The methanol reactor, a proprietary equipment from Air Liquide used in Zhejiang Petrochemical’s high-end new materials project, developed by LANSHI Heavy Equipment, has successfully passed the acceptance inspection

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The methanol reactor, as well as the associated drum, designed and manufactured by Lanxi Heavy Equipment for Zhejiang Petrochemical’s high-end new materials project – a facility with an annual production capacity of 700,000 tons of methanol – successfully passed the acceptance tests using the patented methods of Air Liquide. On August 15th, these components were delivered to the customer, marking a new breakthrough for Lanxi Heavy Equipment in the field of advanced equipment for new materials. The core equipment of the project, namely the methanol reactor and the associated drum, are designed and manufactured using patented technologies from the French company Air Liquide; these components require high standards in terms of quality, and their welding and assembly present significant challenges. Lanshi Heavy Equipment Integration forms professional teams by combining departments such as sales, design, technology, procurement, production, quality inspection, and international trade, and establishes a cross-departmental collaboration mechanism. It implements thorough control over the entire process, including technical solutions, material procurement, in-process inspections, and manufacturing progress, to ensure that the equipment is delivered on time and to high quality. During the production process, the Qingdao facility overcame various manufacturing challenges, including the tight schedule, heavy workload, and complex tasks associated with installing the heat exchange tubes in the methanol reactor; the difficulties involved in welding and expansion joining the imported duplex stainless steel heat exchange tubes; controlling the temperature of the weld metals at the ends of the tubes during heat treatment; as well as ensuring the cleanliness of the tube boxes and the inner surfaces of the heat exchange tubes. By optimizing the production processes, innovating tube installation methods, and implementing strict quality control measures, it was possible to accelerate the progress of each processing step while maintaining high quality. The product quality and key performance indicators met all requirements from the start, earning high recognition and praise from both the patent holder and the client. Lanshi Heavy Equipment successfully developed the methanol reactors and associated steam drums of high quality. This not only provided the necessary equipment support for the construction of methanol plants in Zhejiang Petrochemical’s high-end new materials projects, but also laid a solid foundation for Lanshi Heavy Equipment to gain a stronger presence in the Chinese methanol reactor market within Air Liquide Group, as well as to engage in deeper cooperation in the field of high-end new materials equipment on a global scale