Erection of the first loop reactor in Qilu Petrochemical’s 250,000 tons/year polypropylene joint venture project

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At 9:28 a.m. on February 27, at the site where the first loop reactor – a key piece of equipment in Qilu Petrochemical’s 250,000-ton/year polypropylene joint venture project – was being lifted, a 1,000-ton crane and a 500-ton crane were used to lift the R202 reactor, which weighed 277 tons and was over 40 meters tall, slowly off the ground. Once completed, the 250,000-ton-per-year polypropylene joint venture project at Qilu Petrochemical will be able to produce 250,000 tons of high-performance polypropylene products annually, thereby extending the industrial chain and increasing the added value of these products. Construction on the project will commence in full in 2024, with completion scheduled for October 2025. To ensure that a project is completed, put into operation, and starts yielding results as soon as possible, it is crucial that the key equipment for the project – the loop reactor – arrives on time, is assembled, and installed in place. Ring tubular reactors have a complex structure, high technical requirements, and a long manufacturing cycle; as very large-scale components, it is extremely difficult to manufacture them and deliver them on time. To shorten the production cycle, the Equipment Department of the project’s material handling center made multiple contacts with the supplier, who worked overtime to accelerate production. Thanks to these relentless efforts, the equipment was delivered to the construction site on October 17, 2024, 13 days ahead of the deadline specified in the contract. To reduce the risks associated with working at heights during equipment installation, save on installation costs, and shorten the installation timeline, the project team decided to adopt a modular construction approach: the ring pipes are assembled entirely on the ground, followed by the installation of insulation for the equipment and relevant guardrails and platforms, before the entire structure is lifted into place. After making inquiries from various sources, it was learned that assembly and lifting of this kind have been carried out in Tianjin Nangang. The project team and the construction party promptly organized relevant personnel to go to Tianjin Nangang to learn from experience, and upon their return, they immediately began working on formulating and improving the relevant plans. On October 20, 2024, a team of highly skilled professionals arrived at the site, marking the beginning of the modular installation of the loop reactor. The difficulty of this task lies in the fact that the 144 bolt holes in the ring and pipe base must match exactly those pre-existing in the foundation; construction requirements dictate that the error must be kept within ±3 mm in order to allow the anchor bolts to be used for positioning and fixing. To ensure a successful installation on the first attempt, during the construction of the equipment foundation, the project team carefully checks the elevation of the foundation, the marking lines and reference points, verifies the dimensions of the foundation formwork, and rechecks the final data related to the foundation, ensuring that everything is inspected in accordance with the design specifications and that deviations are strictly controlled. During the equipment assembly process, the project team was involved throughout the entire process, working together with the equipment manufacturer, the supervisor, and the construction party to carry out multiple joint inspections. The levelness and verticality of the 12 legs of the ring pipe, as well as the bolt holes in its base, were checked and verified on several occasions using the strictest standards, ensuring that any cumulative errors remained within acceptable limits. This approach facilitated the smooth installation of the ring pipe equipment after its modular construction. After nearly 4 months of intensive work, the two loop reactors were successfully assembled on February 25. How to achieve safe lifting? The project team worked together with the contractor to develop a thorough and scientific lifting plan, and conducted 4 desktop simulations in succession before finally finalizing the plan. For this lifting operation, the factory carried out extensive work in the preliminary stage in collaboration with the construction company, the contractors, the supervisors, and other parties involved. Every detail of the plan was discussed and refined, including the locations where the main and auxiliary cranes should be placed, as well as ways to ensure stability during the lifting process. Before lifting, the project team carries out thorough treatment of the ground and conducts stability tests. The assembly and inspection of the crane equipment, as well as the trial lifting process, involve all parties: the project team, the equipment manufacturer, the supervisor, and the construction party. Carefully calculate the required supporting force for the ground and lifting equipment, and provide it at twice that amount. First, maintain stability; second, proceed slowly; third, coordinate well with the chief operator and the assistant crane operator. Before lifting, the project department conducted safety briefings and follow-up briefings for the personnel involved. Meanwhile, efforts to repeatedly verify the construction personnel, equipment, and process procedures are also being carried out intensively; once all procedures have been confirmed to be correct, the project team issues the work order. Once the lifting process began, the two large cranes worked together to first change the loop reactor from a horizontal position to an upright one, then slowly move it to the frame and lower it onto its base. After that, alignment was adjusted and the bolts were tightened. On March 1, the installation of two large loop reactor units was safely and successfully completed. The one-time lifting and installation of the loop reactor equipment represents an important milestone, signaling that the polypropylene project has moved fully from the civil construction phase to the equipment installation phase. It has laid a solid foundation for achieving the goals of early completion, early operation, and early results.