First internal inspection of the high-pressure urea equipment at Weihua Group after its renewal

Thread Content

First internal inspection of Weihua Group’s urea high-pressure equipment after renewal / Author/Source: Weihua Group / Date: 2022-05-12 / Clicks: 20. At 8:30 a.m. on May 11, the urea production workshop, together with the Production Department, the Mechanical Repair and Manufacturing Department, as well as experts and technical personnel from Nanjing Youyue Testing Co., Ltd., conducted an internal inspection of the high-pressure equipment that had been upgraded as part of this major maintenance effort – including the synthesis tower, stripping tower, high-pressure washer, No. 1 ammonium methanate condenser, and No. 2 ammonium methanate condenser. Following the upgrade of high-voltage equipment in 2020, this is the first time a targeted comprehensive overhaul has been carried out. For this major maintenance campaign, a specific plan was developed for the urea production plant, with dedicated personnel assigned to carry out thorough and detailed inspections and repairs of the high-pressure equipment. Since new lining materials were used for the stripping tower, 1# methylamine condenser, and 2# methylamine condenser during the equipment upgrade, this internal inspection is particularly important. On the one hand, it is necessary to determine whether the new materials have good compatibility with the urea ACES process; on the other hand, it is essential to identify any corrosion defects within the equipment as well as the condition of its internal components. To ensure that no minor detail or issue was overlooked, Wang Tao, the equipment supervisor of the urea production plant, personally went inside the equipment to conduct thorough, multi-level, meticulous inspections of each updated unit. When inspecting the stripping tower, 1# ammonium methylate condenser, and 2# ammonium methylate condenser, Wang Tao held detailed discussions with professionally hired manufacturers and technical experts regarding the corrosion rate of the new materials as well as other related issues, taking into account the corrosion findings, changes in welds, and deformations observed during the inspections. The safety of high-voltage equipment directly affects the stable operation of the entire production facility in Phase 1. The internal inspection of these high-voltage devices took 2.5 hours in total, and no major issues or defects were found during the inspection. Following the visual inspection, eddy current testing is carried out to conduct a more in-depth examination of the tube sheet thickness and defects. Due to the tight schedule and heavy workload associated with this maintenance task, the eddy current testing will be carried out this afternoon, in order to free up more time for the subsequent reinstallation of the equipment and other maintenance activities.