【Ten Years of Rapid Development in Chemical Engineering Equipment】From 1950 to 2024, domestically produced CRA fully automatic welding equipment was successfully used for the first time in submarine pipeline installation

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Safety first. Prevention first – let’s give praise and support to the achievements in China’s chemical engineering technology and equipment. **********************【Ten Years of Rapid Development in Chemical Engineering Equipment】Regular updates and summaries are available; feel free to join the discussions at https://bbs.hcbbs.com/thread-3576046-1-1.html (Source: Haichuan Chemical Engineering Forum) ***************** On August 20, 2024, it was reported by Offshore Oil Engineering Co., Ltd. that with the successful completion of the CRA (double-metal composite pipe) pipeline installation work as part of the first-phase development project at the Bozhong 26-6 oil field, China’s domestically produced fully automatic CRA welding equipment has been used for the first time in such pipeline installation tasks. This is of great significance for enhancing China’s capabilities in manufacturing marine equipment. During this operation carried out by CNOOC Engineering, the domestically produced CRA fully automatic welding equipment was used for a total of 430 hours, welding 264 weld joints; there were no equipment failures, and the overall first-pass welding success rate was 99%. The average laying speed remained stable at 0.39–0.44 kilometers per day, meeting the expected standards. The CRA fully automatic welding equipment is a key device for submarine pipeline laying in offshore engineering. It is an automatic welding machine based on motor control technology, microcontroller control technology, numerical control technology, etc. Compared to manual and semi-automatic welding, the CRA fully automatic welding equipment can operate continuously and is suitable for welding pipelines of all diameter sizes. Previously, due to factors such as technical barriers and a lack of experimental data, domestic CRA fully automatic welding equipment was used only on auxiliary lines for data verification and supporting tasks. This time, CNOOC Engineering applied it for the first time on the main line of the submarine pipeline laying operation line, and also introduced welding technologies such as \"automatic arc tracking\" and \"automatic welding angle identification\" for the first time. This not only significantly reduced the workload of welders but also improved the quality and efficiency of submarine pipeline laying. Preliminary estimates suggest that domestically produced CRA fully automatic welding equipment can reduce the cost of submarine pipeline installation by approximately 760,000 yuan per kilometer. Over the years, in an effort to break foreign monopolies and further improve the efficiency of submarine pipeline laying, CNOOC Engineering established a dedicated task force for domestic automatic welding equipment. It collaborated with manufacturers of domestically produced fully automatic welding equipment to conduct hundreds of tests in the workshop, ensuring that parameters such as welding efficiency, equipment failure rate, and the quality of welding results met satisfactory standards. At the same time, a submarine pipeline laying operation team and a pipeline laying support team were established and strengthened. While making extensive use of welding equipment and incorporating feedback for improvements, a skilled workforce in welding was developed and built up, thereby laying a solid foundation in terms of talent and equipment to enhance the company’s efficiency in submarine pipeline laying. CNOOC Engineering will continue to focus on advancing key technologies, building integrated capabilities in the research, development, application, and maintenance of intelligent submarine pipeline laying equipment, thereby contributing to China’s goal of keeping equipment manufacturing under its own control.