Over the past decades, international technology Group Andritz has become a byword for highest quality and customized pump solutions and is now a preferred partner on a global scale. In the interests of its customers, the Pumps division does not set itself any limits with regard to size and flow rate in the development and manufacturing of tailor-made pumps. Thus, Andritz has been commissioned to supply the water intake pumps for China’s first privately managed and largest petrochemical plant.
During the first construction phase of the Zhoushan project, 14 vertical line shaft pumps provided by Andritz will also be installed and set up for operation.
The production of chemical products stemming from natural gas and suitable fractions of mineral oil gained importance during the Second World War. Due to a sudden lack of natural products such as rubber, artificial substitutes were needed instead. Once established as a substitute, the petrochemical industry and the derivatives it produces, such as polyester, ethanol or ethylene glycol used in antifreeze, became quite a significant area, encouraging China especially to invest in enlarging its production capacities.
To be built on the 6.25 sq. km Zhoushan Island off the eastern Chinese coast near the strategically important ports of Shanghai and Ningbo, the Zhoushan project is setting new standards in China. It is not only the country’s first energy installation to be built by a non-state investor, but will also be the biggest green petrochemical base in China after its completion. The cost of the project is estimated at around 25.44 billion US dollars. It is part of Beijing’s efforts to make the state-controlled energy sector more attractive to private investors. The first building phase of the oil refining and petrochemical complex has already been started. When the plant is completed, which is likely to be sometime in 2020, it will consist of two oil refineries producing 400,000 barrels per day and two ethylene plants producing 1.4 million tons a year.
Andritz offers a complete program of impeller shapes for all combinations of delivery rates and heads, according to specific speeds.
During this first phase, 14 vertical line shaft pumps provided by Andritz will also be installed and set up for operation. The decision to order the pumps from the international technology Group was made due to its extensive experience from over 165 years in the pumps business and its specifically high engineering competence as well as better life cycle costs overall. Thus, Andritz has become a preferred partner on a global scale for accommodating customers’ needs and providing the ideal pump solution. Beginning with R&D, continuing with design and manufacture to after-sales service, Andritz combines the entire value-added chain under one roof.
The pumps supplied are highly engineered hydraulic machines characterized by lowest energy consumption and efficiencies above the market average. They have been designed in accordance with customers’ and projects’ specific requirements. Installed in the production process as water intake pumps, the 14 vertical line shaft pumps have various properties depending on the medium to be transported. Especially the choice of material and suitable finishing are determining factors in functioning and stability of these pumps. Acting as water intake pumps, they are exposed to the aggressiveness of the salty sea water. Hence, these pumps are made of a special, highly resistant material – duplex steel. Processing of duplex steel requires extensive practice and know-how. Andritz has long-term experience in working with this special material.
Additionally, Andritz offers a complete program of impeller shapes for all combinations of delivery rates and heads, according to specific speeds. By varying the trailing edge, high-precision adjustments can be made to the desired duty points. Moreover, by using separately mounted, angle-adjustable impeller blades, it is possible to compensate any uncertainties in the system design. As a result, the efficiency can also be optimized or the duty point altered at a later stage. In this case, the angle of the impeller blade can still be adjusted manually to suit new conditions just before installation and start-up.