【Ten Years of Great Development in Chemical Equipment】Domestic production of large labyrinth compressor units for the 300,000-ton HDPE plant in Tianjin’s million-ton ethylene project from 1981 to 2010

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Witnessing the ten-year rapid development of chemical processing equipment, I praise the prosperity and strength of modern China. Wishing everyone a happy New Year, and may their families be safe and healthy. I hope this contribution will inspire further participation from others; with you all, Haichuan becomes even more wonderful. Everyone is welcome to join in the discussions on this forum. ------------------------------------------------------------------ In January 2010, the cracking gas compression units for Tianjin’s million-ton ethylene plant were put into operation, and they have been functioning well ever since； Meanwhile, large four-row labyrinth-sealed compression units have also been put into operation at the 300,000 tons/year HDPE plant associated with Tianjin’s million-ton ethylene facility. This marks the successful completion of the localization of large ethylene compressors, with the pyrolysis gas compression units and large four-row labyrinth compression units having passed the certification. Reporters learned from the relevant departments of Tianjin Petrochemical Company that two domestic production projects, namely the cracking gas compression unit for Tianjin’s million-ton ethylene project and the large-scale four-row labyrinth compression unit, passed the evaluation by an expert group from Sinopec last week. Thus, China’s first domestic project to fully develop, design, and manufacture ethylene compressors has been successfully completed. 　　The expert group believes that the success of the development project for cracking gas compression units for Tianjin’s million-ton-class large-scale ethylene plants has filled a gap in China’s industry, ending the long-term reliance on imported products of this type. The overall performance of these units meets international advanced standards, with some indicators even exceeding those of imported units of similar kind ； The overall technology of the large-scale four-row labyrinth-sealed compressor development project has reached an advanced level comparable to that of international counterparts, bringing significant economic and social benefits. 　　It is understood that the Tianjin million-ton ethylene and related projects feature world-class scale as well as first-class process technology; they represent the highest level of domestic production among similar facilities under construction in China. The domestic production rates for their refining and ethylene production equipment are 91.5% and 78% respectively, which has significantly enhanced the level of China’s equipment manufacturing industry. The compressors developed for these two projects have been in operation for nearly 5 years now, performing well; they feature high overall efficiency, and all their technical parameters and operational characteristics meet the standards of similar foreign units. 　　It is reported that the ethylene cracking gas compressor is the most critical and hardest-to-localize core equipment in ethylene plants; the production technology for this type of compressor has long been monopolized by a few companies around the world. Previously, all cracking gas compressors used in domestic ethylene plants were imported. During the construction of Tianjin’s million-ton ethylene plant, Tianjin Petrochemical and Shenyang Blower Group jointly took on the task of developing the pyrolysis gas compressors. The R&D team carried out multi-objective collaborative design for the cracking gas compressor units in Tianjin’s million-ton ethylene project under various complex operating conditions. Not only was the aerodynamic performance optimized, but the design of components such as the rotor and stator was also improved, thereby resolving the issue of proper matching between static and dynamic components at large scale and high parameters. In addition, the R&D team also conducted research on key technologies such as the design methods for turbines, flow chambers, temperature compensation techniques for the lower half of the cylinder, low-speed electric turning devices, structure, and related manufacturing processes, thereby ensuring the safe and reliable operation of the turbines. 　　While working on solutions for the pyrolysis gas compressor, Tianjin Petrochemical organized its technical staff to undertake a project for developing large-scale four-row labyrinth seal compressors. During the R&D process, technical personnel conducted experimental studies taking into account various factors such as the properties of different media and the characteristics of fluids, thereby overcoming the design challenges associated with the four-row labyrinth compressor. In addition, they overcame challenges such as the manufacturing processes for the integrated cylinders of large labyrinth compressors, thin-walled crankcase designs, and casting techniques. They not only developed large labyrinth compressor units suitable for 300,000-ton HDPE plants used in ethylene production projects on a million-ton scale, but also created design and calculation software with independent intellectual property rights. As a result, a comprehensive set of technologies was developed for the design of large labyrinth compressors, the manufacturing of key components, as well as their installation and commissioning.