Market analysis of the four major product categories in the chemical equipment industry

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Through over 20 years of effort, China’s chemical equipment industry has achieved significant advancements in technology development. However, compared with foreign countries, there are still significant gaps in China’s chemical processing equipment. The main issue is the disconnect between advancements in chemical production technology and the development of related equipment technologies; there is also a large gap in the development of software for such equipment. The advancement of equipment technology fails to keep up with the pace of progress in process technologies, resulting in an emphasis on processes over equipment ； It remains largely at the stage of imitation-based development, with weak capacity to develop proprietary technologies with independent intellectual property rights ； Equipment development has not yet achieved specialization or serialization ； The level of equipment design and manufacturing, as well as the quality and reliability of the equipment, still need further improvement. With the progress and development of chemical processes, higher demands are placed on chemical equipment. It is necessary to intensify efforts in equipment development, master the core technologies related to such equipment, and develop a range of equipment with independent intellectual property rights. Only by ensuring that these devices feature advanced performance, reliable quality, high efficiency, energy conservation, and economic safety can they meet the developmental needs of the chemical industry. Chemical engineering equipment is mainly divided into four categories: chemical unit equipment, non-standard specialized chemical equipment, general machinery equipment, and instruments and meters. The various development scenarios are as follows: 1. Chemical process unit equipment. Chemical process unit equipment mainly includes separation and filtration equipment, drying and evaporation equipment, mixing equipment, agitation equipment, heat exchange equipment, extrusion granulation equipment, etc. 1.1 Separation and filtration equipment – Filters: These are devices that utilize porous filtering media to retain the solid particles in a mixture of liquid and solid particles, thereby achieving separation between solids and liquids. Primarily used in refineries for the separation of oil and wax, such as the cyclohexane dewaxing drum vacuum filter and the PTA plant vacuum drum filter. Currently, overseas, rotary drum vacuum filters are developing towards larger sizes, higher speeds, greater precision, and full automation. Domestically, the design and manufacturing technologies introduced from Italy’s EIMCO Company have been digested, absorbed, and improved, resulting in a complete set of processing, assembly, and welding procedures. In contrast, the main gaps lie in insufficient understanding of market development and product demands, low innovation capabilities, and poor ability to absorb the essence of imported technologies. Centrifuge: A centrifugal separator is a machine that utilizes centrifugal force to separate components in a mixture of liquids and solid particles, or between different liquids. It is also known as a centrifuge. There are mainly vertical and horizontal screw-discharge sedimentation centrifuges. Centrifuge technology abroad has developed rapidly, and it has become more specialized and standardized ； The domestically developed El-type LWFl000-N and LWFl050-N centrifuges have been used respectively for the separation of suspensions in high-density polyethylene plants with capacities of 70,000 to 100,000 tons per year. The LWl200x1980 type centrifuge developed has been used for the dewatering of PTA slurry in plants with a capacity of 225,000 tons per year, and the diameter of its drum reaches φ1200mm. However, vertical centrifuges are still in the initial imitation stage; compared to foreign counterparts, the main gaps lie in design technology, as well as product enlargement and serialization. 1.2 Drying and evaporation equipment: Drying equipment is a type of mechanical device that uses heating to vaporize and remove the moisture (usually referring to water or other volatile liquid components) from materials, thereby obtaining solid materials with a specified moisture content. The manufacturing diameters of Mitsubishi Heavy Industries Shipbuilding in Japan, Tsukishima Machinery, and FAUVET-GIREL in Germany reach over φ4000mm. The steam-tube rotary dryers for the 200,000-ton/year HDPE plant and the 400,000-ton/year TA plant have been successfully localized. The gap is mainly evident in the area of equipment scaling up; domestically, there is a need to develop large-scale dryers for the upcoming 400,000–500,000 tons/year polyethylene and polypropylene plants, as well as the 600,000 tons/year polyester plant. 1.3 Mixing Equipment Mixing equipment is a machine that uses mechanical force and gravity, among other means, to evenly mix two or more materials together. They are divided into four categories: mixers for gases and low-viscosity liquids, mixing equipment for medium-to-high viscosity liquids and pastes, mixers for thermoplastic materials, and mixing equipment for powdered and granular solid materials. Mitsubishi Electric has recently launched the new FX2N-5A hybrid converter. The technology of domestic mixing equipment needs to be improved. 