 100,000 cubic meters to 10,000 cubic meters, with a total treated area exceeding 20,000 square meters. The application has shown significant results: the first-pass qualification rate for task quality is 100%, and its performance metrics exceed **the standards ； The safety factor for high-risk operations has been increased by over 60%, significantly reducing the risks associated with work at heights ； Moreover, wet processing is used for environmental protection to ensure no dust emission, and solvent-free coatings prevent the evaporation of VOCs, thus fully meeting environmental requirements ； Thick film spraying efficiency increases by 51%–81%, significantly reducing project timelines. By focusing on the technical weaknesses in this industry and promoting the deep integration of technological innovation and industrial innovation, this project has achieved significant breakthroughs in key areas such as efficient surface treatment of large storage tanks, one-time thick-coating processing, and the integration of mobile modular units. It addresses the existing problems associated with traditional multi-stage spraying processes, including high reliance on manual labor, excessive VOC emissions, and construction constraints caused by weather conditions. This approach is in line with the safety management philosophy of \"replacing manual labor with machinery, reducing the need for human intervention through automation, and achieving fully automated operations.\" It provides essential technical support for improving efficiency and enabling a green transformation in the field of tank maintenance. The appraisal committee unanimously concluded that this achievement possesses independent intellectual property rights, and its overall technology is at the international advanced level; in particular, the femtosecond laser surface treatment for storage tanks and the solvent-free epoxy one-time thick coating technology are at the international leading level. On November 5 of that previous year, this achievement stood out at the 2025 China Equipment Operation, Maintenance, and Renovation Conference, winning the special prize among more than 90 industry leaders including COFCO, Shanghai Zhenhua Heavy Industry, and China State Shipbuilding. It is reported that this achievement is not only an important initiative by the Pipeline Network Group in advancing new-type industrialization, but it also establishes a replicable and scalable new model for \"intelligent maintenance\". Its technical capabilities extend beyond the petrochemical industry; it can be widely applied to meet the surface treatment and corrosion protection needs in various fields such as rail transit bridges and tunnels, port warehouses, and power plant facilities, offering an efficient and environmentally friendly \"pipeline solution\" for common challenges across different industries. In the future, the project team will continue to improve the level of intelligence in these equipment systems and expand their application areas, thereby facilitating a comprehensive transformation of the tank maintenance industry toward higher standards of sophistication, intelligence, and sustainability. This will provide sustained momentum for the upgrading of China’s industrial infrastructure maintenance systems.