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The large-scale methanol synthesis tower developed domestically for Ningxia Baofeng Energy’s 2.2 million tons per year methanol production facility has been put into operation successfully. Author/Source: Refining & Chemical Industry Updates Date: 2020-06-16 Clicks: 11 Recently, the first large-scale methanol synthesis tower designed independently by China Chengda Engineering Co., Ltd. (hereinafter referred to as “China Chengda”) was successfully commissioned in Ningxia Baofeng Energy’s 2.2 million tons per year methanol production facility, which is the world’s largest such facility. This marks the successful domestic production of this type of synthesis tower. Since the introduction of the JM Davy process technology, this methanol synthesis tower has relied entirely on imports from abroad. Since 2011, China Chengda has been dedicated to the research on local production of such methanol synthesis towers; it established a task force, allocated substantial human resources as well as specialized hardware and software, overcame numerous technical challenges, and completed various research tasks including investigations of existing operating units, scheme design, and simulation design. The research team employed advanced finite element analysis techniques to accurately analyze the stress conditions of various components under different operating conditions. For the first time, they treated the steam drum, the synthesis tower body, the rising pipe, and the descending pipe as an integrated system, establishing accurate mathematical models to analyze the load-bearing capacity under various conditions. This approach enabled a lightweight design while ensuring the overall safety of the system and the equipment. The methanol plants based on the JM Davy process technology feature methanol synthesis towers as their core equipment; these towers offer advantages such as high production capacity and little structural limitation when scaling up, but they are complex in structure and require high standards in terms of design and manufacturing capabilities. To address these drawbacks, China Chengda uses custom-written programs in the design process of core component tubes to solve space layout issues ； Through 3D model simulation, potential interference issues between curved tubes in space are avoided ； A patented structure is employed to simplify the tube bundle assembly process ； Achieve parametric design of the tube bundle. The optimization and innovation efforts undertaken by China Chengda have **reduced costs and shortened the manufacturing time; they were highly recognized by patent holder JM Davy, which in turn granted them the design rights for the domestic production of such methanol synthesis towers. The successful application of domestic technology for methanol synthesis towers in large-scale methanol plants in China has **shortened the equipment delivery time and reduced procurement costs. It has ended the reliance on imported equipment for such systems. This is yet another successful example of China Chengda utilizing design and development to promote the use of domestic equipment in key chemical processing units and to advance advanced manufacturing practices, thereby strengthening China Chengda’s competitive edge in both domestic and international markets.