China Petroleum & Chemical Corp. (Sinopec), China’s leading energy and chemical company, has successfully installed the world’s first and largest slurry-bed residue hydrogenation reactor on June 10 in Zhoushan, China, setting China’s new record of highest integral hoisting weight by a single equipment. Designed by Sinopec Engineering, the largest single-unit hydrogenation reactor in the world weighs 3,025 tons. The reactor’s outside diameter is 6.156 meters (20.2 feet) and has a wall thickness of 320mm. It’s the core equipment of Zhejiang Petroleum & Chemical’s 40-million-ton/year refining-chemical integration project, phase II.
Sinopec has installed what is said to be the world’s largest hydrogenation reactor (Source: Sinopec)
The record-breaking installation adopted the 5,200-ton slidable hydraulic gantry lifting system for the main hoisting task, and a 2,000-ton XGC28000 crawler crane coordinated the lift from the other end.
The 5,200-ton hydraulic gantry lifting system has the advantages of lifting heavy weights, shifting integrally, and requiring fewer steps of assembly & disassembly of the middle tower, this solution effectively minimized the impact on the construction site and shortened the overall construction period. The system will be relocated integrally to prepare for the lifting and installation of the second hydrogenation reactor, it will complete six more similar hoisting tasks in the coming months.
Sinopec also announced progress on an expansion project that can produce up to 1 million tons of ethylene and refined oil annually in the Hainan Free Trade Zone, located in South China. It is estimated that this project will fuel growth of downstream industries with more than 100 billion RMB ($14.1 billion) and become a new engine for regional economic development. On the basis of the original project, ten sets of equipment for chemical production, three sets of equipment for oil refining as well as supporting facilities will be built. The project will also support Hainan in accelerating the development of leading industries including energy storage and petrochemical production, and effectively expand the scale of import and export.
This week, large equipment deliveries also took place at Borealis’ PDH plant in Kallo, and Stamicarbon announced the fabrication of a large stripper column for a new fertilizer plant in Egypt.