【Haichuan’s Best Practices】Energy-saving renovation of the reciprocating compressor units in continuous reforming units through a \"1-to-2\" type stepless air volume control technology

Thread Content

At the beginning of this year, Jingmen Petrochemical applied the \"one drive for two\" type stepless air volume control technology for the first time to carry out energy-saving upgrades on the reciprocating compressor units in its continuous reforming unit. To date, the upgraded compression units have been operating smoothly with significant energy-saving effects. This is the first time Sinopec has successfully applied the “one drives two” control technology to 4M-class large-scale units, breaking the foreign technological monopoly. 　　Previously, Jingmen Petrochemical’s continuous reforming unit was equipped with 3 reciprocating compressor units, operating on a \"two in use and one standby\" basis. In its energy usage analysis, the company found that when two units were operated simultaneously, there was a surplus in capacity, resulting in energy waste; however, operating only one of the units was not sufficient to meet the production demands. To balance stable production with energy savings and reduced consumption, the company has decided to install a \"one-to-two\" type stepless air volume control system on the units, that is, to use one control system to regulate the air intake volume for both units. 　　Although this technology enables two units to operate independently and switch over smoothly through a control system, its control logic is complex and the amount of programming required is enormous; as a result, it has been monopolized by foreign companies. To date, most companies in this industry still use a control scheme of one unit per controller. To localize this technology, Jingmen Petrochemical established a dedicated technical team to focus on the core issues and conduct intensive research. After numerous on-site measurements and discussions, as well as repeated simulation tests carried out in collaboration with domestic technical experts, the optimal solution was finally developed and successfully implemented. 　　According to calculations, the upgraded units feature good operational flexibility and high reliability; they can save 300 kilowatt-hours of electricity per hour. This not only avoids the risks associated with long-term use of individual units but also takes into account both production needs and energy conservation, with an estimated annual savings of 1.92 million yuan.