【Ten Years of Rapid Development in Chemical Processing Equipment】638-2022: High-end, ultra-heavy-duty container plates that replace imported materials, used exclusively in the core components of world-class EO reactors

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This post was last edited by Desert Fish on 2022-12-1 at 14:42. The Quanzhou Petrochemical reactor: In March 2022, HBWugang, in partnership with China National Nuclear Corporation’s Dalian Nuclear Petrochemical project, won the bid to manufacture world-class EO reactors of large tonnage. These high-end, ultra-heavy container plates, which represent advanced technology on a global scale, will replace imported materials and be used exclusively in the production of components such as the reactor cylinders, end caps, and support plates for the core equipment of the Yulong Island integrated refining and chemical complex. The Yulong Island refining and chemical integration project is an **important measure to adjust and optimize the layout of the petrochemical industry, enhance its competitiveness, and promote green development. Its core equipment, the EO reactor, has an inner diameter of over 4 meters and a weight of 1,320 tons, making it one of the heaviest of its kind in the world. Due to the complex structure of EO reactors and the tendency of the media involved to suffer from stress corrosion, extremely high requirements are placed on the materials used in their construction. Previously, such special materials required for domestic projects had to be imported in large quantities. The group makes steady progress in optimizing the “two structures,” continuously increasing efforts in technological upgrades to provide special steels required for the research and development of **key projects and major engineering initiatives. In the early stages of the project, in-depth discussions were held with the designers and the client. To meet the specific material requirements for critical components of the EO reactor, custom-designed steel plates were developed, capable of operating under extreme conditions such as high temperatures, deep cold, and corrosion caused by complex media. At the same time, in light of the fact that the steel plates required for the key components of world-class tonnage EO reactors are of extremely large tonnage, great thickness, and long length, a specialized technical team was established to work on optimizing the process design for such steel plates. Through continuous optimization of steel plate composition, as well as processes such as smelting, rolling, and heat treatment, industry challenges such as the instability of impact toughness of steel plates at ultra-low temperatures have been overcome. This has not only ensured that parameters such as the performance during triple welding, performance after prolonged welding, and performance at half the thickness of the steel plate all meet or exceed customer requirements, but it has also improved key technical indicators such as impact toughness at ultra-low temperatures, bringing them to a level superior to that of foreign steel manufacturers and achieving world-class standards, thus enabling successful substitution of imported products.