Construction of the cracking furnace for the Tarim Phase II ethylene project has entered the stage of installing the auxiliary equipment, namely the quench heat exchanger
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On March 3, the first pyrolysis gas quenching heat exchanger for Reactor No. 1 of the ethylene plant in Urumqi Petrochemical Company’s 1.2 million tons per year Phase II ethylene project was successfully lifted into place, marking the entry of the reactor’s construction phase into the stage of installing auxiliary equipment. It is understood that the quench heat exchanger, as an important component of the cracking furnace, serves primarily to rapidly cool the high-temperature cracking gas, thereby generating steam through heat exchange. The rapid cooling heat exchanger was installed within a convective frame; given the limited space at the construction site, the project team carried out thorough planning and careful organization to handle the lifting process. They arranged for a team from the lifting subsidiary company to operate a 400-ton crawler crane, ensuring that the unloading of the modules, the assembly of the frame, and the installation of the heat exchanger were carried out simultaneously. Each unit of the rapid cooling heat exchanger is 18.5 meters long and 3.04 meters wide, with a weight of 17 tons per unit. The lifting height reaches over 60 meters; it is lifted by a 400-ton crawler crane as the main lifting device, while a 50-ton crawler crane is used to assist with the lifting process. The entire lifting operation is carried out smoothly and under controlled conditions. The successful installation of the quenching heat exchanger for Furnace No. 1 has laid a solid foundation for the subsequent installation of the upper frame and smoke collection hood of the pyrolysis furnace, enabling steady progress in its construction and successfully completing another key milestone in the build of this furnace.
On December 19, the 1.2 million tons per year ethylene project of Dushanzi Petrochemical’s Tarim Phase II reached an important milestone: the first fully domestically produced cracking gas quenching heat exchanger in China was successfully shipped from Jiangsu Jiangguo Intelligent Equipment Co., Ltd. This shipment includes a total of 12 quenchers, all made from purely domestic materials. This not only demonstrates China’s significant breakthrough in quencher technology but also indicates that China’s quencher industry has truly achieved localization. The image shows the scene of the delivery ceremony. This project is a large-scale chemical project launched against the backdrop of **active efforts to promote green and low-carbon development, innovative progress, and reliance on domestic solutions for greater autonomy and control. The total investment in this project amounts to 26.2 billion yuan. Green electricity is used throughout the process, with an electrification rate of 31%. The project achieves zero discharge of wastewater and nearly zero emissions of carbon dioxide, while the proportion of domestically produced technical equipment exceeds 90%. Leng Zhong, the equipment director of China National Petroleum Corporation’s Dushanzi Petrochemical Branch, explained: “The localization of the inner tube materials for the cracking furnace quenchers is a key aspect of this project.” The performance of such basic materials is directly related to the stable operation of the equipment. This time, Jiangguo Co., Ltd. successfully delivered China’s first set of high-end quenchers manufactured using entirely domestic materials. This not only broke the monopoly of foreign technologies but also completed the process of localizing equipment made from high-alloy materials in China’s modern ethylene production facilities. ” Li Xiaobo, head of the equipment department at the Beijing branch of China Global Engineering Co., Ltd., the design firm, pointed out that the performance of the pyrolysis gas quenching heat exchanger is crucial for the stability and economic efficiency of the pyrolysis unit. The cracking gas quenching heat exchanger in this project operates under extremely harsh conditions, being exposed to high temperatures; as a result, the material of the internal heat exchange tubes must possess very high mechanical properties resistant to high-temperature creep. Previously, the internal heat exchange tubes for such equipment in China relied heavily on imports; not only were the prices high, but there were also issues such as long supply lead times and high technical barriers. Through independent innovation and technological breakthroughs, we have successfully achieved full domestic production of this key equipment, which not only reduces production costs and delivery times but also enhances China’s technical influence in this field. ”Li Xiaobo emphasized.
Furthermore, Dr. Zhang Qinglian from the Central Research Institute of Baosteel Group Co., Ltd., which is responsible for research and development in this field, believes that the heat exchange tubes in quenchers must withstand high pressures, high temperatures, and a wide temperature range, while also requiring rapid cooling. This imposes extremely strict requirements on the material’s overall mechanical properties, surface quality, and dimensional accuracy. As the key supplier of domestic materials for the heat exchange tubes in ethylene quenchers, Baosteel Group established a dedicated task force at the early stage of the project, comprising teams from all stages of the process including R&D, sales, manufacturing, and production, to work together and implement quality control measures that ensure consistency throughout the entire process. Through continuous optimization of the composition design and improvement of heat treatment processes, the team successfully overcame a series of technical challenges related to low hardness, high-temperature strength, high toughness at low temperatures, and resistance to degradation under prolonged exposure to high temperatures at low cooling rates. As a result, the surface quality improved by one grade compared to imported products, and all the pipes were delivered two months ahead of schedule. ”Zhang Qinglian added. Zhang Jiandong, chairman and general manager of Jiangguo Co., Ltd., said in an interview: “As a leader in the quenching tank industry, we have not only inherited the sophisticated manufacturing techniques of imported tubes but have also been committed to the research and development as well as application of new materials.” At present, we have mastered the production processes for key materials such as low-temperature steel, hydrogen-resistant steel, and duplex steel. For the core processes of quenchers, we have carefully developed specialized process flows and supporting equipment, and made in-depth optimizations and improvements in areas such as special welding techniques and the prevention of deformation during heat treatment. ”
This year, we faced a major challenge as we were tasked with manufacturing 172 quench heat exchangers. To ensure the smooth progress of this project, we have designated it as the ‘top priority project’ among the R&D and manufacturing projects for 2024, and assembled a strong team for it. Led by the company’s chairman, with experts in quenching devices, the vice president of production and the chief engineer as the core, various departments such as the R&D department, the welding department, and the production workshops work closely together to form the ‘Double One’ project team. During the manufacturing process, we continuously optimized the welding parameters based on flaw detection data. Through hundreds of comparisons of test data and numerous days and nights of careful experimentation, we finally developed a set of efficient and stable manufacturing welding process parameters. These parameters ensure a 100% first-pass success rate for weld radiography, with all values meeting the **standards. Through the joint efforts of all parties, we not only met the contract deadline 45 days ahead of schedule, but also successfully completed the production of the first batch of domestically manufactured equipment with both high quality and in full compliance with specifications. ”Zhang Jiandong said this in an interview.
Installation of the convection section modules for the 7 cracker units in the ethylene plant of the Tarim Phase II ethylene project has been completed. https://bbs.hcbbs.com/thread-5682226-1-1.html (Source: Haichuan Chemical Industry Forum)