Device for polymerizing melamine using the Otech high-pressure method

China’s first high-pressure melamine production plant was successfully commissioned. Author: July 19, 2013. Recently, good news came from Jianfeng Chemical Plant of China National Nuclear Corporation: the 30,000-ton/year melamine production plant, designed and manufactured by Sichuan Lanxing Machinery Co., Ltd., was successfully commissioned at the end of November and began producing melamine. This marks the achievement of China’s first production facility that uses the high-pressure process developed by the Italian company Otech to manufacture melamine. Recently, good news came from Jianfeng Chemical Plant of China National Nuclear Corporation: the 30,000-ton/year melamine production plant, designed and manufactured by Sichuan Lanxing Machinery Co., Ltd., was successfully tested at the end of November and began producing melamine. This marks the successful implementation in our country of the first production facility that uses the high-pressure process developed by the Italian company Otech for the production of melamine. 　　 The total investment in Jianfeng Chemical’s melamine project was over 580 million yuan, with the construction period lasting more than two years. This system utilizes the high-pressure production process developed by the Italian company OTEC, and it was designed and manufactured by Lanxing Machinery Company itself. This device has high requirements regarding materials; it must be entirely constructed from imported specialty stainless steels such as 25-22-2 and 316Lmod. The components associated with this device, including the decomposition tower heat exchanger, ammonia evaporator, high-pressure passivated air tank, primary concentration heat exchanger, stripping tower reboiler, and exhaust gas condenser, are complex in design and difficult to manufacture. Lanxing Machinery took advantage of the capabilities of its \"Provincial Technology Center\" to fully absorb and adapt advanced foreign manufacturing technologies. Overcoming various difficulties, it delivered these products on schedule in May 2007, earning recognition from its clients. 　　 Once operational, this system maintains stable performance; the melamine it produces is of high quality and purity. The construction cost of this entire system is more than 50% lower compared to imported systems of similar type.

The production facility in Xinjiang belonging to Henan Xinxinxin Fertilizer Co., Ltd., which is capable of producing 60,000 tons of melamine per year, has begun operations. This facility represents the largest and most technologically advanced unit of its kind in the world; it enables cost reduction and thus offers strong competitive advantages. Report by Ma Bingyu, our correspondent. On September 1, 2016, the plant’s production of 60,000 tons of melamine per year was successfully launched. Melamine is an organic chemical intermediate, and it is a fine chemical raw material essential for the production processes in industries such as coatings, leather, plastics, textiles, and papermaking. The successful commissioning of this project will enable Xinlianxin Company to convert its urea production capacity, expand its product portfolio by moving into downstream product lines, increase the proportion of high-value-added products, and create new sources of profit growth. Xinjiang Xinlianxin Energy Chemical Co., Ltd., a holding subsidiary of Henan Xinlianxin Fertilizer Co., Ltd., invested 500 million yuan in building a melamine production facility with an annual capacity of 60,000 tons. This facility utilizes advanced fourth-generation European high-pressure production technology. Following preliminary adjustments and trial operations, the entire production process has been operationalized, and qualified products are now being manufactured. Xinjiang Xinlianxin Energy and Chemical Co., Ltd. will also become the largest melamine producer in northwestern China, playing an important role in strengthening Xinjiang’s second production base and facilitating the steady overall development of Xinlianxin Company.

The melamine production project of Shaanxi Yinquan Coal Industry uses technology from the Italian company Eurotech. According to a report by Shaanxi News Network in November 2020, the company has conducted multiple video discussions with Eurotech, and an initial agreement has been reached to use Eurotech’s technology, process packages, as well as key equipment. Core equipment will be purchased at the 3rd China International Import Expo. The melamine project of Shaanxi Qingshui Yinquan Coal Industry Company includes a 300,000 tons/year ammonia synthesis plant, a hydrogen production plant with a capacity of 15,000 m3/h, 2 × 60,000 tons/year melamine plants, a 200,000 tons/year ammonia water plant, and a 100,000 tons/year urea plant for use in vehicles. Two Jinhua furnaces are used for gasification.

