【Ten Years of Rapid Development in Chemical Processing Equipment】1322-2023: Wet Oxidation Projects for Sulfur-Containing Waste Alkaline Liquids Associated with Ethylene Production at a Scale of Millions of Tons
Thread Content
The wet oxidation project for treating sulfur-containing waste alkali liquor associated with million-ton ethylene production was completed successfully on December 19, 2022. As part of Sinopec’s “Ten Dragon” technology development program, the project titled “Development of Wet Oxidation Technology for Sulfur-Containing Waste Alkali Liquor Associated with Million-Ton Ethylene Production and Industrial Testing” fulfilled all its objectives in high quality, thus concluding successfully. This project was developed through joint efforts by Sinopec Zhenhai Refining & Chemical Co., Ltd., Sinopec (Dalian) Petrochemical Research Institute Co., Ltd., Sinopec Engineering Construction Company, East China University of Science and Technology, Ningbo New Materials Research Institute, and other organizations. Its aim is to overcome foreign technological barriers and address the challenge of treating sulfur-containing waste alkaline solutions in the process of expanding ethylene production facilities in China. The process design was approved by the company’s R&D department in July 2020, and the project commenced operations in December 2020. In December 2021, the plant underwent a trial run with successful results: the sulfide removal rate exceeded 99.99%, while the COD removal rate was nearly 3 percentage points higher than that of similar foreign technologies. This marked the first industrial application of large-scale wet oxidation treatment technology, with 100% localization of the equipment, instruments, and software used. From July to August 2022, industrial unit calibration was carried out. The calibration results show that, after oxidation, parameters such as the sulfide concentration in the waste alkaline solution, COD concentration, oxygen content in the exhaust gas, and the operating costs of the facility are all better than the targets set in the research design. Compared with internationally leading similar technologies, this device requires less investment, has lower operating costs, a longer service life, higher processing efficiency and automation levels, resulting in significant economic and social benefits.
Project acceptance: In December 2022, the project passed the acceptance review by the Science and Technology Department of Sinopec. Through three years of intensive research, this project exceeded all the set targets; a total of 34 Chinese invention patents were applied for, of which 11 were granted, and 6 innovative achievements were made: a complete set of technologies for the wet oxidation of sulfur-containing waste alkali solutions associated with ethylene production on a scale of 1 million tons per year (with a treatment capacity of 19.2 t/h) was developed, enabling efficient, low-energy-consuming, and long-term stable operation of industrial plants. A circulating internal-loop reactor suitable for the wet oxidation of large-scale waste alkaline solutions was developed, and the reactor structure and material flow patterns under optimal operating conditions were determined to ensure the proper treatment of the waste alkaline solutions. A fractal distributor to enhance gas-liquid mass transfer was developed, utilizing bubbles of different dimensions to simultaneously improve the mass transfer efficiency and gas holdup in the reactor. An efficient, scale-resistant integrated energy utilization system has been developed to recover reaction heat while ensuring the stable operation of the equipment. A clog-resistant coupling process of inertial guidance pre-separation and micro-vortex fine separation was developed to achieve efficient separation under conditions of fluctuating gas flow, without any issues of scaling or blockage. An automatic control system for the device was developed to achieve full-automatic control throughout the entire process. Innovative control technologies such as \"no backflow during discharge from the liquid separation tank\" and \"online switching of high-pressure feed pumps\" were introduced, thereby reducing labor costs. The successful completion of this project indicates that Sinopec now possesses independently developed large-scale wet oxidation technology for treating waste alkali. It represents overcoming the final hurdle to full domestic production in ethylene production projects, breaking the long-standing technical monopoly held by foreign companies in this field in China. This advancement provides strong support for ensuring energy security and promoting the high-quality development of the ethylene industry.
Kudos to the significant development of chemical processing equipment! ! Give a thumbs up to the prosperity and strength of China! ! !
【HaiChuan Safety Discussion】A038 – The application of the “Cheese Principle” is not limited to safety management https://bbs.hcbbs.com/thread-5499560-1-1.html (Source: HaiChuan Chemical Industry Forum)