The cumulative welding volume of the process pipelines for the second-phase full-density polyethylene project in Tarim has exceeded 190,000 pipe ends

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On December 28, news came from the Tarim Phase II full-density polyethylene project: The cumulative amount of welding work completed on the process pipelines of China’s first domestically designed dual-series full-density polyethylene production unit has exceeded 190,000 inches (with the total workload amounting to 245,000 inches). A total of 19,741 inspections were carried out, and the first-pass welding success rate remained above 98.7%. This marks the successful completion of the installation of all large-diameter process pipelines with diameters ranging from DN500mm to DN1100mm in various areas of the facility, and the winter construction activities for all aspects of the project have entered a phase of accelerated progress. To accelerate the progress of on-site pipeline installation and improve welding quality, the project planned in advance a coordinated construction model of \"three construction sites and one site,\" making full use of the advantages of factory-based prefabrication provided by the off-site pipeline prefabrication plants and the on-site pipeline prefabrication facilities, while introducing automatic welding technology across both prefabrication plants. By equipping 8 automatic welding machines such as those with pure argon arc welding, submerged arc welding, argon arc + submerged arc welding dual nozzles, and dual workstations, along with advanced devices like digital beveling machines, the first-pass welding success rate has been significantly improved. To date, the two prefabrication plants have completed a total of 88,623.25 pipe fittings in prefabricated form; of these, 40,306.5 were fabricated using automatic welding, representing a proportion of 45.5% – a figure that provides strong support for the on-site installation work. Since late October, the project department has introduced an intelligent welding material drying and distribution machine for the first time, enabling an intelligent upgrade of the entire welding material management process. Welders can retrieve welding rods quickly through facial recognition; the equipment distributes over 200 KG of welding rods per day, meeting the needs of more than 140 withdrawals. By leveraging intelligent monitoring of temperature and humidity in combination with a 4D welding system, digital control and traceability are achieved throughout the entire lifecycle of welding rods of different materials – from storage, baking, distribution to recycling – ensuring a 100% accuracy rate in the distribution and use of these materials. At the same time, the project launched a comprehensive winter construction action plan for all specialties. The materials department prepared in advance and supplied sufficient quantities of cold-protective materials such as waterproof cloth, fireproof blankets, and temperature guns. For the critical pipeline welding processes, measures such as setting up wind shields were taken to ensure that the preheating temperature of the welds before welding was not lower than 10 degrees Celsius. The HSE department simultaneously organized specialized training on winter construction safety for all employees, thoroughly explaining the safety measures related to the \"eight precautions\" in winter, thereby continuously strengthening the safety awareness of the workers. Currently, the project department has established a pressure testing team to drive the completion of the process pipelines through pressure testing, striving to achieve the goal of fully completing pipeline welding by the end of January 2026. On one hand, the list of remaining items is systematically reviewed against the drawings and handed over to the construction workers to accelerate the completion of the on-site work ； On the other hand, assign dedicated personnel to monitor the progress of non-destructive testing and the preparation of pressure testing documentation, to ensure that the completion of the documentation proceeds in parallel with the finalization of the physical components. In addition, the installation work for electrical meters has also reached its peak phase. The project is carried out in phases, including raw material refining, emission recovery, reaction units, extruder buildings, mixing silos, and auxiliary areas; the installation of the main electrical and instrumentation cables using the \"five-wire synchronous\" method is being carried out at full speed.