【Major Chemical Equipment】071 – Large-scale Styrene Plant Dehydrogenation Reactor

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The past decade has been a period of rapid development in China’s chemical industry, marked by the emergence of many new processes, products, and equipment. There has also been significant progress in China’s chemical processing equipment, which has contributed to the swift advancement of the petrochemical sector. Here, we have compiled some of the achievements and breakthroughs made by Chinese equipment manufacturers in terms of larger-scale production and increased use of domestic equipment. We invite everyone to share their insights and engage in discussions, to cheer for Made in China and to support the development of chemical processing equipment! *********************************** In June 2019, LANSI Heavy Equipment signed a contract with Fujian Gulei Petrochemical Co., Ltd. for the design and manufacture of the dehydrogenation reactor for the 600,000 tons per year styrene production unit in the Gulei integrated refining and chemical project in Zhangzhou, Fujian. Fujian Gulei’s 600,000 tons per year styrene plant is the largest of its kind within Sinopec’s industry, incorporating Badger Company’s proprietary EBMax technology as well as styrene production technologies. There are two such styrene dehydrogenation reactors: the first dehydrogenation reactor has dimensions of φ4600X10/14/16x24950 mm, while the second dehydrogenation reactor has dimensions of φ5100x18/22/30/38/45/52/60x27300 mm. The main material used for both reactors is SA-304H, and they represent the core equipment in this facility. The equipment has a large diameter, operates at high temperatures, features a complex internal structure, requires high technical standards, and uses materials with unique properties, making its design and manufacture challenging. Lanshi Heavy Equipment placed great emphasis on this matter and established a project team; numerous discussions and evaluations were carried out at various stages, including design analysis, process development, processing and manufacturing, as well as testing and acceptance, to ensure the smooth design and manufacture of the styrene dehydrogenation reactor. On June 18, 2020, after nearly 30 hours of work on installing the internal components, the first dehydrogenation reactor of the styrene unit in the Gulei Refining and Chemical Integration Project, manufactured by Qingdao Lanshi, had its cylinder assembly completed, allowing it to proceed to the next stage of construction. On September 17, 2020, the dehydrogenation reactor for the 600,000-ton/year styrene unit of the Gulei refining and chemical integration project, designed and manufactured by LANSI Heavy Equipment Qingdao Company, was completed and passed the factory acceptance test.