June 19, 2019 – According to Shanxi Jinfeng Company, on June 12, 2019, the company held a kick-off meeting for the project to produce 60,000 tons of melamine per year. More than 40 representatives from Jinfeng Company, Outech Company, and Huisheng Company, including project leaders, design managers, technical directors, chief engineers, and professionals, attended the meeting. At the meeting, Roberta, the project manager from Outech Company, introduced the design of the process package. She said that Outech is confident in completing the task in the shortest possible time to ensure the efficient operation of the project. Han Zhiwei, the design manager at Huisheng Company, introduced the engineering design. Miao Laicun, the person in charge of Jinfeng Company’s melamine project, introduced the overall schedule for the project. Subsequently, the three parties conducted research and discussions on the process package, engineering design, and basic design parameters. Shanxi Jinfeng Coal Chemical Co., Ltd. is a wholly-owned subsidiary of Shanxi Jincheng Anthracite Coal Industry Group Co., Ltd. (referred to as Jinfeng Company). It is a **large-scale enterprise of category one, located in the Macun Industrial Park within the Economic and Technological Development Zone of Gaoping City, Shanxi Province, at No. 86 Pingqu Road, Gaoping City, covering an area of 511.91 mu. The company was established on August 8, 2003, with a registered capital of 777 million yuan. It currently has over 2,700 employees and is mainly engaged in the production and operation of chemical fertilizers and chemical products such as urea, methanol, compound fertilizers, liquid ammonia, and sulfur.

05-13 10:10 People’s Net, the official account of People’s Technology. Recently, the groundbreaking ceremony for a coal chemical project at Shandong Energy Group’s Xinjiang Energy Chemicals Company, aimed at producing 60,000 tons of melamine per year, was held in the Ganquanbao Economic and Technological Development Zone (Industrial Area) in Urumqi. The total investment in this project is approximately 568.8 million yuan. It utilizes the state-of-the-art fourth-generation high-pressure technology from Italian company OTEC, and all the raw materials required for production are supplied internally. The project enables efficient sharing of electricity, steam, circulating water, desalinated water, as well as other supporting utilities and auxiliary systems with those already in use. Once the project is completed and operational, it is expected to add an annual production capacity of 60,000 tons of melamine, generating an additional output value of 600 million yuan. This will help to make better use of the complementary strengths of upstream and downstream processes, thereby enhancing the company’s innovation capabilities, growth momentum, and profitability. *All text, images, and audio-video materials on this website that are labeled as originating from \"China Energy News/China Energy Network\" are copyrighted by China Energy News. They may not be reproduced without authorization. For works whose source is not indicated as \"China Energy News/China Energy Network\", the copyright belongs to the original creators, and such content does not represent the views or positions of this website. If any infringement occurs, please contact us so that the relevant content can be removed. Source: China Energy News

Chuanhua Co., Ltd. has three sets of cyanamide production facilities in operation: the first set was introduced in the early 1980s from the Dutch company Stamicarbon through a compensation trade arrangement, with a designed annual production capacity of 12,000 tons. The second set is a high-pressure production facility introduced in 1998 from the Italian company Otech, designed with an annual production capacity of 13,800 tons; it came online in April 2000. The third set is a atmospheric-pressure production facility that utilizes technology from Tsinghua University; it is designed to produce 12,000 tons per year and was put into operation in June 2003. The company also plans to build two more melamine production facilities: a project with an annual output of 30,000 tons of melamine (using technology from Italian company OTEC) and another project with an annual output of 26,000 tons of melamine (using technology from Tsinghua University). 　　It is reported that the project to produce 26,000 tons of melamine per year began implementation in February this year, and the infrastructure has now been completed. In the interview, company officials told reporters that the new leadership team had suspended this project once it took office. According to him, the main reason for the suspension was that the second fertilizer plant could not be put into operation smoothly, which hindered the progress of the project (cyanamide is a product obtained through further processing of urea). 　　However, the company’s technical staff believe that the reason for the suspension of the project is that some problems arose after the commissioning of the third melamine plant, which also uses Tsinghua University’s technology; these problems mainly included failure of certain economic indicators to meet the design requirements, as well as significant pollution levels. Since its commissioning a year ago, this set of equipment has been in a state of intermittent operation. The company’s annual report shows that the first set of units generated a gross profit of 2.3775 million yuan in 2003, while the second set of units produced a gross profit of 5.4175 million yuan. In addition, the company’s technical staff believe that the urea production project with an annual output of 26,000 tons, like the third urea production project, is located upwind of the First Fertilizer Plant. The dust generated during production has a significant impact on the gas turbines at the First Fertilizer Plant. To reduce the impact, a structure has been built over the gas turbine to filter out dirty air. If new projects are implemented again, the impact will be even greater. Furthermore, the new project will also encircle the circulating water of the First Fertilizer Plant on the upwind side, causing water pollution and equipment corrosion. Xie Muxi also proposed at the staff representative meeting that efforts should be made to ensure the successful completion of the acceptance tests for the third set of melamine production facilities, so as to achieve full capacity and meet the required standards as soon as possible.

