【Ten Years of Rapid Development in Chemical Equipment】2984–2026: Domestic Production and Application of Rotary Valves, Key Components in Aromatic Hydrocarbon Adsorption and Separation Units at Shanghai Petrochemical

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Let’s give praise and encouragement to the achievements made in China’s chemical engineering technology and equipment; your participation in discussions is the greatest encouragement. **********************【Ten Years of Progress in Chemical Engineering Equipment】Ongoing updates and summaries available; feel free to join the discussions: https://bbs.hcbbs.com/thread-3576046-1-1.html ***************** Recently, the rotor plate, which is a key sealing component of the rotary valve S-601 in Unit 4 of Shanghai Petrochemical’s aromatics processing unit, was successfully manufactured entirely in China. This marks the first time in our country that the rotor plates for Type IV rotary valves in aromatic hydrocarbon processing units have been manufactured domestically, filling a technical gap in this field and breaking the long-term monopoly held by foreign companies. It is reported that the rotary valve S-601 was originally imported as a complete unit from the United States. Its core sealing component, the rotor plate, presents extremely high technical challenges in terms of material selection, structural design, precision manufacturing, and installation and debugging; as a result, it has long been under foreign monopoly. There has been little systematic research on this component in China, which severely hinders the ability to operate the device independently and effectively, as well as cost optimization. To break through the bottleneck constraints and accelerate the localization of key equipment, under the company’s unified guidance, in December 2024, the Aromatic Compounds Department took the lead in forming a specialized research team in collaboration with East China University of Science and Technology and Yangzhong Sanli Machinery Co., Ltd., to launch a project aimed at developing domestically produced rotor plates for rotary valves. Adhering to an integrated R&D approach of \"theory–material–process–validation\", the team completed the development of the first prototype in June 2025 through multiple rounds of numerical simulation optimization, evaluation of over 10 candidate materials, and efforts to refine high-precision manufacturing processes. Thereafter, Yangzhong Sanli Company carried out efficient iterative improvements aimed at optimizing key parameters such as seal surface deformation control and fit clearance tolerances, and completed the product’s factory acceptance testing in October of that year. In November 2025, taking advantage of the downtime period for maintenance at Unit 4’s aromatic compounds plant, the domestically produced rotor plates began to be installed on site. Under the overall guidance of the Company’s Equipment and Power Department and Aromatic Compounds Department, the construction team adhered strictly to standards and procedures, met safety and quality requirements, and completed the installation efficiently. After being put into use and subjected to fine adjustments, the new rotor plate’s crown seal performed excellently, with improved sealing efficiency and stable equipment operation, thus meeting the expected objectives. This success in local production not only breaks the foreign monopoly on key components for high-end aromatic hydrocarbon equipment; it also establishes a collaborative innovation model that integrates industry, academia, research, and application. Furthermore, it provides a replicable model for ensuring self-sufficiency and control over critical equipment in the petrochemical industry, holding significant strategic importance and value as a benchmark for the industry.