【Ten Years of Great Progress in Chemical Technology】From 2015 to 2021, Daqing built China’s first industrial pilot plant for the synthesis of α-olefins such as 1-octene
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This post was last edited by Desert Fish on 2023-4-2 at 11:58. On August 30, 2021, the industrial trial project for the integrated technology for the synthesis of octene and other α-olefins at Daqing Petrochemical was completed as scheduled. This project is a major industrial field test project carried out by China National Petroleum Corporation, and it is also one of the key research topics under the **Key Research and Development Program on ‘Key Technologies for the Production of High-Performance Lubricants and Their Applications’**. With the completion of this project, Daqing Petrochemical built China’s first industrial test facility for the synthesis of α-olefins such as 1-octene. Following the success of these industrial tests, a set of technical processes at a scale of 10,000 tons will be developed, featuring independent intellectual property rights. This will fill the gap in China’s technology for 1-octene production, bringing the overall technology to an internationally advanced level and thereby enhancing China National Petroleum Corporation’s technical and industrial advantages in the field of α-olefins. It is understood that the total investment in this experimental project amounts to 59.99 million yuan, with a floor area of 4,800 square meters. It is carried out through the renovation and expansion of Daqing Petrochemical’s 5,000-ton/year hexene-1 production facility, and consists mainly of three components: the construction of a new reaction building along with its associated equipment, the addition of buffer frames to the buffer tank area, and the renovation of the pump rooms related to the existing hexene-1 facility. As industrial trials progress, Daqing Petrochemical will be able to switch to producing high-quality α-olefin products such as 1-hexene, 1-octene, and decene under various operating conditions in the future.
The complete set of technologies for producing α-olefins such as octene was independently developed by the Daqing Center of the China National Petroleum Corporation’s Research Institute of Petrochemical Technology. During the period of technical research and development, the researchers overcame various technical challenges, including the innovation of catalyst structures for highly selective molecular confinement of 1-octene, the development of new production processes for the entire process, and the design of specialized industrial reactors for efficient mass transfer. As a result, Sinopec’s technology for producing 1-octene became the first in China to reach the stage of industrial demonstration. During the project construction process, the Project Management Department of Daqing Petrochemicals carried out scientific coordination and meticulous organization, focusing on the \"four key controls\" in project management to achieve improvements in terms of schedule, cost, quality, and safety. At the same time, project construction was integrated organically with the special initiatives aimed at improving the quality and efficiency of Daqing Petrochemical’s operations, and these efforts were carried out in a coordinated manner. By optimizing design and procurement plans, making use of existing inventory, and strengthening cost management, more than 2.6 million yuan was saved. The construction contractor, Daqing Petrochemical Construction Company, overcame various challenges such as a tight construction timeline, heavy workload, and the impact of the pandemic, and completed the civil engineering work to high standards, as well as the installation and commissioning of equipment, pipelines, and control systems. By carrying out production campaigns from 6 a.m. to 9 p.m., they managed to produce and install 719 tons of steel structures, lay 9,439 meters of piping, and install 14,017 meters of external pipes and heat tracing lines; in addition, 74 pieces of equipment were installed, ensuring that the project was delivered on schedule.
Over the past four years, the project team of Global Daqing Company has maintained close cooperation with the Daqing Chemical Research Center and Daqing Petrochemical Company to jointly study and resolve various issues as well as engineering and technical challenges that arise during the project’s progress. Throughout the project from design to construction, the project team invested a great deal of effort and time. From the outset, they conducted in-depth research on the entire set of process technologies, key process equipment, and the adaptability of existing equipment, continuously optimizing processes and pursuing integrated innovation. During the process design phase, from pilot scale to full-scale production, technical challenges arise continuously. The project team overcame numerous challenges along the way; they carried out full-process simulation calculations as needed, replanned the production process, reassessed the existing equipment, discussed the layout in detail on many occasions, and even carefully analyzed the data related to a single control valve. They paid attention to every detail and worked meticulously to resolve each issue one by one. The team designers actively embodied the petroleum spirit of fearing neither hardship nor fatigue, as well as the principles of \"three persistences and four strictnesses.\" They worked overtime, made the most of every minute, worked hard and diligently to overcome challenges. After day after day of intense work in front of the computers, round after round of brainstorming, and repeated instances of their mental defenses being weakened and then rebuilt, they, with fearless courage and an indomitable determination, ensured the design progress to the greatest extent possible, thereby creating the prerequisites for successfully achieving the project’s delivery goals.
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