From 2007 to 2010, driven by the continuous and rapid development of the downstream real estate industry, the domestic melamine market experienced a bullish trend characterized by rising both volume and prices. Coupled with the fact that domestic urea prices could not rise due to overcapacity at that time, melamine manufacturers enjoyed substantial profits, which in turn stimulated an increasing number of new, upgraded, and expanded projects. According to incomplete statistics, between 2011 and 2012, 13 new melamine-producing enterprises were established across the country, bringing the total production capacity to 450,000 tons; an additional 280,000 tons of production capacity was set to become available in 2013. In other words, during the three years from 2011 to 2013, China’s melamine production capacity increased by 243,000 tons per year on average, representing a growth rate of 23.3%. However, the demand for melamine in the domestic market had declined by 2010. In 2011, affected by factors such as the slowdown in the growth of the domestic real estate market, anti-dumping sanctions imposed by the EU on China’s melamine exports, and a slow global economic recovery, China’s melamine exports declined and domestic demand grew weakly; as a result, the total annual production of melamine increased by only 5% compared to the previous year. This year, as Europe’s **sovereign debt crisis remains unresolved, other **economies are likely to struggle to achieve significant growth. Therefore, domestic demand for melamine is expected to grow by 2%–3% this year, reaching a historic low. Moreover, thanks to Russia’s 50,000 tons per year urea production from natural gas with simultaneous production of melamine project, as well as the 60,000 tons per year urea production from natural gas with simultaneous production of melamine projects in Qatar, Trinidad, and Tobago, all of these capacities will be put into use this year. Their low costs not only threaten to displace European melamine manufacturers but may also steal market share from Chinese companies on the international stage, thereby restricting domestic melamine exports and intensifying competition among domestic firms. Small enterprises with a capacity of less than 10,000 tons, or facilities with high energy consumption, will also face the risk of being phased out. “This harsh reality forces us to take every measure possible to save energy, reduce consumption, and cut costs. ”Zhai Ligong and Guo Quanpu explained to the journalists the company’s response strategies. According to Zhai Ligong, Fenghe Company will further reduce the overall energy consumption per unit of product by optimizing production processes and improving the operating quality of its equipment. At the same time, efforts are made to learn from the management practices of other advanced companies in order to standardize internal corporate management and reduce management and operational costs. Guo Quanpu revealed that in order to address the issue of high steam consumption associated with the high-pressure process, Zhongyuan Dahuahua Group is working on technological solutions, and a preliminary viable plan has already been developed. Once implemented, this will help reduce steam consumption; coupled with competitive strategies based on high-end features and differentiation, it will enable the company to remain unbeatable. Amid the overall economic downturn, some well-funded companies have, against all expectations, chosen to \"go against the trend\". In Chen Duanyang’s view, the more difficult times are, the greater the opportunity for companies to pursue low-cost expansion. He said that the parent company of Sichuan Jinxiang Group’s Jinseng originally had a production capacity of 180,000 tons per year for melamine; with the new facility coming online this year, the total annual melamine production capacity will reach 340,000 tons. Furthermore, all of them employ the atmospheric-pressure process technology, which is cost-effective, has low energy consumption, and features advanced technology. Since the Xinjiang project has cost advantages, the Sichuan and Hongze projects are located in the melamine consumption markets. Therefore, once all these projects are put into operation and can operate stably over the long term, they will optimize Jinxiang Group’s industrial structure, reduce operating costs, and enhance the company’s competitiveness. This will enable the company to not only withstand market challenges but also capture market share and achieve healthy, sustainable development.

