【Major Equipment in the Chemical Engineering Sector】123 – The first set of 30-megawatt gas turbine-driven compression units for long-distance natural gas pipelines

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This post was last edited by Desert Fish on 2022-4-21 at 15:27. The past decade has been a period of rapid development in 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 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 greater use of domestic equipment. Everyone is welcome to share their thoughts and experiences; let’s cheer for Made in China and support the development of chemical processing equipment! *********************************** Large compression units are regarded as the “heart” of gas pipelines, and they are key to ensuring the safe and reliable operation of these vital energy conduits. For a long time, the domestic market for large-scale combustion-driven compression units has been monopolized by foreign companies; core technologies, spare parts, and maintenance services rely heavily on imports, which has become a critical issue affecting China’s strategic security. 　　In order to break free from dependence on others and promote the transformation and upgrading of the equipment manufacturing industry, departments such as the National Development and Reform Commission and the Energy Administration have decided to leverage the West-East Gas Transmission Project and adopt a collaborative model involving government, industry, academia, research institutions, and users, in order to accelerate the localization of three key types of equipment used in long-distance gas pipelines: large ball valves, electric-driven compression units, and gas-driven compression units. In April 2009, the **Energy Bureau brought together the key players in the research, development, and manufacturing of high-end domestic equipment to formulate an implementation plan for localization. The plan specifies that the 703rd Research Institute of China State Shipbuilding Corporation shall take the lead in carrying out the development of 30-megawatt class gas-driven compression units as well as related industrial application projects. **The West-East Gas Transmission Branch of the Pipeline Network Group will participate in the development of these units and serve as the construction and operation entity as well as the end user. 　　In 2010, the project was officially launched; through methods such as integrated innovation, introduction, digestion, absorption, and further innovation, as well as original innovation, a total of 6 sets of 30-megawatt gas-fired compression units were put into operation. In December 2018, the first set of domestically produced 30-megawatt gas-driven compressors out of the six sets was put into commercial operation, beginning industrial-scale testing. In January 2020, the unit had accumulated 4,000 hours of operation, successfully completing all the research tasks required for the industrial evaluation, and was ready for acceptance. To date, the total operating time of the engine unit has exceeded 8,000 hours. During the industrial evaluation period, the unit’s performance reached international advanced levels, with key ecological and reliability indicators exceeding those of imported units during the same period. 　　Throughout the entire development process of the project, all the participating organizations and personnel adhered to the overall principles of \"high standards, high quality, and emphasis on promotion\" as well as the goal of being able to compete with foreign products. They carried out numerous technical efforts, and over the course of more than 10 years, they succeeded in overcoming over 30 key core technologies related to research and development, design, production, and testing. In the field of independent innovation and development of high-end energy equipment in our country, a path of independent innovation has been forged, encompassing design, manufacturing, system integration, factory testing, and evaluation through industrial application trials.