Mechanical completion of the cracking furnace unit for Fujian Zhongsha Gulei’s 1.5 million tons/year ethylene project

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On April 15, a grand completion ceremony for the cracking furnace unit of the 1.5 million tons per year ethylene project in Zhongsha Gulei, Fujian, which is being constructed by the company, was held at the project site. The representatives of the relevant parties jointly signed the mechanical completion certificate, marking the timely achievement of another important milestone in the project construction. As the key core unit of the Sino-Saudi Ghulay petrochemical project with an annual ethylene production capacity of 1.5 million tons, the cracking furnace unit that has been completed this time features a globally leading configuration of \"2 gas furnaces + 8 liquid furnaces\". Its total weight exceeds 20,000 tons, and its processing capacity ranks first among all ethylene production units already built in China. The facility incorporates patented technology from the American company Rums, enabling a pyrolysis efficiency that is at the world’s advanced level. Once in operation, it will carry out the core function of converting raw materials into pyrolysis gases rich in ethylene and propylene, directly determining the quality of the materials and the economic benefits of the entire industrial chain. It holds significant strategic importance for the upgrading of the regional petrochemical industry. Since work began in June 2024, the company’s Gulei Petrochemical project team has had to face numerous challenges: the high precision requirements for lifting super-large components, the complexity of welding high-temperature heat-resistant steel, and the difficulties in ensuring safety during concurrent operations. Added to these are unfavorable factors such as limited site space, complex geological conditions, and the impact of typhoon seasons, making the construction process far more challenging than that of ordinary projects. All the builders embraced the spirit of the \"Six Construction Iron Army,\" and it took only 12 months from the lifting of the first module to the completion of the machinery installation, achieving a construction pace that is ahead of industry standards. The total investment in the project is approximately 44.8 billion yuan. The construction includes a world-class ethylene plant along with downstream processing facilities, with an annual ethylene production capacity expected to reach up to 1.8 million tons.