1.4 Heat exchange equipment Heat exchange equipment is an important type of equipment in chemical production; almost all chemical processes involve heating, cooling, or condensation steps, which makes it a crucial device for energy savings as well. With the enlargement and increased efficiency of industrial plants, heat exchangers abroad are also becoming larger, evolving toward lower temperature differences and lower pressure losses. Plate-fin heat exchangers (cold boxes): Cold boxes are primarily used in ethylene cracking, air separation, and natural gas liquefaction. The key technologies involved are design and manufacturing techniques; companies such as the American company S-W and the German company Linde have relatively advanced and mature technologies in this area. Hangzhou Oxygen Generator Factory has introduced key processing equipment from the United States – large vacuum brazing furnaces – which have enabled the design quality and manufacturing capabilities of cold boxes to approach and reach international advanced levels; these furnaces have been used in the renovation projects of ethylene plants in Yanshan, Yangzi, Shanghai, and other locations. Foreign countries already have 9.0 MPa cold box products, while China has not yet mastered the design and manufacturing technology for high-pressure cold boxes, and there is a significant gap in fractional condensation and distillation technologies. Plate-shell heat exchangers: Only the French company Packinox is capable of producing those used in catalytic reforming and hydrogenation units, with a maximum heat exchange area of 8000 m2. The largest heat transfer area developed domestically is 3000 m2; the main difference is that although the area of each individual chip developed is the same, the heat exchange area is smaller. 1.5 Extrusion granulation equipment: Extrusion granulators are devices that enable polymers to be processed through mixing, extrusion, and granulation to produce polyolefin pellets, thereby facilitating transportation. Abroad, only a few companies such as Germany’s WP Company and Japan Steel Works have the capability to design and manufacture complete sets of large-scale mixing and granulating machines; their main development trend is toward twin-screw mixing and granulating units. The development pace in our country is relatively slow; at present, most of the machines developed and manufactured are of medium and small scale. After undergoing operational testing, the ABS mixing and extrusion machines with a capacity of 10,000 tons have met the design requirements in terms of their key technical specifications. At present, all extrusion granulators in large and medium-sized polyolefin production facilities rely on imports. 　2. Special non-standard chemical industry equipment: Special non-standard chemical industry equipment mainly includes reactors, towers, tanks, vessels, and other reaction equipment. 2.1 Large-scale polymerization reactors: Abroad, the technology related to stirred reactors is relatively mature; various structures of agitators can be developed according to different materials and parameters. The largest polymerization reactor successfully developed domestically is the 90 m³ reactor used in a 70,000-ton/year high-density polyethylene plant. A 100,000 tons/year polyester reactor has been developed; reaction rate models and process models for both the esterification and polycondensation steps have been established. Process technology software, as well as designs for the structure of the reactors and the heat transfer requirements, were formulated. The esterification and polycondensation reactors developed by Yizheng Chemical Fibers have been put into operation. The main gap compared to foreign countries is the limited variety of mixers and weak capability in mixer selection. 2.2 The main functions of tower devices in petrochemical processes include distillation, absorption, stripping, extraction, washing, recovery, regeneration, dehydration, as well as gas purification and cooling. Commonly used types are plate towers and packed towers; abroad, improvements have been made mainly in tray and packing technologies for towers. Over the past 20 years, China has developed many plate towers and packed towers with excellent performance, which have been widely used in petrochemical and refining facilities, and their performance is at an internationally advanced level. The representative types include DT trays suitable for handling high liquid fluxes, swirl trays suitable for handling high gas fluxes, three-dimensional mass transfer trays with high operational flexibility and efficiency, as well as sieve-plate and packing composite towers. The vacuum distillation columns of large plate-type and large packed-type designs installed at the 5 million tons per year lubricant-based refineries in Luoyang and Daqing have a diameter of φ8400 mm, while a large φ10000 mm distillation column developed in China is about to be put into use. Large-scale fertilizer ammonia synthesis towers: Internationally, representative examples include the Kellogg horizontal synthesis tower, the Topsoe vertical synthesis tower, the Wood vertical synthesis tower, and Brown’s three adiabatic axial synthesis towers. In China, on the basis of digestion and absorption of foreign technologies, for the construction of 200,000 tons per year ammonia synthesis plants, ammonia synthesis towers with single-layer forged thick-walled outer cylinders having a diameter of 2.4 meters and double-cone seals were designed and manufactured for the first time. The design software for such towers has not yet been fully mastered, nor is there any experience in designing and manufacturing ammonia synthesis towers with a capacity of 300,000 tons per year. 2.3 Other reaction equipment Reaction equipment is the “heart” of the chemical reaction process. Their development trends vary; internationally, there is a shift from scaling based on experience to scaling through mathematical simulation, aiming for larger scale, higher efficiency, simpler structures, and automated operation, while research