In 2014, Xinjiang Yihua adopted the technology from the Italian company OTEC to build the world’s first fourth-generation high-pressure melamine production facility. This product is a derivative of urea and constitutes an excellent carbon-sequestering material; it enables the efficient storage and utilization of CO2 – 1.05 tons of CO2 can be sequestered per ton of melamine produced.

In 2019, Xinjiang Yihua adopted the circulating fluidized bed gasification technology developed by the Institute of Engineering Thermophysics of the Chinese Academy of Sciences, which effectively solved the industry challenge of using coal from the Junggar region in an efficient and clean manner for ammonia production. By focusing on the recovery of carbon dioxide as a gasifying agent, it was also possible to **reduce carbon emissions**. Leveraging its abundant low-cost coal resources and advancements in coal gasification technology, Xinjiang Yihua plans to develop a production capacity of 1 million tons of melamine over the next five to ten years. This will enable the low-emission conversion of coal resources, allowing the company to put the principles of green and low-carbon development into practice and actively support the strategy of \"reaching carbon peak by 2030 and achieving carbon neutrality by 2060\".

On May 10, 2015, the project of Xinjiang Company to produce 60,000 tons per year of melamine produced by the high-pressure method (referred to as melamine) officially commenced construction. During the construction period, Siamine’s staff supervised the work on-site during the day and organized training sessions at night, reporting daily to the workshop about any problems that arose during construction. Each supervisor had a PID diagram and a single-line diagram available; the PID diagram served as the basis for construction, while the single-line diagram acted as a standard for it. While supervising, they compared the dimensions, materials, locations, and pressure levels of each pipeline one by one. In addition, they checked every weld on the pipelines and recorded that information. This thorough and meticulous approach prevented issues such as the use of incorrect materials for the process pipelines, improper piping arrangements, and poor welding quality. Image: The Xinjiang Xinlianxin melamine plant utilizes advanced fourth-generation European high-pressure non-catalytic technology; it belongs to the field of fine chemicals. There are as many as 3,000 key control points in this process, and the level of automation is very high. Neither in plant construction nor in production is any existing experience available – everything has to be started from scratch. If there is a problem with even a single valve or pipe, the products cannot be produced. The personnel working on the triamine project embody the spirit of \"hard work, dedication to one’s job, and striving to exceed oneself.\" They work and eat on site during the day, and in the training rooms at night to study the principles of the manufacturing process and the installation diagrams; they carefully check each valve and fitting, with their daily rest time being no more than 8 hours. On August 7, 2016, the triamine system began to introduce ammonia; by August 31, the entire process was operational, allowing for the successful production of melamine products. In terms of the process, this was the most difficult drive in the entire history of Heart to Heart. During driving, issues such as severe vibration of the molten salt pump, high pressure difference in the purification system, and internal leakage in the stopcock occurred. Faced with the various challenges that arose during operation, they conducted in-depth analyses and repeated verifications, viewing each difficulty as an opportunity to improve their skills. By taking things step by step, they ensured that the triamine project was brought online on schedule. To cope with the increasingly challenging conditions in the triamine market, the company established a triamine QC task force. Through more than a dozen technical improvements to the triamine production facilities, as well as continuous adjustments and optimizations of the production processes, the company was able to maintain a stable production level of 200 tons per day. At the same time, the triamine production team adapts flexibly to the actual production conditions, makes adjustments to production, and innovates the combined production model for urea and triamine, thereby avoiding shutdowns of the triamine production process and achieving the goals of stable and high output as well as cost reduction and efficiency improvement. Due to its excellent work performance and team spirit, the triamine workshop has received many honors. In 2016, it was awarded the honorary title of “Star Team” by Xinlianxin Group Company ； In March 2017, it was awarded the title of “Model Worker Unit of Manas County” by the General Trade Union of Manas County ； In April 2017, it was awarded the title of “Worker Pioneer” by the Changji Prefecture Federation of Trade Unions ； In February 2018, it was awarded the honorary title of “Gold Medal Technical Team” by Xinlianxin Group Company ； In June 2018, it was awarded the title of “Model Worker Unit” by the Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region. Results belong to the past; the triamine workshop will start from a new foundation, bringing with it the enthusiasm and vitality of the young, striving for innovation and hard work in order to meet the future’s challenges and create their own glory!