【Major Industrial Equipment in the Chemical Industry】From 2048 to 2022, the Badger process technology was utilized to develop domestically produced triple heat exchangers capable of handling 600,000 tons per year of styrene

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On August 7, 2022, the triple heat exchanger for Lianyungang Petrochemical’s 600,000 tons per year styrene production facility was manufactured at Maoming Gravity Petrochemical Equipment Co., Ltd.’s high-tech manufacturing site. This marks the first time that the triple heat exchanger of China’s 600,000 tons per year styrene plant, which uses the American Badger process technology, has been manufactured domestically. 　　The American company Badger is one of the world’s renowned manufacturers of styrene-related technologies. Multiple such production units have been introduced in China, and the core equipment involved, namely the triple heat exchanger, is difficult to design and manufacture; as a result, it has long been under the monopoly of foreign engineering companies and manufacturers. The 600,000-ton/year styrene plant under construction at Lianyungang Petrochemical utilizes the Badger process technology, and it is the largest plant of its kind among the processes introduced of this type. The core equipment of the unit, the triple heat exchanger, is manufactured by Maoming Gravity. It has a total length of 41 meters, a maximum diameter of 4.5 meters, and a total weight of 674 tons. It consists of a feed vaporizer, a feed/outlet heat exchanger, and a high-pressure steam generator. 　　Styrene multi-pass heat exchangers have high technical requirements and are difficult to manufacture, earning them the title of \"the jewel in the crown of petrochemical static equipment\". Due to the COVID-19 pandemic and the uncertainties posed by the international situation, Lianyungang Petrochemical, after thorough research, extensive comparison, and evaluation, ultimately decided that Maoming Gravity would take on the task of developing domestic versions of triple-effect heat exchangers. Maoming Gravity assembled its best team and, over the course of a year, overcame numerous technical challenges to successfully complete the localization of these critical projects with high quality. Through its practical actions and achievements, it won the trust and recognition of the patent holders. 　　At the equipment delivery ceremony, Lianyungang Petrochemical Co., Ltd. sent a congratulatory message, expressing its joy at the successful delivery of the triple heat exchanger. It also extended its regards and thanks to the employees of Maoming Gravity, and looked forward to the installation of this key equipment for the styrene plant, so as to create the conditions for pilot production. 　　Yang Zhiqiang, general manager of Maoming Gravity Company, noted that over the years, Maoming Gravity has been committed to promoting the localization of major petrochemical equipment, achieving numerous firsts in China and putting an end to the reliance on imported petrochemical equipment. In the design and manufacturing of triple-effect heat exchangers, the staff faced challenges such as the recurring COVID-19 pandemic, delays in the delivery of materials, and high manufacturing difficulties, but they dared to take responsibility and overcame these obstacles. 　　Fan Yunfeng, General Manager of the Supply Center at Sinopec Maoming Petrochemical Company, hopes that Maoming will steer the industry’s development in the right direction, continuously improve its technical capabilities and manufacturing skills, and make greater contributions to the petrochemical equipment manufacturing sector as well as to the development of Maoming Petrochemical. 　　It is reported that Maoming Gravity Company has the capability to supply heat exchangers using the mainstream process technologies of ST, Badger, and Lummus International. The company is currently manufacturing the Lummus process quad-exchanger for Yulong Island Petrochemical. Previously, Maoming Gravity had completed the production of the triple heat exchanger using ST process technology, and it was successfully put into operation.