Wuhan EPHE’s Super-large Reactors Successfully Put into Operation, Empowering Industrial Upgrade of Octanol Industry

        Recently, good news came from Tianjin Bohua Yongli Chemical Co., Ltd.: China’s first 500,000-ton butanol-octanol unit achieved successful one-time feeding and commissioning. Two super-large octenal reactors tailor-made by Wuhan East Petrochemical Heavy Equipment Co., Ltd. (Wuhan EPHE) have laid a solid core foundation for the stable operation of the unit.

         As the key core equipment of the project, the two octenal reactors set a benchmark in heavy-duty manufacturing. Each single unit weighs over 200 tons, with a transportation diameter of 7.5 meters and an overall length of more than 13 meters. They adopt an innovative composite structure design of flexible tube sheet and thin-walled vessel. By optimizing structural mechanical properties, this design effectively reduces the overall stress level of the equipment and greatly lowers the temperature difference stress of the tube sheet, fundamentally improving operational stability and safety.

         Nevertheless, the combination of thin-walled structure, super-large dimension, super-heavy tonnage and large-diameter flexible tube sheet has brought multiple industrial manufacturing challenges such as deformation prevention, fracture prevention and stress concentration control. To break through technical barriers, Wuhan EPHE set up a special technical research team and established a refined whole-process management and control system.

         Specialized manufacturing processes and strict inspection procedures were formulated for every link — from drawing deepening and decomposition, compilation of technical standards for material procurement, process planning and pre-commencement technical disclosure, to blanking and processing, control of key working procedures and full-process non-destructive testing. Adhering to the craftsmanship spirit of striving for perfection, the company guaranteed premium product quality. Ultimately, the two core equipment units were delivered with high quality as scheduled, fully fulfilling the commissioning targets.

          The successful commissioning of the super-large octenal reactors marks another milestone achievement of Wuhan EPHE’s in-depth layout in the high-end chemical equipment sector, and provides an important guarantee for the stable operation of China’s first 500,000-ton/year butanol-octanol unit.

          Going forward, Wuhan EPHE will continue to focus on the high-end chemical equipment track, foster new quality productive forces driven by technological innovation, and continuously inject strong momentum into the high-quality development of key industries including energy, chemical engineering and new materials through superior products and services.