methods are moving toward a more integrated approach. Catalytic cracking reactors: The manufacturing technology in China has basically reached international advanced levels and is widely used in various refineries. Hydrogenation reactor: Well-known foreign manufacturers include Nippon Steel and Kobe Steel, among others. In China, a forge-welded hydrogenation reactor being developed for the coal chemical industry has an outer diameter of 5500 mm, a wall thickness of 340 mm, and a weight of 2040 tons; it is the heaviest hydrogenation reactor in the world. The reason for this disparity lies in China’s weak innovation capabilities. Continuous reforming four-stack reactor: UOP’s patented technology enables this reactor to offer advantages such as high reaction efficiency, energy savings, reduced space requirements, and lower investment costs. The design and manufacturing technologies for this have been mastered domestically, and the installation specifications for the internal components fully meet the requirements set by UOP’s technology. Polypropylene loop reactors: The renowned manufacturer is Himont; the design technology and software for these reactors have gradually matured. A 200,000 tons/year polypropylene loop reactor has been successfully developed in China and has been put into use at Sinopec Shanghai. The structural design of loop reactors has been mastered; a mathematical model for calculating combined stresses has been established. This has resolved the technical issues related to the scale-up of loop reactors. The current technical level is comparable to that of foreign countries. Ultra-high pressure tubular reactors for high-pressure polyethylene plants: Companies in countries such as Japan, Germany, the United States, and the Netherlands possess this technology; in China, ultra-high pressure tubular reactors and coolers with capacities of 30,000 tons per year and 200,000 tons per year have been developed through digestion and absorption of foreign technologies. Compared to foreign countries, there is a significant gap in the development of process software and design technologies. In China, only the deep hole drilling method is used, resulting in a low material utilization rate. Furthermore, there are no dedicated standards or ordering technical specifications. 　3. General machinery and equipment for the chemical industry
General machinery and equipment for the chemical industry mainly include chemical pumps, gas compressors, valves, etc.
3.1 Chemical pumps
A pump is a machine used to transport liquids or increase their pressure. Pumps are primarily used to transport liquids such as water, oil, acids, alkalis, emulsions, suspensions, and liquid metals; they can also convey mixtures of liquids and gases, as well as liquids containing suspended solids. Internationally, the main manufacturers of pumps for the petrochemical industry include Sulzer from Switzerland, KSB from Germany, and Goulds from the United States. The production technology for pumps used in the petrochemical industry is quite mature, with a wide range of specifications and models, as well as a high degree of standardization. The main trends in development are larger sizes, higher speeds, increased integration of mechanical and electrical components, and the creation of complete pump systems. In particular, technology related to high-temperature pumps, low-temperature and ultra-low-temperature pumps, high-speed pumps, precision metering pumps, corrosion-resistant pumps, pumps for transporting viscous media and media containing solid particles, as well as shielded pumps, is developing rapidly. There are over 100 domestic manufacturers, which have developed manufacturing technologies and production equipment for more than 100 series and over 2,000 types of pump products, meeting the needs of the petrochemical industry. Compared to foreign countries, the design theory and methods for pumps used in China’s petrochemical industry are relatively backward. Product development largely relies on imitation and analogy, lacking theoretical basis and experimental research data ； Processing equipment and technological levels are relatively backward; processing accuracy and production efficiency are low ； The degree of product serialization and standardization is low, with few specifications and varieties available ； Compared with foreign products, there is still a significant gap in aspects such as pump efficiency, quality and reliability, sealing performance, and corrosion resistance; therefore, many chemical process pumps are still imported. Roots pumps: Currently, the qualification rate of domestically produced Roots pumps in China, according to current standards, is around 70%. Compared to international advanced levels, there is still a considerable gap in their overall performance. The main issues are severe oil leakage from the shaft seals; domestic shaft seals cannot withstand long-term operation, and oil leakage is a fairly common problem ； It has significant vibration and noise. Some products have poor dynamic balance, and some gears and bearings lack the necessary precision ； According to industry standards, the zero-flow compression ratio and maximum allowable pressure difference for some products do not meet the required standards; moreover, some enterprises have outdated production equipment, which prevents them from ensuring the precision in the processing and assembly of components. Due to the above problems, the Roots pump operates unreliably with a high failure rate. Some pumps need to be serviced after just a few months of operation; this stands in sharp contrast to the German L-H company’s Roots pumps, which can operate for several years without any maintenance. Vane pump: At present, the production of vane pumps in China