News Information

On May 16th, with the successful hoisting of the world's largest ethylene oxide/ethylene glycol (EO/EG) scrubber tower, the largest single-investment foreign investment project in Fujian Province to date - the China-Saudi Arabia Gulei Ethylene Project - smoothly broke through a key construction node.

At the project site, the EO/EG scrubber tower rose slowly like a silver dragon in the center of the site, with dozens of steel cables firmly locking this colossal structure. With the order given by the chief commander, the last anchor bolt was precisely embedded into the foundation anchor plate and hydraulically tightened, marking the completion of the hoisting. This equipment weighs over 2,560 tons, is 109 meters long, and after being "dressed and capped", its total weight during hoisting is 3,250 tons, setting a new record for similar tower equipment worldwide.

To ensure the positioning of key towers, the project management team has established a 24-hour response mechanism to guarantee seamless connection among design, procurement and construction, and full control over quality, safety and progress. The contractor, patentee, manufacturer and owner team worked efficiently in collaboration, continuously advancing technological breakthroughs and solution optimization to complete the delivery with high quality and efficiency. The major project service task force of Gulei Development Zone has coordinated the close cooperation of maritime affairs, public security, transportation, power and other forces, and made various emergency plans in advance to ensure the safe arrival of major equipment at the port and factory. The EPC, construction, and supervision parties maintain real-time coordination through daily coordination meetings to ensure that technical challenges, personnel allocation, and other key bottlenecks are addressed without delay. More than 300 construction workers and 24 pieces of machinery have been working in shifts, at different times and in off-peak hours to accelerate the "wearing clothes and hats" efforts to overcome difficulties. The hydraulic hoist for hoisting was delivered to Gulei early and was assembled in advance after 40 days...

Sinopec Tenth Construction Co., LTD., with over 2,000 sets of construction experience in petrochemical and energy facilities, is the construction unit for the EO/EG unit. Facing construction challenges such as large volumes of work and compact sites, the company established a special leading group and set up on-site command points to coordinate resource allocation and safety and quality control. Pan Chongjun, the project manager of the company, introduced that before the installation of the scrubber tower, the construction team carried out four rounds of planning. By using 3D modeling technology, the personnel allocation and mechanical configuration for each process and each working surface were fully implemented. The process connection that previously took two hours for a round trip can now be achieved in half an hour after optimization, increasing the overall construction efficiency by nearly 30%.

This hoisting operation was jointly accomplished by a 5,000-ton gantry hydraulic hoist and a 2,000-ton tailing crane. There are only two 5,000-ton gantry hydraulic hoists in the world responsible for the main hoisting. Chen Tao, the project manager of Sinopec Heavy Lifting and Transportation Engineering Co., LTD., said that the entire process of assembly and disassembly of this "major national equipment" would take nearly 70 days. After the equipment assembly is completed, the team will conduct multiple checks on parameters such as verticality, levelness and tightness every day, record detailed logs and write operation summaries to ensure the precise completion of the hoisting operation.

The EO/EG unit, as the core unit of the project, is technologically complex and has a tight schedule. The scrubber tower achieved the remarkable feat of "putting on clothes and hats" in just 25 days, which has boosted everyone's confidence. Xiong Fengming, the deputy general manager of Sinopec Shanghai Engineering Co., LTD., said.