【Ten Years of Rapid Development in Chemical Processing Equipment】Application of Intelligent Analysis Robots and Fully Automatic Coal Sampling Systems from 2018 to 2024

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Safety first. Prevention first – let’s give recognition and support to the achievements in China’s chemical engineering technology and equipment. **********************【Ten Years of Rapid Development in Chemical Engineering Equipment】A continuously updated summary post is available; feel free to join the discussions at https://bbs.hcbbs.com/thread-3576046-1-1.html (Source: Haichuan Chemical Industry Forum) ***************** On November 22, 2024, in the raw material (building materials) analysis laboratory of Sinopec Ningxia Energy Chemical Company, 22 batches of raw coal were fed into the fully automated coal sampling system, where intelligent analysis robots carried out systematic tests on parameters such as ash content and sulfur content. This project was officially put into trial operation this month, enabling intelligent control over the arrival of the company’s raw coal. This represents a significant breakthrough in the company’s efforts to develop new forms of productivity and improve its digital management capabilities. Ningxia Energy Chemical Company was the first enterprise in Sinopec’s coal chemical sector to commence production and operations. Coal serves as the main raw material for this company; after being brought into the facility, it goes through processes such as measurement, sample preparation, and testing before being fed into the production units. Personnel are involved in every stage of this process, which poses risks related to integrity issues and potential human-induced analysis errors. To further optimize the quality management process for coal entering the company’s facilities, to standardize quality control throughout the sampling, sample preparation, and testing processes, and to reduce corruption risks, the company conducted research and comparisons on the coal processing procedures of similar enterprises in the surrounding area. It decided to introduce fully automated systems for sample preparation of coal as well as robotic systems for intelligent analysis, thereby achieving automation in the entire process of coal intake, standardizing quality management for coal entering the facility, and reducing corruption risks. Construction on the project officially began in April 2024. To ensure its successful commissioning, the company established a project management team to strictly oversee the quality of construction and equipment installation. Weekly project progress meetings are held to develop construction plans and measures for addressing issues, ensuring that the construction progress and quality remain under control and enabling the smooth advancement of the project. The project lasted for half a year, during which the main civil construction and interior decoration work were successfully completed. All individual equipment tests have been finished, and the equipment is in good condition. The project mainly includes an automatic batching machine, a fully automated sample preparation system, an online total water analysis system, a pneumatic transfer system, an intelligent sample storage and retrieval cabinet, and a robotic intelligent analysis system. It enables an integrated workflow that includes automatic sealing of sample containers after sampling, automatic batching, automatic sample preparation, online total water analysis, automatic sample delivery, automatic sample storage, and automated testing. This setup helps to achieve intelligent management of coal usage in the company, improving the reliability, accuracy, and timeliness of coal sample analysis data while reducing the risk of corruption. “After the robots were put into use, our workload also decreased, and our working environment improved. ”Zhu Yan, a laboratory technician in the company’s raw materials and auxiliary materials analysis lab, said.