【Haichuan’s Best Practices】Replacing the mechanical seal of the bottom pump in the concentration tower of the 1,4-butanediol production plant with a dry gas seal

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Tianzhi Chenye Chemical Co., Ltd., part of Xinjiang Tianye Group, carried out technical upgrades on the bottom pump of the concentration tower in its 1,4-butanediol production facility; this resolved the problems of frequent equipment damage and liquid leakage, resulting in significant cost savings and improved efficiency. 　　It is reported that before the renovation, the bottom pump of this concentration tower used a mechanical seal. During actual operation, after the medium is concentrated in the tower, salt-containing crystalline substances are formed, which can easily lead to the failure of the mechanical seal and the auxiliary compensation mechanism as well as fluid leakage. Each set of equipment requires maintenance 2 to 3 times per year; the company’s 3 sets of equipment result in annual maintenance costs of around 800,000 yuan, keeping the volume of maintenance work and production costs at high levels. 　　To address the above issues, the Equipment Department of Tianzhi Chenye conducted in-depth research on solutions for mechanical seal leakage, and based on the actual operating conditions of the equipment, replaced the mechanical seals with dry gas seals. At the same time, they added steam heating to the working chamber of the dry gas seal to prevent crystallization from occurring due to the high-temperature medium inside, thereby further extending the service life of the dry gas seal. Currently, the equipment has been operating steadily for over 7,000 hours since its renovation.