Recently, the largest DN3300 reforming mixed feed heat exchanger (also known as coil wound heat exchanger) in China has been assembled successfully with only one attempt at Sichuan Bluestar Machinery Co., Ltd. (Bluestar Machinery). The innovative horizontal hoisting assembly saved a large amount of time and cost.
The heat exchanger was developed and manufactured independently by Bluestar Machinery, and will be used in a 900,000 tons/year diesel hydrogenation and modification plant in Shandong. “This heat exchanger is an important part of the petroleum refining process. It is over 20 meters long, 3.3 meters in diameter, and over 170 tons in weight. Its internal parts combined weigh over 110 tons. Its material (stainless steel) is special; it has over 6,800 thin tubes (∅15X1mm), and the shell and internal parts are all high-temperature parts (550℃), therefore, the manufacturing requirements are one or two levels higher than that of a gasifier for the coal chemical industry. It requires higher precision and more complicated techniques and is thus extremely difficult to make. ” According to the project chief at Bluestar Machinery, the heat exchanger is highly heat conductive, resistant to high temperature, high pressure and operational fluctuations; it is a highly reliable device for continuous reforming and thus has good market prospect.
This is an ambitious attempt of Bluestar Machinery, the largest chemical equipment manufacturer in western China. It developed integrated and innovative high-efficiency coil wound heat exchanger following the successful R&D of WHG gasifier in 2014, accumulating rich experience in manufacturing. During the general assembly of this equipment, Bluestar Machinery created the innovative horizontal hoisting assembly method to ensure that some tubes were exposed to no external pressure. The method allowed internal parts to remain still while the shell is hoisted by two carts and driven by a third cart to assemble. Calculation shows that compared with vertical hoisting assembly, this method is safer and more reliable, and saves time and money (by about RMB150,000). This opened up a new path featuring innovation in production model for the company in the new normal.