Pu Jieneng Chemical Olefins Center: Continuous operation time of polypropylene plant’s extrusion granulator reaches new high

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Pu Jie Energy Chemicals Olefins Center: Continuous operation time of polypropylene plant’s extrusion granulator reaches a new high Author/Source: Pu Jie Energy Chemicals Date: 2022-11-17 Clicks: 25 Recent news from the polypropylene plant at Pu Jie Energy Chemicals’ Olefins Center is encouraging: as of November 15, the extrusion granulator in this plant had been operating continuously for 91 days, breaking the previous record of 58 days set since the plant’s initial commissioning. To further improve the stability of plant operations, the Olefins Center of Pu Jie Energy & Chemical Co., Ltd. took the \"High Standards in Work\" initiative as an opportunity, and utilized the special campaign on improving work style as a means to address the bottleneck issues that affect the stable, continuous, and efficient operation of the plants. By focusing on these critical problems, the company made sustained efforts to help extend the continuous operating time of the extrusion granulators in the polypropylene plants, setting new records in this regard. It is understood that when the fan of the polypropylene extrusion granulator is switched, the operation signal of the discharge rotary valve disappears for over 120 seconds, resulting in a halt in material discharge and thus a shutdown of the extrusion granulator. This is one of the key issues that prevent the extrusion granulators in polypropylene plants from operating stably over long periods of time. “Following the launch of the \"High Standards in Work\" initiative, the Olefins Center focused on its core responsibilities and main tasks, aiming to resolve production bottlenecks. It set out to overcome the problem caused by fan switching in polypropylene plants, which led to the shutdown of extrusion granulators. Subsequently, the Olefins Center held several discussions with leading companies in the industry regarding key operational aspects, instrument monitoring, and interlock logic related to fan switching in extrusion granulators. It also consulted design firms on design concepts and principles. Together with the Instrumentation Maintenance Center and the Electrical Maintenance Center, it held special meetings to discuss the process of fan switching, ultimately determining a strategy for optimizing the interlock logic involved. Once the approach has been determined, how to make modifications and how to achieve a permanent solution have become new challenges for the technical managers in the olefins sector. Faced with the problem, they chose to tackle it head-on: they searched for technical documents, examined the original design drawings, communicated with the manufacturers of the extruders, and held joint discussions with specialists in instrumentation and electrical systems. Through repeated exchanges of ideas and technical discussions, they finalized a solution to address the issue of the disappearance of the operating signal for the feeding valve. The instrumentation team then implemented this solution, and as a result, during the 6 fan switchovers that have taken place recently, the extrusion granulator did not stop operating; thus, this obstacle caused by fan switchovers was eliminated. In addition to fan switching, driven by the initiatives of \"upholding high standards in operations\" and efforts to improve work style, the problem of increased material buildup during the startup and product switchover processes of the polypropylene unit at Pujie Energy Chemical Company’s olefins center was resolved through the joint efforts of all staff. This was achieved by adjusting key parameters such as the temperature of the cylinders, hot oil, and particle water, as well as the feeding pressure of the pelletizer, thereby ensuring stable operation of the extrusion pelletizer over extended periods of time.