【Ten Years of Rapid Development in Chemical Engineering Equipment】643-2022: CNPC Pioneers 3D Printing of Large-Diameter, Thick-Walled Low-Temperature Tees

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Witnessing the decade-long rapid development of chemical engineering equipment; praising the prosperity and strength of modern China. Replies will be rewarded; discussions are welcome. -------------------------------------------On November 17, 2022, the China Petroleum Engineering Materials Research Institute received a certificate of new product approval from the China Petroleum and Petrochemical Equipment Industry Association. The certification certificate states that the TE555 low-temperature, large-diameter, thick-walled tee for oil and gas pipeline applications, which was independently designed by the institute using arc 3D printing technology on China National Petroleum Corporation’s first additive manufacturing testing platform, is the world’s first of its kind, and its overall quality reaches international advanced levels. 　　It is understood that 3D printing, also known as additive manufacturing, is a new manufacturing technology that uses digital models to build physical objects by layering materials together; it is a core technology driving a new round of technological revolution and industrial transformation. Tees are important and widely used fittings in oil and gas pipeline projects; their quality and load-bearing capacity directly affect the integrity of the entire pipeline as well as its operational safety. After more than two years of relentless effort, the additive manufacturing team at the China National Petroleum Corporation’s Research Institute for Petroleum Engineering Materials completed construction of China National Petroleum Corporation’s first additive manufacturing testing and research platform in March this year. This platform uses an arc as a heat source to melt metal wire, making it particularly suitable for manufacturing large metal components. 　　Building on this significant achievement, the team addressed issues such as the differences in structure and properties across various parts of tees that arise from traditional hot-drawing processes, as well as the risk of brittle instability and cracking. They carried out intensive research on core technologies such as product modeling, personalized design, and intelligent manufacturing, and successfully developed and 3D-printed two types of large-diameter, thick-walled tees suitable for use at temperatures of -60°C and -45°C. According to the tests conducted by the **Petroleum Pipe Materials Quality Inspection and Testing Center, the product quality meets the requirements of the design standards. 　　It is reported that the low-temperature thick-walled tee that has passed the inspection this time has a diameter of 1219 millimeters and a weight of 4970 kilograms; the thickness of both the main pipe and the branch pipes is 67 millimeters, with uniformity throughout, while the thickness of the rounded reinforcement at the shoulder section is 164 millimeters. The entire printing process is safe and efficient, significantly reducing the number of steps involved in traditional manufacturing methods, while increasing the level of automation and material utilization. 　　The China Petroleum Engineering Materials Research Institute utilizes arc 3D printing technology to rapidly and flexibly adjust the product structure, dimensions, and material composition according to the requirements of actual application environments and performance needs. This approach offers numerous advantages such as stable quality and minimal differences in performance across different parts, providing a more cost-effective solution for the low-volume, customized production of large metal components in the oil and gas industry, as well as for innovative design and development efforts.