Pressure testing of the process pipelines for Jiangsu Hailun Petrochemical’s PTA capacity expansion project has begun

On November 6, 2024, with the installation of the last steel structural beam at the 51-meter level in Zone 4 completed, all nearly 13,000 tons of steel structures at the Jiangsu Hailun Petrochemical Project, constructed by the Inner Mongolia branch of China National Chemical Engineering Group Corporation No. 11, were installed. This was achieved 7 days ahead of schedule, marking a crucial milestone in the project’s development and a partial success that laid a solid foundation for subsequent construction work.

In July 2024, the PTA capacity expansion project at Jiangsu Hailun Petrochemical launched its construction phase at full speed; the prefabrication of process pipelines on site began, marking the transition of the project from the civil engineering stage to the installation phase and signaling the start of the push toward the project’s completion deadline. It is reported that the PTA capacity expansion project at Jiangsu Hailun Petrochemical features a total diameter of over 600,000 inches; thus, there is a large volume of welding work required, and various types of pipeline materials are used. To ensure the smooth progress of the prefabrication work for the process pipelines while maintaining the quality of pipeline installation, the project team took proactive measures by carrying out thorough planning and adequate preparation in advance. The project department organized a special meeting on process pipelines to make detailed arrangements and plans for various tasks. On-site managers enforce strict quality control, paying meticulous attention to every detail – from the execution of welding processes to the alignment of weld seams and visual inspections. At the same time, the welding quality is analyzed on a daily basis, with strict control over the monitoring process; together with the supervising party and the general contractor, inspections are carried out to ensure the cleanliness inside the pipes, thus guaranteeing perfection. To date, the project has completed the installation of over 7,000 tons of steel structures and more than 30 pieces of equipment; the prefabrication of process pipelines is progressing steadily, and construction work in all relevant areas is advancing simultaneously. Progress, safety, and quality management are all under proper control.

On August 19, 2024, the second compressor for Jiangsu Hailun Petrochemical’s PTA project was successfully installed, marking the entry of the project into its peak period for equipment installation. It is reported that the compressor is 10 meters long, 6 meters wide, and weighs 180 tons. A 450T crawler crane was used at the site for lifting it; the lifting height was 29 meters. The entire lifting process was very challenging, as it was necessary to lift the compressor over the factory building and then lower it back onto its foundation. The project team planned ahead, and the on-site workers carried out the lifting operations strictly in accordance with the construction plan. Thanks to the relentless efforts of the team, after nearly 4 hours of hard work, the compressor was successfully placed in position with precision, meeting all the design specifications.

On October 20, 2024, the hoisting work for the condensers of 6 dehydration towers at the 29th floor of Zone 9 in the Jiangsu Hailun petrochemical project was successfully completed, thus accelerating the pace of hoisting equipment at the site. It is reported that the 6 condensers in Area 09 of the Jiangsu Hailun petrochemical project weigh nearly a thousand tons in total, with an installation height of 29 meters. The lifting process required high standards and posed significant challenges; 2000-ton and 1600-ton crawler cranes were used to carry out the lifting operations simultaneously from the north and south sides of the facility area. By strictly following the specific lifting plan, the task was completed successfully within 30 hours. This made it possible to create a space for lifting equipment at the site, laying a solid foundation for the project to be brought online on schedule. The effort received high praise from the owner, supervisors, and all other parties involved. The 3.2 million tons per year PTA capacity expansion project at Jiangsu Hailun Petrochemical was officially launched on January 19, 2024. This project is one of the key projects in Jiangyin City, Jiangsu Province for 2024. It is located on Ligang Street in Jiangyin City, Jiangsu Province, and will employ the world’s most advanced processes and technologies to build China’s first PTA production facility with an annual capacity of 3.2 million tons.