The construction of the western area of Jilin Petrochemical’s transformation and upgrading project is in the final stages of completion
Thread Content
At present, the construction work in the western area of Jilin Petrochemical’s transformation and upgrading project is advancing at full speed, to ensure that facilities such as the one capable of producing 260,000 tons per year of acrylonitrile can be completed and handed over on April 30. Once the Western Zone facility comes online, the product portfolio of Jilin Petrochemical will be comprehensively optimized, thereby enhancing its competitive advantages. The total investment in Jilin Petrochemical’s transformation and upgrading project is 33.9 billion yuan. In September 2022, construction began first on the western section of the project, where key chemical manufacturing units such as those for acrylonitrile, styrene, and ABS were installed; at the same time, facilities for producing 300,000 tons per year of synthetic ammonia and 250,000 tons per year of methyl methacrate were upgraded. Since resuming operations this year, the 260,000 tons per year acrylonitrile plant has focused on the installation of air compressors and refrigeration units, and has utilized pressure testing as a key approach to carry out tasks such as pipeline welding, non-destructive testing, installation of heat tracing pipelines, as well as insulation work. At the same time, every effort is being made to complete the civil engineering and steel structure work, as well as the individual unit tests and the installation and commissioning of electrical instruments. The current progress is generally under control, with production scheduled to begin within this year. The ABS products derived from acrylonitrile can be used in various fields such as light industry, electronics, and the automotive sector, while methyl methacrate can be widely applied in areas like resins, pharmaceuticals, and coatings. “Once the new acrylonitrile plant comes online, Jilin Petrochemical’s production capacity for its key products acrylonitrile and methyl methacrylate will be among the highest in China. In particular, once the newly built ABS plant comes online, the total ABS production capacity will exceed 1.8 million tons, accounting for around 60% of the domestic market share, thereby enhancing its competitive advantages even further. ”Li Guolong, the construction manager of the Project Management Department for the transformation and upgrading of the western area at Jilin Petrochemical, said that the commissioning of these advanced facilities is of great significance for optimizing the structure of the petrochemical industry, promoting industrial cooperation and upgrading, advancing green and low-carbon development, as well as driving local economic growth and contributing to the revitalization of old industrial bases.
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At 20:00 on April 12, the boiler supporting Jilin Petrochemical’s 1.2 million tons per year ethylene plant was successfully ignited for heating, marking the entry of the new ethylene plant into the final preparation phase before operation. The boiler intended for use with the 1.2 million tons per year ethylene plant began construction on September 21, 2023, and was completed on November 30, 2024. In total, 422 pile foundations were installed, 6,995 cubic meters of concrete was poured, 1,800 tons of steel structures were installed, 120,000 inches of process pipelines were laid, 76 mechanical and electrical devices were installed, and 423,441 meters of cables were laid. It includes two fuel-gas ultra-high pressure boilers with a rated evaporation capacity of 200 tons per hour, a main steam pressure of 12 MPaG, and a temperature of 530°C. The unit uses ethylene tar, produced as a by-product of the ethylene plant, as its main fuel, with natural gas serving as an auxiliary fuel, to supply steam for newly built ethylene plants and downstream associated facilities. The purpose of heating the furnace is to remove the free water and crystalline water in the refractory lining gradually and evenly, by allowing the water to evaporate slowly; this prevents the sudden massive evaporation of water from creating a vapor pressure that exceeds the bonding strength of the concrete binders, thereby avoiding damage to the furnace walls due to cracking. At the same time, it slowly releases the moisture contained in the refractory layer and insulation layer, allowing the cast material to cure fully and maintaining the strength and stability of the refractory layer, thereby preventing the refractory materials from cracking or even exploding during normal operation of the boiler. To ensure the smooth progress of the boiler drying process, technical personnel and the construction team developed a detailed commissioning plan based on the type, structure, and operational requirements of the boiler. This plan specified the heating rate at each stage, the temperature control ranges, and the operating procedures. A thorough inspection and maintenance were carried out on the boiler itself, its auxiliary equipment, and the piping system. Before the official ignition, in accordance with the company’s overall requirements for the testing and commissioning phase – namely, planning, having a clear plan, proper handover of responsibilities, step-by-step verification, and subsequent summarization – the management, technical staff, and operators at the ethylene control center followed the ignition procedure sheet for starting up the boiler. They carried out tasks such as furnace analysis and explosion testing, ventilation and purging, adjustment of the flame detection devices and natural gas pressure, as well as testing of the ignition gun. In this way, they ensured precise verification of the condition of the key components of the boiler and carried out final adjustments, thus guaranteeing a smooth ignition and heating process. The furnace drying process will continue for 172 hours. The personnel on duty must stay on watch 24 hours a day, monitoring key parameters such as furnace temperature and flue gas composition in real time, and adjusting the drying strategy promptly based on the actual conditions. After the furnace drying is completed, chemical cleaning of the boiler’s steam pipes will also be carried out, in conjunction with tasks such as purging the 1.2 million tons per year ethylene plant and the newly installed steam piping network. As the core unit of Jilin Petrochemical’s refining and chemical industry transformation project, this facility has a total investment of 3.729 billion yuan and covers an area of 118,600 square meters. It utilizes the CBL cracking technology and LECT separation technology developed independently by Sinopec Engineering Construction Co., Ltd.; once operational, it will be able to produce 1.2 million tons of polymeric-grade ethylene and 587,000 tons of polymeric-grade propylene per year. The total investment in Jilin Petrochemical’s transformation and upgrading project is 33.9 billion yuan. A total of 21 new oil refining and chemical processing units were built, 7 units were upgraded, and 7 units, including those for producing 150,000 tons of ethylene, were shut down. The project is divided into three areas: east, middle, and west, and includes the construction (or expansion) of several advanced units such as a 2.2 million tons per year wax oil hydrocracking unit, a 1.2 million tons per year ethylene unit, a 400,000 tons per year high-density polyethylene unit, and a 400,000 tons per year EVA unit.