【Ten Years of Rapid Development in Chemical Equipment】Commissioning of the Multi-functional Solution Polymerization Pilot Plant at the Beijing Institute of Chemical Technology’s Tianjin Scientific Testing Base, 2007–2024

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Safety first. Prevention first – let’s give praise and support to the achievements made in China’s chemical engineering technology and equipment. **********************【Ten Years of Rapid Development in Chemical Engineering Equipment】Ongoing updates and summaries available; feel free to join the discussions at https://bbs.hcbbs.com/thread-3576046-1-1.html (Source: Haichuan Chemical Engineering Forum) ***************** On November 16th, the multi-functional solution polymerization pilot plant at the Beijing Research Institute of Chemical Technology’s Tianjin testing facility successfully completed the entire production process in just one attempt! The multi-functional solution polymerization pilot plant utilizes the solution polymerization technology independently developed by the Beijing Institute of Chemical Technology, along with catalysts also developed internally, to produce a range of new vinyl elastomer products; it serves as an important platform for the research and development of new material technologies. For this drive, departments such as the New Product Development Office, the Tianjin Science and Testing Base, and the Department of Safety and Environmental Protection worked together closely, made thorough preparations, and went all out. By overcoming various challenges such as tight deadlines, lack of operational experience, and the need to get the equipment and instruments up and running, they managed to achieve the ideal operating condition: a reaction was initiated just half an hour after the catalyst was fed, and the entire system was operational after 11 hours. The successful operation of this vehicle fully demonstrated the sense of responsibility, innovative capabilities, and technical expertise of the researchers at Beijing Institute of Chemical Technology. Vinyl polyolefin elastomer: Vinyl polyolefin elastomer (EPOE) refers to a type of vinyl polyolefin elastomer that can be produced using only ethylene as a raw material, without the need for α-olefin monomers such as 1-octene. Currently, several domestic organizations are successfully advancing the research, development, and industrialization of E-POE. Among them, Dongming Petrochemical has adopted Zhongke Keler’s technology and successfully completed the topping-out of its pilot plant with a capacity of 5,000 tons per year in July 2024; the pilot plant is expected to come online within this year. The unique soft-hard segment structure arising from special catalytic systems forms the basis for the synthesis of E-POE. The first group in China to work on EPOE development was that led by Professor Chen Changle from the University of Science and Technology of China. Professor Chen Changle graduated from the Department of Chemistry at the University of Science and Technology of China with a bachelor’s degree; his research team focuses primarily on the design and synthesis of novel transition metal catalysts, as well as the polymerization and copolymerization of olefins and polar monomers. Teacher Chen Changle is the founder and actual controller of Hefei Zhongke Keler. Professor Chen’s team developed nickel catalysts with asymmetric α-diamine ligands. By taking advantage of the unique \"chain walking\" property of nickel-based metal catalysts in the ethylene polymerization process, branches of different lengths are continuously generated during polymerization, enabling the production of POE using only ethylene as the sole raw material.