【Major Chemical Equipment Innovations】034 – Development completed of China’s first fully domestically produced LNG shell-and-tube heat exchanger with a capacity of 600,000 cubic meters per day

In 2019, CNPC Engineering launched a key research and development project titled “Research on Complete Sets of Technologies for 8 million-ton Class Ultra-Large LNG Plants.” This project was undertaken by the Southwest Branch of China National Petroleum Engineering Corporation, and it included research on the localization of equipment for such ultra-large LNG plants. Sichuan Air Separation took on the task of conducting research on the localization of coil-type heat exchangers for 8 million-ton LNG plants. The development of an engineering prototype of a coil-type LNG heat exchanger with a capacity of 600,000 cubic meters per day was an important part of this research, as well as a key element in the 2021 Sichuan Province Science and Technology Plan’s key research project on the key technologies related to coil-type heat exchangers for large-scale LNG plants.

The LNG shell-and-tube heat exchanger is a key component in large-scale LNG facilities. However, for a long time, the technology related to its design and manufacturing has been monopolized by foreign companies, which not only hinders the development of China’s own large-scale LNG technologies but also affects the strategic security of China in terms of LNG as a clean energy source. Therefore, it is imperative to advance research on the localization of LNG coil-type heat exchangers. As the entity responsible for the LNG R&D Center under the Energy Bureau, the Southwest Branch of China National Petroleum Engineering Corporation has the responsibility and duty to promote the development of core technologies and equipment in the LNG sector. As a high-tech enterprise centered on cryogenic technology, Sichuan Air Separation possesses deep technical expertise in the LNG sector. The two cooperating parties are committed to addressing the critical bottlenecks related to key equipment in the LNG sector. Over the past two years, the Southwest Branch of China National Petroleum Engineering Corporation, which is responsible for the project titled \"Research on Ultra-Large Scale LNG Plant Technologies with a capacity of 8 million tons\", together with the research team working on the development of LNG coil-type heat exchangers at Sichuan Air Separation Company, has carried out extensive research on key technologies, conducted numerous tests, and worked to overcome various technical challenges. As a result, multiple patents related to key technologies were obtained, as well as copyright rights for software used in the design of coil-type heat exchangers. The first engineering prototype of an LNG coil-type heat exchanger with a capacity of 600,000 cubic meters per day was successfully developed in China, and the first natural gas liquefaction system based on such heat exchangers was built there. The prototype has now passed the acceptance tests and been sent to the project site; subsequent steps will involve installation and commissioning, as well as conducting engineering test studies on the LNG coil-type heat exchanger.

Amazing, my country! Go ahead!

21:36 CNPC Engineering On the morning of May 8, the unveiling ceremony for the **Energy Liquefied Natural Gas Technology R&D Center** was held at the Beijing headquarters of the Engineering Construction Company, which is a subsidiary of CNPC Engineering. Meanwhile, the inauguration ceremonies for the Purification Technology Research Institute, the Liquefaction Technology Research Institute, and the Second Department for Research on Domestic Production of Key Equipment at the center were held at the Chengdu facility of the Southwest Engineering Construction Branch, while the inauguration ceremony for the Second Department for Construction Technology Research was held at the Luoyang facility of the First Construction Company. This is another important step taken by the engineering construction company to accelerate its development driven by technology.

Sichuan Air Separation is a high-tech enterprise centered on cryogenic technology, and it is one of the main research, development, and manufacturing bases for deep-cold technology and equipment in China. It has been engaged in research on natural gas separation and liquefaction technologies as well as product development since the 1970s, possessing a solid technical foundation in the LNG field. Over the more than 40 years of research and development in natural gas liquefaction technology and equipment, Sichuan Air Separation has come to realize that the core technologies and key equipment in the LNG sector must be developed through independent innovation; it has thus been committed for many years to addressing the critical challenges related to the essential equipment in this field. Ongoing and in-depth research and development have been carried out on the comprehensive technologies for large-scale LNG plants and their key equipment, such as plate-fin heat exchanger cold boxes and expanders, which have been successfully applied in such plants. While mastering the key technologies related to the plate-fin heat exchanger cold boxes in large-scale LNG plants through research and development, Sichuan Air Separation also focuses on breaking through the core technologies of large-scale LNG coil-type heat exchangers. Since 2015, Sichuan Air Separation has officially launched a project to develop key technologies for large-scale LNG shell-and-tube heat exchangers. A large number of experiments on heat transfer and flow, as well as numerical simulation studies, structural design, and performance testing were carried out. Key technologies such as the heat transfer and flow characteristics within the coiled tubes and in the shell side under complex phase change conditions in large LNG coil-type heat exchangers, as well as the structural design of such heat exchangers, were mastered. Through numerous process tests and prototype developments, the key techniques for coiling ultra-long aluminum alloy heat exchange tubes, along with a series of manufacturing challenges, were overcome. These research efforts have laid a solid foundation for the localization of large-scale LNG shell-and-tube heat exchangers.

On November 25, 2021, China’s first natural gas liquefaction system with independent intellectual property rights, capable of handling 600,000 cubic meters per day using LNG coil-type heat exchangers, began its commissioning process. In just 3 days, the system and its equipment were successfully pre-cooled, their operating conditions adjusted, and their capacity increased. By November 28, 2021, the LNG coil-type heat exchangers were operating at a capacity of 600,000 cubic meters per day, and they continued to function stably at full capacity for over 72 hours, with all technical parameters meeting the design requirements. This marks the successful first-time commissioning of China’s first fully domestically produced LNG shell-and-tube heat exchanger with a capacity of 600,000 cubic meters per day, which has now been put into industrial operation. It also signifies that the key technical achievements related to LNG shell-and-tube heat exchangers have been verified through practical engineering applications. Thus, CNPC Engineering and Sichuan Air Separation have truly mastered the key core technologies for LNG shell-and-tube heat exchangers with independent intellectual property rights. The LNG shell-and-tube heat exchanger products developed by them have been put into industrial use, breaking the foreign technological monopoly. This significant breakthrough in LNG coiled-tube heat exchangers provides strong technical support for the development of a set of domestically produced technologies for large-scale natural gas liquefaction plants with a capacity of 8 million tons, thereby breaking foreign technological monopolies. It holds great strategic importance for achieving China’s energy development goals related to carbon reduction.

The 【Haichuan Equipment Guessing】 series is being updated continuously in 2022; all Haichuan community members are welcome to participate actively! https://bbs.hcbbs.com/thread-2079686-1-1.html (Source: Huahai Chuanliu – Haichuan Chemical Industry Forum) Summary post on the series 【Major Equipment in the Chemical Equipment Industry】 https://bbs.hcbbs.com/thread-3312079-1-1.html (Source: Huahai Chuanliu – Haichuan Chemical Industry Forum) Summary post discussing the components of cracking furnace equipment for 【Ethylene Cracking】 https://bbs.hcbbs.com/thread-3308724-1-1.html (Source: Huahai Chuanliu – Haichuan Chemical Industry Forum)