【Ten Years of Rapid Development in Chemical Processing Equipment】The Largest Suspension Bridge Crossing for Natural Gas Main Pipelines in China from 1969 to 2019
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Witnessing the decade-long rapid development of chemical processing equipment; praising the prosperity and strength of modern China. Replies will be rewarded – discussions are welcome. ------------------------------------------- On August 25, 2019, the main structure of the Wujiang suspension bridge for the Nanchuan-Fuling natural gas pipeline operated by Sinopec’s Natural Gas Division was completed. The total length of this bridge is 467.8 meters, with a main span of 355 meters; it can bear a load of 1,008.3 tons. It is currently the largest and most heavily loaded natural gas pipeline bridge project in China.
The Wujiang Suspension Bridge, as one of the key control projects for the Nanchuan-Fuling gas pipeline, is located in Sanmenzi Village, Baitao Town, Fuling District, Chongqing. The bridge is constructed in a twin-tower, single-span format spanning the Wujiang River, with a drop of 85 meters from the bridge deck to the river bottom. The bridge deck will accommodate natural gas pipelines, shale gas production pipelines, and communication optical cable conduits in parallel. The designers and constructors employed, for the first time, methods such as the overall lifting of the steel main tower, a design with four separate main cables, and various combined anchoring systems to ensure the wind resistance of the overall structure, enabling it to withstand winds of force 9 in canyon areas.
The Nanchuan-Fuling gas pipeline is the only large-diameter, high-pressure transmission pipeline in the Nanchuan area. It has a total length of 65 km, a design pressure of 10.0 MPa, and a diameter of 1,016 millimeters. Its annual gas transportation capacity is 4 billion cubic meters, and it is scheduled to be completed and put into operation in October.
Once completed, it will be connected to the Fuling-Wangchang gas pipeline, and through the Sichuan Gas to East China pipeline, shale gas will be transported continuously to regions such as Central and East China, providing clean energy for the development of the Yangtze River Economic Belt. More than 70 large and medium-sized cities in 6 provinces and 2 municipalities along the route will benefit from this, as well as thousands of enterprises and over 200 million residents.
On December 17, it was learned from Sinopec Group Co., Ltd. (hereinafter referred to as Sinopec) that the Nanchuan-Fuling natural gas pipeline operated by Sinopec’s Natural Gas Division has been put into full operation. It is planned to transport 2.6 million cubic meters of shale gas per day; this will help unlock the shale gas production capacity in areas such as Pingqiao, Jiangdong, and Baima in Nanchuan, Chongqing. By connecting with the Fuling-Wangchang gas pipeline and the West-South Gas Pipeline, shale gas can be continuously transported to regions in Central and East China, providing clean energy for the development of the Yangtze River Economic Belt.
The Wujiang Suspension Bridge project commenced construction on May 1, 2018. Gas pipelines, sewage pipes, and communication optical cable conduits will be laid parallel on the bridge deck; it is currently the suspension bridge in China with the greatest span and the highest load capacity. Its deck is 355 meters long and 2.74 meters wide. The main bridge consists of 2 steel towers, 4 main cables, 71 steel girders, and 163 stay cables. To overcome the karst landscape characterized by developed karst formations on both banks of the Wujiang River, the Nanfu Project Department of Jianghan Oil Construction drove 12 pile foundations underground, to a depth of 71 meters; above that level, rivet caps, bearing platforms, main towers, and steel structures were constructed to provide a strong support point for the suspension cables.