【Ten Years of Rapid Development in Chemical Equipment】2749–2025: China’s largest-pipe-size cracking gas valves in the world – The 60-inch ultra-large-pipe-size cracking gas valves used at Tianjin Nangang Ethylene Plant have passed industrial application tests

A Note on the Development of the World’s Largest-Diameter Pyrolysis Gas Valve by Institute 11 in Beijing, Sixth Academy of Aerospace Science and Technology. Source: China Aerospace News. Publication date: November 15, 2023. Nangang, Tianjin – the site where hot-testing of the world’s largest-diameter 60-inch pyrolysis gas valve is taking place. The sky was a deep blue, with white clouds floating in it; on the vast testing ground stood towering and imposing cracking gas valves. It is 20 meters tall and weighs nearly 48 tons; its height is equal to that of the factory chimneys behind it, making it resemble a majestic general. “100 degrees Celsius, 200 degrees Celsius, 260 degrees Celsius – the valve has been heated! ” “Steam is ready! ” “Test start! ” Tick-tock, tick-tock, tick-tock... Time passes little by little. Everyone on site held their breath in tension, and sweat beaded at the temples of Ding Yingren, the chief engineer of the Special Valves Division at Beijing No. 11 Research Institute, affiliated with the Sixth Academy of China Aerospace Science and Technology Corporation. Thick plumes of steam burst out from the valves; the larger valve drove the smaller one to move smoothly and effortlessly, as if two children were happily swinging on a swing. “The sealing is satisfactory, the switch is in place, it operates smoothly, switching functions properly, and the test was a complete success. ”The scene was in an uproar, with thunderous applause... The 60-inch large-diameter cracking gas valve will be used in the Tianjin Nangang ethylene project; it is a key component of the first ethylene cracking furnace equipped with a 200,000-ton single-chamber process, and its performance has a direct impact on the safety of ethylene cracking production. The hot-state test was successfully completed as scheduled, providing a reliable guarantee for the successful initial operation of the valve. Upon hearing the announcement that the test had been successful, Ding Yingren, who was staring at the valve, showed a slight smile on his face. He calmed himself down and his thoughts turned back to two years ago. The treasure in his heart and that of his team: Two years ago, the largest diameter of cryogenic valves manufactured by Ding Yingren and his team was 48 inches, and only 6 such valves were produced. The largest diameter cracking gas valve actually in use internationally is also 48 inches, with all parties engaged in a silent \"competition\". “Should it be 56 inches or 60 inches? The 56-inch model has lower risks, but performance has to be sacrificed ； 60 inches offers good performance, but the risks are too high. ”“Should domestic manufacturers be used or imported products? ”These are all issues that have left Sinopec’s headquarters and Tianjin Petrochemical in a state of uncertainty and constant deliberation regarding the overall project. “60 inches – we can do it; domestic production is definitely achievable! ”Ding Yingren’s words carried weight. Unprecedented! This decision by the team came as a great surprise to Sinopec’s headquarters and Tianjin Petrochemical: “Then come up with a plan as soon as possible to prove yourselves.” ” “Breaking through from 0 to 1 is actually this difficult. Just do it! The offices of the special valve business units in Beijing are brightly lit. One step, two steps, three steps… Ding Yingren, who has been in the valve industry for over 30 years, has never felt as anxious as he does today. The flow capacity of a 60-inch valve is 1.6 times that of a 48-inch valve; its volume and weight increase, leading to higher costs as well as greater difficulties in terms of technology and manufacturing. Even with experience in designing and manufacturing 48-inch valves and strong internal support, the difficulties remain significant. It’s a brand-new challenge; there’s no information to refer to, no examples to consult – one has to figure things out on their own. They have been working hard for 3 months, coming up with several versions of plans, but they still fail to meet the standards. Suddenly, Ding Yingren’s eyes lit up, and he quickly wrote something down on the draft paper. When he excitedly brought in a scratched and crumpled design sketch to the adjacent office, the team members Guo Yusheng, Chao Jiyang, Guo Jin, and Zhang Bowen, who also had dark circles under their eyes, all turned their attention toward him. Ding Yingren said excitedly, \"To improve the load-bearing capacity without increasing weight, we can use topological optimization methods to optimize the valve body.\" ” Guo Yusheng spoke first: “This suggestion is good; we can use finite element analysis to carry out optimization iterations.” ” Ding Yingren continued, \"The integrated disc springs caused the valve body to expand excessively, preventing a reduction in weight; we switched to a distributed disc spring design.\" ” Ding Yingren added, “It is necessary to ensure the lifespan of the valves, as once they are put into use, it takes five to six years before they can be inspected and maintained.” ” Chao Jiyang also spoke up: \"At the moment the valve is opened, the flow rate of the medium is very high; to avoid the effects of direct impact, a labyrinth-type flow regulator might be used.\" ” The minds were opened, and the atmosphere became lively. “First, we need to calculate how much weight can be reduced, and we also need to take into account the amount of erosion. ” Everyone went their separate ways to analyze things using various software. “The weight of the valve has decreased from 54 tons to just over 40 tons – that’s a significant reduction! ” “The erosion rate is reduced by 90%, which greatly increases the product’s service life! ” Ding Yingren said excitedly, “Let’s get to work right away and come up with a new version of the plan!” ” The moon lost its brightness, and the rays of the sun climbed high into the sky, enveloping the buildings before finally emitting a brilliant light. It worked! Ding Yingren and his team came up with an improved version of the design plan. A valve design scheme for pyrolysis gas featuring the world’s largest diameter, lightweight construction, low erosion rate, long service life, and high reliability has been developed! This design concept impressed Sinopec’s headquarters and the Tianjin Petrochemical clients, who also gave their approval to Chinese design and Chinese manufacturing. With transitions precise to degrees of rotation, after a long period of effort, the team successfully created a 60-inch pyrolysis gas valve. The final step before a valve is put into official use is the hot-test. The hot-state test needs to be transferred from the Bazhou workshop to Tianjin Nangang. This is no easy task for this big 60-inch pyrolysis gas valve. Break through mountains to create paths, build bridges over waters. The team developed a detailed route, sent people to scout the area in advance, inspected culverts and bridges along the way, and calculated the degree of turning required by the vehicles, to ensure that the transfer of the valves was carried out without any risks. During the transport of the valves, everyone was extremely careful; it was a journey of one and a half hours, but they took 12 hours to complete it, out of fear that the \"precious items\" might get damaged. After the valve arrived at the site, two 200-ton cranes worked simultaneously, and it took over 6 hours to complete the lifting of the valve. After going through tests such as transition and heating, the 60-inch large-diameter pyrolysis gas valve has finally been installed in Nanport. It has successfully passed the hot-state tests and is set to be put into use in the ethylene industry, once again bringing to reality the pursuit of using aerospace technology to create a better life.

Kudos to China’s achievements in chemical engineering technology and equipment!

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