has reached a mature level in terms of design, manufacturing, as well as performance and quality. The products manufactured by major enterprises are relatively stable in quality, and their appearance quality has seen a notable improvement. The long-standing problems of oil spraying and leakage have been brought under some control in recent years; the performance of the vane materials has improved, which has enhanced the reliability of vane pumps to a certain extent. The 2XZ-8A direct-connected vane pump produced by SDIC Nanguang Co., Ltd. is one of the few new models among vane pump products in recent years. It represents a technological advancement, ranging from conventional pumps to high-speed pumps, and it solves the problem of components aging and wearing out easily under conditions of high temperature and high speed operation. Vacuum pumps: At present, China has a complete range of vacuum pump products, with steadily improving quality levels, which basically meet the demands of the domestic market. After China’s accession to the WTO, competition in the international market has become increasingly fierce. However, there is still a significant gap in the quality of vacuum pump equipment produced in our country. It is urgent that we think carefully about this issue, explore appropriate solutions, and strive to reach international advanced levels as quickly as possible. Sliding vane pump: There is still a significant gap between domestic sliding vane pumps and foreign products. The main manifestations are: high noise and vibration. Take the H-150 slide valve pump as an example; most domestic products require anchor bolts; otherwise, due to vibrations, the pump experiences severe crawling ； Fuel spraying, oil leakage. Severe oil spraying when the pump starts, and oil leakage during operation; most products suffer from this issue ； Severe backflow of oil when the pump is stopped leads to difficulties in starting, causing the motor to become overloaded ； It has poor stability and reliability; due to outdated production and processing equipment, not only is the production efficiency low, but the interchangeability of components is also poor, which affects the stability and reliability of the products. High-pressure pumps: High-pressure pumps are exemplified by high-pressure methylamine pumps and high-pressure liquid ammonia pumps. High-pressure ammonia pumps and high-pressure liquid ammonia pumps are the types of pumps in urea plants that are subject to severe corrosion and represent the greatest technical challenges. Reciprocating piston structures are commonly used in medium and small urea plants, while multi-stage centrifugal and high-speed partial-flow types are often used in large urea plants. In recent years, reciprocating structure pumps have also emerged. Reciprocating pump units are large in size, complex in structure, and difficult to maintain; their pump bodies are prone to fatigue cracking, but they operate reliably and with high efficiency. High-speed partial-flow pumps use two-stage radial impellers, with rotational speeds of over 14,000 revolutions per minute. They have a compact design and operate smoothly, but issues related to sealing and wear are quite prominent and difficult to resolve. Multi-stage centrifugal pumps fall between the two; they are relatively easier to manufacture, have a better sealing structure, and are more reliable. High-pressure methylamine pumps of these three structural types have been developed in China, and there are no major issues regarding their manufacturing and operational reliability; however, at present these products are still mainly imported. Slurry pump: Taking the phosphoric acid slurry pump as an example. Phosphoric acid slurry pumps are a general term for various pumps used in the production of phosphate fertilizers; they represent a type of pump that is highly resistant to corrosion and wear. In the early stages of development of the phosphate fertilizer industry, the chemical corrosion-resistant pumps that were commonly used had a lifespan of only one week. As a result, experts in the pump industry both domestically and internationally conducted extensive research on aspects such as the structural design of phosphate slurry pumps, material testing, and seal technology. In the design of phosphate slurry pumps, the first issue to address is corrosion resistance, or the combination of corrosion and erosion wear. Therefore, special consideration should be given to the structural design as well as the fit between the pump casing and the impeller. The metal materials used for phosphate slurry pumps abroad are selected from different series depending on the properties of the medium. Domestic manufacturers and research institutions have also conducted studies on the corrosion resistance and wear resistance of various materials, developing their own series of materials such as ferritic stainless steels, duplex steels, and austenitic stainless steels. There are many specialized manufacturers of phosphate slurry pumps in China, and institutions such as the Chinese Academy of Sciences, universities, design institutes, and research centers are also involved in research and development. The issue of local production of phosphate slurry pumps has now been largely resolved. 