The million ton ethylene project of Sinopec has been successfully put into operation!

According to Sinopec, the 1.2 million tons/year ethylene and downstream high-end new materials industry cluster project in Tianjin Nangang was successfully launched on November 11th and produced qualified products. After being put into operation, it can provide 4 million tons of high-end chemical products and fine chemical raw materials for downstream every year, drive downstream industries worth billions of yuan, help the development of China's fine chemical and new materials industries, and continuously promote the coordinated development of Beijing Tianjin Hebei.

At the same time, Sinopec has officially put into operation the first domestic cold and hot energy exchange station in Tianjin Nangang, with an annual processing capacity of over 2.6 million tons, marking a significant breakthrough for Sinopec in the field of comprehensive utilization of cold energy.

01. Tianjin Nangang Ethylene Project

The Tianjin Nangang Ethylene Project is a key national project during the 14th Five Year Plan period, located in the Nangang Industrial Zone of Tianjin. It is an important strategic outcome for Tianjin to build a national advanced manufacturing and research and development base and a world-class refining base for Sinopec. The project mainly includes a 1.2 million ton/year ethylene plant and 13 downstream chemical plants, which will produce high-end new materials and specialized chemicals such as high-performance metallocene linear low-density polyethylene, polyolefin thermoplastic elastomer POE, ultra-high molecular weight polyethylene, etc. After being put into operation, the ethylene production capacity of Sinopec Tianjin Base reached 2.5 million tons per year, becoming one of the largest industrial bases for Sinopec's ethylene production.

During the project construction process, Sinopec leveraged its "big army" combat advantages, resulting in over 120 management, construction methods, and technological innovations, breaking multiple new records such as the fewest number of employees, the highest proportion of modular installations, and the highest localization rate of large-scale equipment in similar project constructions. In addition, the project extensively applies digital intelligence technologies, such as digital twins, artificial intelligence, 5G+Beidou, and full process intelligent control, to achieve digitalization of physical factories, visualization of on-site management, and intelligent production and operation. It has built the first unmanned intelligent laboratory in the domestic petrochemical industry, created a digital twin intelligent factory, and provided demonstration samples for the industry.

The project pioneered the coupling and utilization of domestic ethylene plants with LNG cold energy, achieving a leading level of comprehensive energy consumption for ethylene among similar plants, saving over 100 million kilowatt hours of electricity annually and reducing carbon emissions by 100000 tons. The industry has taken the lead in applying anti fog and water-saving technology to all circulating water plants, resulting in a 15% increase in water-saving rate compared to ordinary models. In addition, the project also introduces new energy sources such as photovoltaics to create a "green power plant".

The Tianjin Nangang Ethylene Project is the leading project in the Sinopec Tianjin Nangang High end New Materials Project Cluster. In addition to the ethylene project, the project cluster also includes multiple key projects such as the Beijing Chemical Research Institute Pilot Base and Photovoltaic New Energy. Next, Sinopec Tianjin Base will take the Nangang Ethylene Project as the driving force, fully leverage the integrated advantages of 16 million tons/year refining and 2.5 million tons/year ethylene, continue to promote the construction of world-class, high-tech, and integrated Tianjin Base, and help promote the high-quality development of Tianjin's economy and society.

02. The first domestic cold and hot energy exchange station

Sinopec has officially put into operation the first domestic cold and hot energy exchange station in Tianjin Nangang, with an annual processing capacity of over 2.6 million tons, marking a significant breakthrough in the comprehensive utilization of cold energy by Sinopec. This project is the first time in China to achieve energy coupling between LNG receiving stations and large-scale petrochemical production facilities, which can save 13 million cubic meters of natural gas and 3 million kilowatt hours of electricity annually. It has important demonstration significance for further promoting the green and low-carbon transformation of energy.

The project uses liquefied natural gas (LNG) as cold energy, excess heat from ethylene production facilities as heat energy, and clean energy methanol as an intermediate medium. During the production process, the ethylene plant requires cold energy to cool down the equipment and ensure safe production, while LNG requires thermal energy to heat the low-temperature liquid natural gas to a gaseous state. Traditional methods rely on energy consuming equipment for cooling and heating, while this project innovatively uses methanol to exchange energy in high and low temperature heat exchangers, forming a cycle of cold and hot energy, effectively reducing energy consumption and achieving green production.

Breaking through the dual barriers of scale and distance in the utilization of LNG cold energy. The interchange station has created the largest domestic cold energy utilization capacity of 346 tons/hour, and has also achieved ultra long distance cold energy transmission of up to 22 kilometers, completely rewriting the history of China's cold energy being only applied on a small scale. At the same time, with the innovative research and development of cold heat exchange technology, the cold energy conversion efficiency exceeds 95%, ranking first in the domestic cold energy utilization rate, further verifying the enormous potential of LNG cold energy utilization. Next, Sinopec will continue to explore comprehensive utilization of cold energy, separation of light hydrocarbons, hydrogen liquefaction technology, etc., and accelerate the green and low-carbon development of the petrochemical industry.