Cut thick walls with pentane

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On May 18, a press conference to announce the achievements of the industrial application of pentane as a new fuel for welding and cutting was held at Guangzhou Shipyard International Co., Ltd., which is part of China State Shipbuilding Corporation. This achievement marks the first time in China that pentane has been successfully utilized on an industrial scale as a new type of fuel for welding and cutting. It not only solves the problems associated with cutting medium-thick ship plates and special steel plates in the shipbuilding industry, but is also more environmentally friendly than traditional fuels. It provides new impetus for the construction of high-end ships and drives the green development of China’s shipbuilding industry. With the trend toward larger ships, very large vessels make extensive use of special steel plate materials such as medium and thick steel plates as well as crack-resistant steel. These materials, with their high thickness and strength, often suffer from issues such as slag attachment and melted edges during natural gas cutting, requiring further processing in subsequent steps. For the largest 16,000 TEU ultra-large container ships in South China, which are ordered in bulk by Guangzhou Shipbuilding International, crack-resistant steel is used in key areas such as the deck and hatch walls; this issue also arose during the construction process. Guangzhou Shipbuilding International has proactively stepped up efforts in developing original and innovative technologies, actively pursued research into new processing techniques, and been determined to overcome challenges related to key core technologies. In collaboration with Shenghuo Energy Technology (Guangdong) Co., Ltd., it developed a mobile system for the blending of lightweight hydrocarbons. This system addresses the technical challenges related to the stable vaporization of liquid pentane welding fluid at normal temperature and pressure, as well as issues concerning pipeline transportation and pressure regulation for the vaporization equipment. It takes full advantage of the high calorific value of pentane, thereby effectively solving the problems associated with cutting medium-thick ship plates and special steel plates in the shipbuilding industry.