【Ten Years of Rapid Development in Chemical Equipment】Striving for Domestic Production of Bearings for Large-Scale Ethylene Cracking Gas Compression Units from 1094 to 2023

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Ten years of rapid development in chemical technology – praise for China’s prosperity and strength. This is just a starting point; more participation from everyone will make things even more lively. HaiChuan becomes even better with you here; we welcome everyone to join in the forum discussions. The fragrance of rice flowers in August ------------------------------------------ The pyrolysis gas compression unit is the key equipment in Zhenhai Refining & Chemical’s No. 1 ethylene pyrolysis plant, and the thrust bearings are crucial components of this unit; previously, imported equipment was used for these purposes. In order to keep the core technologies in its own hands and promote the localization of spare parts for imported units, Zhenhai Refining & Chemical started working on the localization of the thrust bearings for these units in 2020. During this period, Zhenhai Refining & Chemical carried out more than 30 technical exchanges and evaluation sessions, as well as several expert discussions, in order to determine the manufacturer and the appropriate solution. After the initial production of domestic bearings, specialized testing facilities were developed for bench tests. Through multiple rounds of calculations and verifications, the ultimate load-bearing capacity per side of the bearings was determined, and it fully meets the requirements for the maximum axial thrust on the rotor following the modification of the turbine balance pipes. As of May 23, 2023, Unit 1 of the ethylene cracking gas compression unit at Zhenhai Refining & Chemical Co., Ltd. had been operating steadily for two weeks in a row, marking the successful completion of the task to localize the thrust bearings used in this unit. This represents the first time that thrust bearings for compressors in Zhenhai Refining & Chemical’s large-scale cracking facilities have been localized. The process of localizing thrust bearings took nearly 3 years. With no prior experience to rely on, the research team proactively studied foreign-language materials, broadened their perspectives by engaging with manufacturers, developed various plans for testing, and ultimately succeeded in localizing these bearings. This approach saved more than 1.5 million yuan compared to using imported components. Currently, the bearing displacement of the pyrolysis gas compression unit is normal, the bearing temperature is normal, the bearing condition is normal, and the unit is operating well.