【Ten Years of Rapid Development in Chemical Equipment】2015–2024: Successful commissioning of the post-treatment system for China’s first 80,000-ton/year polyoxymethylene production plant

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2024: A year of blooming flowers and joy on the forum **********************【Ten Years of Progress in Chemical Processing Equipment】Ongoing updates and summaries available; feel free to join the discussions at https://bbs.hcbbs.com/thread-3576046-1-1.html (Source: Haichuan Chemical Forum Website) ***************** Recently, the after-treatment system for Hengli Petrochemical (Dalian) New Materials Co., Ltd.’s first domestic polyoxymethylene production facility with an annual capacity of 80,000 tons, a project undertaken by Tianhua Institute, was successfully put into operation from the first attempt. The system is operating stably, and the quality of the polyoxymethylene produced meets international standards. Polyoxymethylene (POM) is an excellent engineering plastic and one of the world’s top five engineering plastics. Thanks to its good hardness, strength, rigidity, self-lubricating properties, and chemical resistance, it is widely used in fields such as electronics and electrical equipment, machinery, instrumentation, consumer goods, automobiles, building materials, agriculture, medical applications, and sports equipment. Currently, the production processes for polyoxymethylene mainly include two techniques: the dry process and the wet process. Compared to the dry process, the wet process offers advantages such as higher system stability and better product quality, and is therefore widely used. Due to patented technologies, China has not fully mastered most of the key techniques and equipment involved in the wet process, which has left the country in a state of deficit in this field and hindered the development of China’s polyoxymethylene industry. Polyoxymethylene post-treatment technology is one of the key technologies in polyoxymethylene production facilities. As early as a decade ago, Tianhua Research Institute began researching and developing post-treatment systems for such facilities, and has since developed a series of process technologies and key equipment with independent intellectual property rights. At the beginning of 2022, Tianhua Institute and Hengli Petrochemical (Dalian) New Materials Co., Ltd. finalized a contract for the post-treatment system of the polyoxymethylene production facility, which includes systems for drying polyoxymethylene powder and recovering exhaust gases, a cooling system for polyoxymethylene powder, and a system for deep degassing of polyoxymethylene pellets. During the design process, the technical staff at Tianhua Institute, with a spirit of innovation and pursuit of excellence, completed the design and optimization of the entire system. They also established close cooperation with the patent holder of polyoxymethylene, Hengli Petrochemical (Dalian) New Materials Co., Ltd., securing recognition from the patent holder for our technical approach ； The key equipment in the system – the steam rotary dryer, mixing cooler, and deep devolatilization tray dryer – were all manufactured by Tianhua Institute (Nanjing) Intelligent Manufacturing Co., Ltd. The production staff overcame the difficulties posed by the pandemic and, adhering to high standards and quality requirements, ensured prompt delivery of these key pieces of equipment, earning praise for the company. In early March 2024, the one-time feeding of the polyoxymethylene post-treatment system was successful, enabling the domestic use of key processes and equipment in polyoxymethylene production. This represents another significant achievement in research and development by Tianhua Institute, following its progress in areas such as polyphenylene oxide (PPO), adipic acid, bisphenol A, and ABS. The successful application of this device is yet another demonstration of Tianhua Institute’s technical expertise in chemical processing equipment, as well as of its high level of skill in research and development and manufacturing. In the future, Tianhua Institute will continue to uphold the spirit of Sinochem in the new era, and keep making contributions to the innovative development of China’s petrochemical technology and equipment industry.