【Major Industrial Equipment in the Chemical Engineering Sector】065 – Domestic production of high-pressure vertical wet-winding forced-circulation hot water pumps
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This post was last edited by Desert Fish on 2022-4-1 at 20:41. The past decade has been a period of rapid development for China’s chemical industry, with the emergence of many new processes, products, and equipment. China’s chemical processing equipment has also seen significant progress, which in turn has contributed to the swift development of the petrochemical industry. Here, we have compiled some of the achievements and breakthroughs made by Chinese equipment manufacturers in terms of larger-scale production and greater use of domestic equipment. Everyone is welcome to share their thoughts and insights; let’s cheer for Made in China and support the development of chemical processing equipment! *********************************** In August 2019, the equipment delivery acceptance meeting for the \"Research and Development on the Localization of High-Pressure Vertical Wet-Winding Forced-Circulation Hot Water Pumps\", a project under the \"Localization of Major Equipment\" initiative organized by Sinopec, was held at SHENGU Group. At the meeting, the high-pressure vertical wet-winding forced-circulation hot water pump, independently developed by SHENGU Group’s Petrochemical Pump Company, successfully passed the acceptance test. The first domestic application of a high-temperature, high-inlet-pressure shielded hot water circulation pump in petrochemical plants has been achieved. The high-pressure vertical wet-winding forced-circulation hot water pump is the core equipment for the integration and development of the heavy oil catalytic cracking technology with high slag inclusion and low emissions, which is one of the ten key research projects of Sinopec. It is mainly used in the catalytic cracking units of large-scale petrochemical refineries. It is the key power equipment for the water circulation in the drum of a waste heat boiler. This project is based on the construction of a circulating hot water pump for a 2.8 million tons per year heavy oil catalytic cracking unit by Jingmen Branch of Sinopec Corporation; it was carried out jointly by SHENGU Group’s Petrochemical Pump Company and Sinopec Engineering Construction Company (SEI). It is a domestic development project for high-temperature, high-inlet-pressure shielded hot water circulation pumps, intended for use in the first units of petrochemical facilities.
More people are welcome to participate in the relevant discussions. Click on the blue link to access it: The 【HaiChuan Equipment Guessing Game】 series is being updated continuously in 2022; all Hai friends are encouraged to join in! 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)
Based on conventional external heat exchangers, software such as Aspen Dynamics, ANSYS, and CFX was used to simulate and optimize the fluid dynamics field of the external heat exchanger, as well as the stress on the tube bundles and the risks associated with tube failure, and to assess their impact on the regeneration and energy recovery systems. By drawing on SEI’s extensive experience in the engineering application of external heat exchangers, a dense-bed downward-flow external heat exchanger suitable for 10 MPa-grade steam generators was further developed and improved, thereby ensuring the safe and stable operation of the installation to the greatest extent possible. The downward external heat exchanger has several advantages: low linear velocity of the bed layer, and reduced erosion and wear of the tube bundle ； The heat load can be adjusted flexibly and controllably, with a range of 0 to 100% adjustment ； It has good heat transfer efficiency, with a heat transfer coefficient of 350–600 W/(m2·K) ； Each group of tubes can be removed individually ； Made of carbon steel with optical tube design; features high mechanical reliability, no tube sheet required, and low manufacturing complexity ； The water circulation system uses forced circulation; each tube bank is equipped with orifice plates to ensure uniform water distribution. The inlet pressure of the circulating hot water pump associated with the 10 MPa class steam external heat exchanger is 11.8 MPa, with a head of 80 m. No centrifugal pumps from manufacturers either in China or abroad meet these requirements, so SEI and Shenyang Blower Group Petrochemical Pump Co., Ltd. jointly developed a high-pressure vertical wet-winding forced-circulation hot water pump; the structural diagram of this type of pump is shown in the figure.
