The largest column in Sinopec Refining’s aromatic extraction unit, the 210-ton T-401 extraction distillation column, was successfully lifted into place

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On January 5, 2026, bathed in the warm winter sun during the Minor Cold season, on the beautiful Donghai Island in Zhanjiang, the largest tower of the aromatics extraction unit at Sinochem Refining and Chemicals – the extraction distillation tower T-401 – was successfully installed. At the same time, the lights were turned on in this tower, marking a successful start to the new year for this BEPC turnkey project undertaken by Guangzhou Engineering Company. The tower is 73 meters tall and 3 meters in diameter, with a lifting capacity of 210 tons. Its installation was carried out using a \"double-crane lifting\" method, with a 650-ton crawler crane used for the main lifting and a 260-ton crawler crane for assisting with the lift. At 12:37 p.m., at the command of the crane operator, the two cranes began to exert force slowly, and the tower rose steadily. After nearly an hour of precise maneuvering, accurate alignment was achieved at 13:35 between the bolt holes in the tower’s skirt base and the foundation anchor bolts; the entire process was carried out safely and under control, with successful positioning on the first attempt, thereby demonstrating the project team’s professional organization skills and efficient execution capabilities in handling large-scale lifting operations. The successful completion of this lifting operation not only creates essential working space for the subsequent installation of steel structures and pipelines, but also marks the full entry of the project into an accelerated phase of equipment installation, laying a solid foundation for the overall progress of construction by 2026.