Sino-korea (Wuhan) Petrochemical Co., LTD. (hereinafter referred to as “Sino-Korea Petrochemical”) is a large-scale refinery and chemical integration enterprise jointly established by Sinopec Group and SK Company of South Korea. It is the largest refinery and chemical production base in Central China. China and Korea Petrochemical has a comprehensive refining capacity of 8.5 million tons/year, which can produce a MC-GAIH13 series of products including gasoline, diesel, aviation coal, naphtha, “tribenzene”, liquefied gas, sulfur and petroleum coke.

However, with the addition of 3# catalytic, alkylation, gas separation, MTBE and other units in the plant, the steam system of Sino-Korea Petrochemical has undergone significant changes. The surge in steam production of more than 260 tons per hour exceeded the carrying capacity of the existing system, resulting in steam retention in parts of the network, affecting production efficiency. In addition, the frequent start-stop and switch of the catalytic unit also poses challenges to the stability of the steam system and increases the difficulty of production scheduling. More importantly, the existing system can not effectively predict the adaptability and response ability of the future pipe network system, which makes the safety and stable operation of the whole plant face potential risks.

Sino-korean petrochemical plant

In order to cope with these challenges, China Control Technology teamed MC-GAIH13 up with Sino-Korean Petrochemical, guided by the 5T fusion concept, to conduct in-depth multi-dimensional technical analysis and diagnosis:
1. Through the steady state simulation software of the central control pipe network, simulate and analyze various operating conditions of the middle and low pressure pipe network. According to the process of steam pipe network (PT), the paper makes an in-depth analysis of each link of “production”, “transport” and “use”, and puts forward an optimization plan.
2. Using the dynamic simulation software of the central control pipe network to simulate the abnormal working conditions of the 3# catalytic shutdown, the dynamic response curve of pipe network pressure with time was presented, providing reference and basis for production operation and operation;
3. The steam pipe network online simulation analysis technology (IT) is introduced to simulate the operation status of the middle and low pressure pipe network in real time, and provide real-time alarm for abnormal pipe sections (such as steam retention and abnormal heat preservation) to provide guidance for scheduling and operation.

5T integrates industrial energy saving and low-carbon operation architecture

It has not only effectively solved the current challenges faced by China and Korea Petrochemical, but also injected new impetus into its future sustainable development.

More stable system

The sustained and stable operation of the steam pipe network system is crucial to the normal production of enterprises dependent on steam supply. This project uses steam pipe network simulation software to simulate and analyze various working conditions, deeply analyze prominent problems of the existing pipe network, and put forward suggestions for optimization and transformation.

After reducing the diameter of the MC-GAIH13 3# catalytic pipeline network to the 2# catalytic pipeline network, the flow rate of the pipeline segment increased by more than 30%, greatly reducing the risk of steam retention in the pipeline. At the same time, the two pipelines of the low pressure pipeline network from the catalytic section of 2# to the diesel hydrogenation area of 2# were reduced and reformed, and the flow rate of the pipe section was increased by more than 130%, completely eliminating the risk of steam retention in the pipeline.

After adjustment, the pipeline from the original purchased steam to the pumping unit of the medium-pressure pipe network has been stopped, and the new pipeline is changed from the 3# sulfur boiler to supply steam to the pumping unit, which can reduce the heat loss of about 2960GJ/ year, and save the medium-pressure steam (3.6MPa, 370℃) about 936 tons/year (calculated according to the annual operation time of 8000 hours).

Change visible

Abnormal shutdown of important equipment will directly affect the safe and stable operation of low pressure steam pipe network, and will cause huge losses if it is not operated properly. In this project, the dynamic simulation technology of pipe network was adopted to accurately capture the MC-GAIH13 dynamic response process of pipe network pressure change with time after abnormal shutdown of the device, helping to predict the response speed and adaptive ability of the pipe network system, providing a strong basis for management decision makers to ensure that the pipe network can meet the normal production demand.

3# catalytic unit shutdown low pressure pipe network pressure change trend

Risk can be managed

Through the application of InPlant IBD and steam pipe network simulation software APP, the project successfully realized real-time online operation calculation of the steam pipe network of the whole plant. Through real-time monitoring of the operation status of the entire pipe network, as well as early warning and positioning of pipe sections such as excessive pressure drop, temperature drop and abnormal flow rate, It provides an effective monitoring method for production schedulers and helps enterprises to control the risks of production operation.

At present, the project has been successfully landed and successfully passed the acceptance, China and Korea Petrochemical sent a letter of thanks to the control technology, the control technology team in the whole plant steam system optimization modeling project to show the professional level and dedication to praise. All along, China Control Technology has always adhered to the concept of independent innovation, and is committed to creating value for customers and overcoming key problems for the industry. Looking forward to the future, Zhongkong Technology will continue to work with partners to deepen the process industry, continue to innovate and make breakthroughs in process optimization, equipment transformation, intelligent operation, industrial energy saving, production mode improvement, etc., and create a better future for the development of low-carbon economy.