【Ten Years of Rapid Development in Chemical Processing Equipment】1835–2024: China’s First PCHE-Type Vaporizer for Floating Storage and Regasification Units (FSRU)

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June is Safety Month – safety comes first. Let’s praise and encourage the achievements in China’s chemical engineering technology and equipment. **********************[Ten Years of Development in Chemical Engineering Equipment] Continuous updates and summaries are available; feel free to join the discussions at https://bbs.hcbbs.com/thread-3576046-1-1.html (Source: Haichuan Chemical Engineering Forum) ***************** According to news from early May 2024, the 725 Research Institute organized a review meeting for the “Engineering Application Research of LNG Regasification Systems” – the first engineering prototype of PCHE designed for FSRUs was evaluated there. Experts from 15 organizations, including CNOOC, Hefei General Machinery Research Institute Co., Ltd., Hudong-Zhonghua Shipbuilding (Group) Co., Ltd., and China Classification Society, participated in the evaluation, and unanimously agreed that this first engineering prototype of PCHE for FSRUs passed the acceptance tests. The PCHE prototype for the regasification module developed by the 725th Institute has set multiple domestic records in terms of structural dimensions and regasification capacity; it has filled a gap in China’s LNG regasifier types, enhanced the completeness of the LNG industry chain, and played a significant role in accelerating the development of large-scale equipment in China’s offshore LNG industry chain. An FSRU is a specialized vessel that integrates multiple functions such as LNG reception, storage, transfer, regasification, and transportation; among these components, the regasifier in the regasification system module is one of the key equipment in an FSRU system. Large liquefied natural gas (LNG) carriers and floating LNG storage and regasification units (FSRU) are considered the core engineering equipment in the offshore LNG industry chain, and are even regarded as the \"pearl on the crown\" of the world’s shipbuilding industry. Key heat exchange equipment such as the FSRU regasification module and LNG regasifiers has long been under foreign monopoly, making them typical \"bottleneck\" components. To meet the urgent need of the offshore LNG industry chain for domestically produced high-efficiency heat exchangers, the 725th Research Institute, in collaboration with CNOOC Gas & Power Group Co., Ltd., Hudong-Zhonghua Shipbuilding (Group) Co., Ltd., Hefei General Machinery Research Institute Co., Ltd., Hudong Heavy Machinery Co., Ltd., and Guangdong Zhuhai Jinwan LNG Co., Ltd., jointly undertook the development of printed circuit board-type heat exchangers for LNG regasification modules. After three years of hard work, the PCHE-type LNG vaporizer was successfully developed, with a vaporization capacity of up to 180 t/h, the highest in China. Compared to traditional LNG open-type vaporizers (ORVs), its volume is reduced by over 90%, offering significant advantages.