In June 2017, Jingmen Petrochemical, together with Sinopec Engineering Construction Co., Ltd. and Shenyang Blower Group Petrochemical Pump Co., Ltd., began working on the development of high-temperature and high-pressure forced-circulation hot water centrifugal pumps, and established a project R&D team. The first issue the R&D team addressed was the selection of pump type. Conventional shielded hot water circulation pumps use a shielded casing design, and their pressure resistance and efficiency are not sufficient to meet the requirements of high-temperature and high-pressure operating conditions. By reviewing technical documents, conducting multiple calculations and discussions, and taking into account the sealing solutions for pumps, they decided to adopt a design in which the motor windings come into contact with the medium. This approach eliminates the need for mechanical seals, enhances the pressure resistance and efficiency of the circulating hot water pump, and overcomes the limitation that conventional shielded pumps are unable to handle such high-temperature and high-pressure conditions. The axial force balance of the pump is another key issue that the R&D team needs to consider. The higher the design head, the greater the requirement for axial force balance in the pump. During their research, the R&D team found that the head of circulating hot water pumps in other application areas in China ranges from 30 to 50 meters, whereas the forced circulation hot water pumps used in the 2.8 million tons per year heavy oil catalytic cracking project require a head of 80 meters. If the head is increased to 80 meters, it is necessary to address the issue of balancing the axial force on the pump within the range from zero load to full load. To overcome this challenge, the R&D team utilized hydraulic models and design software for hydraulic analysis and design. By adjusting the shape of the impeller based on the discrepancies between the actual bearing forces and the theoretical calculations, they optimized the loading conditions on the bearings, thereby increasing the lifespan of the thrust bearings and sliding bearings in the pump and enhancing the reliability of its operation. .
In March 2020, Jingmen Petrochemical installed a circulating hot water pump for the first time, marking the first domestic installation of such equipment in China; on May 11, this device was granted a **utility model patent; in June, the circulating hot water pump began operating successfully at Jingmen Petrochemical, with all its technical parameters reaching advanced levels comparable to those of similar international products. It is estimated that once the forced-circulation hot water pump units are developed, the cost of each unit will be around 3.1 million yuan, which is 2.9 million yuan lower than the price of imported units. The delivery time for the complete unit can be reduced by 4 to 6 months compared to imported units, avoiding the disadvantages such as long procurement and supply cycles for imported components and high costs.
The development of a high-temperature and high-pressure forced-circulation hot water pump for this catalytic cracking unit is the first of its kind in China; it was developed jointly by research institutions associated with Jingmen Petrochemical. The localization of this equipment plays a positive role in promoting and setting an example for the development of similar mechanical equipment technologies both domestically and internationally. On one hand, it fills the technical and application gaps in this field within China, breaking the foreign technological monopoly; on the other hand, it provides new solutions for the water circulation systems in the steam drums of waste heat boilers used in similar oil refining and steelmaking plants worldwide. The research and development of high-temperature and high-pressure forced-circulation hot water pumps dates back to October 2016. At that time, the feasibility study for Jingmen Petrochemical’s 2.8 million tons per year heavy oil catalytic cracking project was approved, and the heat extraction system for this project utilized a high-temperature and high-pressure forced-circulation hot water process. The mechanical seal and pressure resistance of the forced circulation hot water pump, which is one of the core equipment installed as part of this system, must meet the requirements of high-temperature and high-pressure operating conditions; ordinary centrifugal pumps cannot satisfy these design requirements. In June 2017, Jingmen Petrochemical, together with Sinopec Engineering Construction Co., Ltd. and Shenyang Blower Group Petrochemical Pump Co., Ltd., began working on the development of high-temperature and high-pressure forced-circulation hot water centrifugal pumps, and established a project R&D team. The first issue the R&D team addressed was the selection of pump type. Conventional shielded hot water circulation pumps use a shielded casing design, and their pressure resistance and efficiency are not sufficient to meet the requirements of high-temperature and high-pressure operating conditions. By reviewing technical documents, conducting multiple calculations and discussions, and taking into account the sealing solutions for pumps, they decided to adopt a design in which the motor windings come into contact with the medium. This approach eliminates the need for mechanical seals, enhances the pressure resistance and efficiency of the circulating hot water pump, and overcomes the limitation that conventional shielded pumps are unable to handle such high-temperature and high-pressure conditions. The axial force balance of the pump is another key issue that the R&D team needs to consider. The higher the design head, the greater the requirement for axial force balance in the pump. During their research, the R&D team found that the head of circulating hot water pumps in other application areas in China ranges from 30 to 50 meters, whereas the forced circulation hot water pumps used in the 2.8 million tons per year heavy oil catalytic cracking project require a head of 80 meters. If the head is increased to 80 meters, it is necessary to address the issue of balancing the axial force on the pump within the range from zero load to full load.