3.2 Valves Valves are devices used to control the flow rate, pressure, and direction of fluids. They are classified into the following 7 categories by purpose: Valves for oil refining plants. The valves required in refining plants are mostly pipeline valves, including gate valves, globe valves, check valves, safety valves, ball valves, butterfly valves, and steam traps. Among these, gate valves account for about 80% of the total number of valves (valves constitute 3% to 5% of the total investment in such plants). Valves for textile fiber plants. Textile fiber products mainly fall into three categories: polyester, acrylic, and vinylon. The valves required include ball valves and jacketed valves (jacketed ball valves, jacketed gate valves, jacketed globe valves). Valves for acrylonitrile plants. This type of equipment generally requires valves manufactured in accordance with API standards, mainly gate valves, globe valves, check valves, ball valves, steam traps, needle valves, and plug valves; among these, gate valves account for about 75% of the total number of valves. Valves for ammonia synthesis plants. Due to the different raw materials and purification methods for ammonia synthesis, the process flows vary, and thus the technical requirements for the valves also differ. Currently, domestic ammonia synthesis plants mainly require gate valves, globe valves, check valves, steam traps, butterfly valves, ball valves, diaphragm valves, control valves, needle valves, safety valves, as well as high- and low-temperature valves. Among them, stop valves account for 53.4% of the total number of valves used in such plants, gate valves account for 25.1%, steam traps account for 7.7%, safety valves account for 2.4%, while control valves, cryogenic valves, and others account for 11.4%. Valves used in ethylene plants. The ethylene plant is a key facility in the petrochemical industry, and it requires a wide variety of valves. Gate valves, globe valves, check valves, and lift-type ball valves make up the majority, with gate valves being the most common. “Under the 15th Five-Year Plan, the country still needs to build 6 ethylene plants with an annual production capacity of 660,000 tons each, which will result in a significant demand for valves. In addition, large-scale ethylene and high-pressure polyethylene plants also require ultra-high-temperature, as well as low-temperature and ultra-high-pressure valve series products. Valves for air separation units. “\"Air separation\" refers to the process of separating air; such systems primarily require stop valves, safety valves, check valves, control valves, ball valves, butterfly valves, and low-temperature valves. Valves for polypropylene plants. Polypropylene is a polymer compound typically produced by polymerizing propylene, and this type of installation mainly requires gate valves, globe valves, check valves, needle valves, ball valves, and steam traps. 3.3 Fittings and pipes/Pipes and fittings are devices made up of tubes, tube connectors, valves, etc., used to transport gases, liquids, or fluids containing solid particles. In the coming period, the focus for pipe fittings will be on advancing, promoting the application of, and conducting early-stage research and development on 43 pipeline technologies. Through the implementation of these key technology projects, five major categories of pipeline technologies will be gradually developed: oil and gas transmission technologies, oil and gas storage technologies, pipeline engineering technologies, pipeline integrity assessment and related technologies, as well as operations management and information technologies for oil and gas pipelines, thereby comprehensively improving the level of pipeline technology. These 43 technologies include 26 bottleneck technologies that require focused efforts to overcome, 10 new technologies to be promoted and applied, and 7 reserve technologies for advanced research. 3.4 Industrial Furnaces Industrial furnaces are thermal processing equipment used in industrial production to heat materials or workpieces by utilizing the heat generated from fuel combustion or electrical energy conversion. Depending on their uses in chemical production, they can be classified as heating furnaces, cracking furnaces, conversion furnaces, etc. Ethylene cracking furnaces: The companies that possess this technology include ABB, KBR, S&W, KTI, and Linde, among others. The process technology is evolving toward higher temperatures, shorter residence times, and lower hydrocarbon partial pressures, in order to further improve selectivity and reduce costs. Overall, China’s pyrolysis technology still lags far behind the world standard, as evidenced by small-scale facilities, high raw material consumption, energy consumption, and production costs, short operation cycles, low levels of control, repeated importation of technologies, and slow progress in development and innovation. Converting furnaces and vaporization furnaces: The main companies abroad that have developed large-scale industrial facilities include Kellogg Company in the United States, Imperial Chemical Industries in the United Kingdom, and Topsoe in Denmark. In the synthetic ammonia plants in China that are designed and manufactured domestically, with a capacity of 200,000 tons per year and using natural gas as raw material, the conversion furnaces are used; here, the high-temperature furnace tubes and the high-frequency welded finned tubes for the convection section were developed in China for the first time. However, to date, there is no domestic-made conversion furnace with a capacity of 300,000 tons per year that has been used in industrial installations. Vaporization furnaces cannot be designed domestically in China, and most slurry nozzles rely on imports. Waste heat boiler: It is an important energy-saving device, commonly used in ethylene cracking and ammonia synthesis plants. German company Borsig and American company Kellogg have relatively advanced technologies in this area. In China, focused efforts have been made on the comprehensive technology development of floating-head waste heat boilers; at the same time, experimental research on key technologies for other types of converted gas boilers has also been carried out. Large-scale programs such as overall design, stress finite element calculation and analysis for thin tube sheets, and numerical calculation and analysis of internal circulation in fire-tube waste heat boilers have been developed. The first floating-head waste heat boiler developed was used in the 200,000-ton/year ammonia synthesis plant at Sichuan Chemical Industry Complex, but no waste heat boiler for 300,000-ton/year converted gas production has yet been manufactured. 