【Ten Years of Rapid Development in Chemical Equipment】Domestic Development of Methane Expansion and Recompression Compressors for Ethylene Plants with Capacities of 1 million tons per year, 1101–2023

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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 ----------------------------------------- Recently, China Shipbuilding 711 Institute and Sinopec Maoming Petrochemical Company successfully signed a contract for research and development, tasked with developing domestically the methane expansion recompressors needed for their new million-ton ethylene plant. It is reported that in 2023, Maoming Petrochemical built a new 3# ethylene plant with an annual production capacity of 1 million tons. The expansion recompressor, as a key equipment in this plant, operates in low-temperature conditions; it presents high technical challenges and currently relies heavily on imports. The expansion recompressor is also the only type of compressor in ethylene plants that has not been localized domestically, making it imperative to achieve its localization. The R&D team at 711 faced the challenges head-on; through three years of relentless effort, they overcame numerous technical difficulties and, in 2022, were the first to develop a domestic prototype of an expansion recompressor. The methane expansion and recompression unit developed for Maoming Petrochemical’s ethylene plant represents another milestone in the localization of ethylene production equipment, following the development of the three key machines used in such plants. It signifies a successful break from the reliance on imported expansion and recompression units, bringing the petrochemical industry one step closer to achieving the goal of complete domestic production of all necessary equipment. In the future, 711 Institute will continue to focus on the domestic development of high-end turbine machinery, providing more sustainable and self-developed solutions for users in sectors such as energy and chemicals, oil and gas extraction, as well as shipbuilding and offshore engineering, thereby contributing to the **energy transition and green development.