Thread Content
Yan’an Nenghua Applies Hydraulic Cutting Technology Author/Source: Sinochem News Network Date: 2021-09-17 Clicks: 12 On September 12, a high-pressure water stream traced a precise path across the top of the methanol-water tank in Yan’an Nenghua Company’s storage area, resulting in a perfect circle being formed; a circular steel plate with a diameter of 0.5 meters was then separated from the tank body. This marked a successful use of hydraulic cutting technology to cut and create openings in tanks that still contained contents, and it serves as an example for the chemical industry in China regarding the application of this technology in such situations. “Our company’s tank area constitutes a major hazard source; making openings in the tops of tanks that contain materials is like dancing in a minefield – the level of risk is evident. ”Xu Xiaoyan, manager of the storage and transportation center at Yan’an Energy Chemical Company, explained. To ensure the safety of water jet cutting, adhering to the principles of \"safety first, thorough verification, and cost efficiency,\" they sent technicians to places such as Binzhou in Shandong and Ruixun in Hebei to conduct research and learn from the experience of water jet cutting using empty tanks. They also held numerous seminars for discussion, and constructed their own oil drums filled with mixtures of methanol and water, diesel, hexane, and other substances to conduct simulation experiments on hydraulic cutting and hole-making using these materials. During implementation, Yan’an Energy Chemicals strictly enforced safety measures such as blind plate isolation at the tank’s inlet and outlet, nitrogen filling for protection of the tank top, water injection to seal the tank bottom, and static electricity prevention. To reduce the volatility of the medium inside the tank, they chose to carry out the work in the early mornings and evenings when the ambient temperature is lower. Reportedly, Yan’an Energy and Chemical is currently implementing a technical renovation project for the recovery and treatment of volatile organic compounds (VOCs) in its tank farm. The tank farm comprises a total of 32 storage tanks. Among them, 10 tanks operate individually; the materials inside these tanks cannot be completely drained. Additionally, four tanks containing methanol-water mixture, recycled oil, diesel, and gasoline are completely full. It takes at least three days to drain just one tank. This process is time-consuming, labor-intensive, and costly. Moreover, it poses a high risk of safety accidents. This has always been a critical problem hindering the company’s operations. The use of waterjet cutting technology has shortened the maintenance cycle, reduced maintenance costs, and minimized safety risks. At present, all the openings on the tops of the company’s 7 storage tanks equipped with materials have been completed, and work is currently in progress on the prefabrication of VOCs pipelines as well as the bonding of pipeline supports.