3.5 Gas compressors: Gas compressors are key devices for generating pressure energy and transporting gases. There are turbine compressors and reciprocating compressors, and countries such as Japan, the United States, Germany, Italy, and Switzerland possess relatively advanced design and manufacturing technologies in this field. Over the years, through domestic development or by overcoming various challenges after introduction, significant breakthroughs have been achieved. Among them, the horizontal split centrifugal compressors and axial flow compressors are close to the advanced level of similar international products. Centrifugal compressors: The international trend is toward larger capacities, with the development of compressor products that are high-pressure, low-flow, low-noise, and highly efficient. There are over a dozen domestic manufacturers, particularly the Shenyang Blower Factory, Shanghai Blower Factory, Shaanxi Blower Factory, and others. Domestic centrifugal compressors with high technology, high parameters, high quality, and special features still cannot meet the demands; about 50% of them still need to be imported from abroad. Furthermore, there is still a gap compared to foreign countries in terms of technical level, quality, and completeness, and no mature experience exists in the design and manufacture of large gas compressors. Reciprocating compressors: They typically feature a skid-mounted, foundation-free design with a fully enclosed structure to reduce noise, **thereby saving costs related to installation, foundations, and commissioning. There are over 20 domestic manufacturers, which have developed dozens of compressor series such as L, D, DZ, H, and M, resulting in hundreds of different products; however, large reciprocating compressors still cannot meet the demands. 4. Instruments and meters: Instruments and meters are devices or equipment used to detect, measure, observe, and calculate various physical quantities, material compositions, and physical property parameters. In a broader sense, instruments can also have functions such as automatic control, alarm signaling, signal transmission, and data processing. Industrial automation instruments: Focus on the development of master control system devices based on fieldbus technology, as well as intelligent instruments and special-purpose automation instruments ； Comprehensively expand the scope of services, advance the digitalization, intelligence, and networking of instrumentation systems, and complete the transition of automated instruments from analog technology to digital technology; ensure that digital instruments account for over 60% within 5 years ； Accelerate the commercialization of automated software with independent intellectual property rights. Environmental protection instruments and equipment: Focus should be placed on the development of automated control systems for monitoring the atmospheric and aquatic environments. Given the need to strengthen environmental enforcement, accelerate environmental protection efforts, increase investment in such initiatives, and foster the environmental protection industry as a new driver of economic growth, and considering China’s more than 5,000 environmental monitoring stations sowie the large demand for urban sewage treatment and industrial wastewater treatment, the market for environmental protection instruments and equipment is expected to experience significant growth in the future. According to incomplete statistics from relevant authorities, the output value of environmental protection instruments, meters, and monitoring systems in China was approximately 1.17 billion yuan in 1998; by 2005 this figure rose to 4.2 billion yuan, reaching the international advanced level of the late 1990s, with a domestic market share of 50%–60%. By 2010, this figure was expected to reach 11 billion yuan, and the domestic market share would exceed 70%. It is evident, therefore, that its market prospects are very broad. Analytical chemistry instruments: Key research areas include: first, high-throughput analysis, which enables the analysis and testing of a large number of samples per unit of time ； The second is extreme condition analysis, among which single-molecule and single-cell analysis and manipulation are currently popular research topics ； Third is online, real-time, on-site, or in-situ analysis, which enables rapid or end-to-end analysis from sample collection to data output ； Fourth is combined technology, which involves combining two (or more) analytical techniques to complement each other and thereby carry out more complex analysis tasks. The combinations of coupling techniques and coupling instruments, particularly the emergence of triple and even quadruple systems, have become an important direction in the development of modern analytical instruments ； Fifth is array technology; if coupled analysis techniques are regarded as serial methods in computers, then array technology is equivalent to parallel computing methods in computers. Like computers, the array method is the best approach for significantly increasing analysis speed or the volume of samples that can be processed at once. Once the concept of parallel arrays is perfectly combined with integration and chip manufacturing technologies, analytical chemistry will move into new realms.