Do the valves for hydrogenation units necessarily need to be imported?
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Must valves weighing over 1500 pounds, used in hydrogenation units with high temperatures (200–450 degrees) and high pressures (18 MPa), be imported? Are the products of domestic valve manufacturers of satisfactory quality?
Many large valve manufacturers in China have mastered this technology, mainly in terms of materials and heat treatment, and have applied it successfully, such as Lanhe and others.
At present, China’s mechanical manufacturing and casting technology, as well as its materials, have seen significant improvements – things are not what they used to be. It’s best to avoid approaching issues with old-fashioned concepts. In my opinion, there is no need to rely solely on imported products; domestic alternatives are generally sufficient. It’s possible to differentiate between the critical parts and the less important ones in terms of processing equipment – using imported products for the critical parts and domestic ones for the less important ones.
The control valves currently used in hydrogenation units can now mostly be produced domestically. We considered using those from domestic companies with the best quality and the most successful track records. We learned that the hydrogenation unit at Shenhua’s coal-to-oil project in Inner Mongolia uses valves manufactured by KOSO in Wuxi; it is said that they have delivered valves for over 30 such units in China, though we’re not sure if this is true. I hope it can save us some money. Foreign valves are good, but they’re just too expensive. If you have the money, buy imported ones.
1. Check the service life of your device: if it needs to be repaired every 4–6 years, and the load is over 900 pounds, then imported valves are a good choice; for annual inspections, domestic valves with a capacity of 1500 pounds will suffice. 2. For valves with large diameters, avoid choosing domestic ones if there is no record of their use in such applications. 3. In some cases, it’s possible to use one domestic valve and one imported valve (both must meet American standards). 4. Some imported valves are actually domestic products that carry a branded label； 5 It is essential to carefully select products from domestic manufacturers, and sufficient time must be allocated for manufacturing.