【Ten Years of Rapid Development in Chemical Equipment】China’s first heat and cold energy exchange station was put into operation in Tianjin from 1993 to 2024

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China’s first heat and cold energy exchange station was put into operation in Tianjin. 12,547 views. Author: Li Dongzhou. Source: Sinochem News Network. November 14, 2024. Safety first. Prevention first – let’s give praise and support to the achievements in China’s chemical industry technology and equipment. **********************【Ten Years of Rapid Development in Chemical Equipment】A continuously updated summary post is available; feel free to join the discussions at https://bbs.hcbbs.com/thread-3576046-1-1.html (Source: Haichuan Chemical Industry Forum) ***************** On November 13, 2024, Sinopec announced that it had put into operation the first heat and cold energy exchange station in China in Nangang, Tianjin. With an annual processing capacity of over 2.6 million tons, this facility represents a significant breakthrough for Sinopec in the field of comprehensive utilization of thermal energy. This project marks the first time in China that energy coupling has been achieved between an LNG receiving station and large-scale petrochemical production facilities; it enables annual savings of 13 million cubic meters of natural gas and 3 million kilowatt-hours of electricity, holding significant demonstrative value for further promoting a green and low-carbon energy transition. 　　The project uses liquefied natural gas (LNG) as the cooling energy, the excess heat from the ethylene production facility as the heating energy, and clean energy in the form of methanol as an intermediate medium. During the production process, ethylene plants require cooling energy to cool the equipment and ensure safe operation, while LNG needs heat energy to convert the low-temperature liquid natural gas into a gaseous state. Traditional methods rely on energy-consuming devices for cooling and heating, while this project innovatively utilizes methanol to facilitate energy exchange in high- and low-temperature heat exchangers, creating a cycle of cold and hot energy that effectively reduces energy consumption and enables green production. 　　Overcome the dual barriers of scale and distance in the utilization of LNG cold energy. This exchange station has achieved the highest domestic utilization rate of cold energy at 346 tons per hour, and it has also enabled long-distance cold energy transmission over a distance of 22 kilometers, completely changing the history in which cold energy was only used on a small scale in our country. At the same time, thanks to the innovatively developed heat and cold exchange technology, the efficiency of cold energy conversion exceeds 95%, ranking first in China in terms of cold energy utilization rate, which further demonstrates the great potential of LNG for cold energy use. Next, Sinopec will continue to explore the comprehensive utilization of cold energy, light hydrocarbon separation, hydrogen liquefaction technologies, etc., to accelerate the green and low-carbon development of the petrochemical industry.