Recently, the first critical piece of equipment – the loop reactor – for Kazakhstan’s SILLENO Polyethylene Project, whose design, fabrication and transportation technical services are undertaken by Maoming Zhongli Petrochemical Equipment Co., Ltd., has been loaded onto vessels and shipped from Shuidong Port in Maoming, Guangdong Province, one month ahead of the contractual delivery schedule.
The straight leg of the equipment exceeds 67 metres in length with a minimum diameter of merely 0.78 metres. It will be deployed in a 1.25 million tonnes per annum single-train polyethylene plant. As the core equipment of polyethylene production facilities, it ranks among the world’s largest loop reactors.
The equipment departs from Maoming Shuidong Port via combined sea and land transportation. The vessel will pass through the Bering Strait into the Arctic shipping route, sail around Europe to Russia, then proceed via inland waterways and Caspian Sea shipping to Kazakhstan, followed by approximately 900 kilometres of overland transportation to the project site.
Successful shipment lays a solid foundation for subsequent on-site erection and construction. It also demonstrates the comprehensive capabilities of Maoming Zhongli in the design & fabrication of extra-large petrochemical equipment and international delivery.
Focus on World-Class Projects and Manufacture Core Equipment
Located within the Special Economic Zone of the State Industrial Oil, Gas and Petrochemical Technology Park in Atyrau Region, Kazakhstan, the SILLENO Polyethylene Project is one of Kazakhstan’s largest ongoing petrochemical projects.
Leveraging abundant local natural gas resources, the project extends the industrial chain through ethane cracking and ethylene polymerisation, converting resource advantages into industrial strengths. Upon completion, the project will further improve the petrochemical industrial chain in Central Asia and boost regional supply capacity of polyethylene products.
Designed with an annual polyethylene output of 1.25 million tonnes, the project is jointly invested by KazMunayGas (KMG), Sinopec and Russia’s Sibur, adopting internationally advanced polyethylene production technology. Its polymerisation unit applies Chevron Phillips Chemical’s MarTECH® loop slurry polyethylene technology. Featuring a wide range of producible grades and stable operation, this technology is widely deployed in high-density polyethylene (HDPE) manufacturing.
The loop reactor serves as the core equipment for this technical route and undertakes the critical polymerisation reaction process. Stringent requirements are imposed on manufacturing precision, structural stability and long-term operational reliability, and its fabrication quality directly determines the safe and stable operation of the plant. As the supplier of core equipment for the project, Maoming Zhongli delivers design, fabrication and transportation technical services for the loop reactor, providing key equipment support for the construction of this world-class polyethylene project.
Breakthroughs in Design and Fabrication of Extra-Large Loop Equipment
Loop reactors fall into the category of large non-standard petrochemical equipment. Their fabrication involves multiple key technologies including material assurance, structural design, welding control, dimensional accuracy and transportation arrangement.
The loop reactor manufactured for the SILLENO Project is among the heaviest loaded loop facilities for polyolefin plants with the longest straight pipe sections and maximum single pipe weight. Subject to complex operating conditions, the equipment demands higher standards for material selection, structural strength, overall stability, support layout and fabrication precision.
To tackle challenges brought by the ultra-long and heavy-load structure, Maoming Zhongli carried out systematic planning starting from the design phase. Comprehensive verification of load-bearing capacity and long-term operational stability was completed via full-working-condition global stress analysis and multiple rounds of structural optimisation calculations.
Targeting the mechanical characteristics of ultra-long loop structures under complex conditions, the project team conducted technical research on structural temperature load calculation and joint optimisation. For the first time, systematic temperature load analysis was performed under various conditions including installation and operation. Thermal expansion and contraction effects triggered by ambient temperature variations were incorporated into structural design verification. Global stability analysis was conducted under multiple load combinations.
By optimising joint constraint configurations, ordered release of thermal deformation is realised, substantially enhancing long-term operational safety of the equipment. A complete set of technologies covering temperature load calculation and joint optimisation for extra-large loop structures has been formed.
During fabrication, special implementation plans were formulated to ensure full-process control covering material guarantee, process optimisation and procedural management. Faced with fabrication difficulties for ultra-long structural components, the project team innovated manufacturing processes and realised coordinated working procedures to improve efficiency.
Special technical research was conducted to resolve on-site loop assembly challenges. Dedicated tooling was developed and scheme validation completed to provide technical support for on-site acceptance. Meanwhile, the team focused on critical components such as elbows and plunger valves, implementing full-process control over key parameters including installation dimensions and connection precision to guarantee high-quality equipment delivery.
Multi-Party Coordination Ensures Safe Shipment of Equipment
Export of large petrochemical equipment overseas tests not only manufacturing capabilities but also project organisation and international delivery competence.
Under the overall coordination of Sinopec Shanghai Engineering Co., Ltd., Maoming Zhongli collaborated with the owner, purchaser and carriers to conduct systematic planning covering lifting, packaging, protection and transportation.
Considering the equipment’s oversized dimensions, long haul distance and complicated transport environment, the project team performed load analysis and centre-of-gravity calculation, optimised transportation support schemes and designed dedicated transportation support tooling. Advance route surveys and thorough assessment of transportation risks were also completed. Ultimately, the equipment was safely loaded and shipped, safeguarding subsequent project construction.
Deep Cultivation in Global Markets to Enhance Competitiveness of Petrochemical Equipment
Maoming Zhongli has long focused on manufacturing large polyolefin equipment and built serialised capabilities for loop reactor design and fabrication. The company offers full-cycle support ranging from conceptual design, structural optimisation and machining to transportation services.
It has participated in multiple international petrochemical projects in Turkmenistan, Malaysia, Qatar and other regions, accumulating rich experience in the design and fabrication of large loop reactors, sophisticated welding control and international delivery management.
In recent years, Maoming Zhongli has continuously deepened cooperation with international engineering firms and technology licensors including TCM, KBR, Lummus and ExxonMobil, steadily upgrading its R&D and manufacturing capacity for high-end petrochemical equipment.
From Central Asia and Southeast Asia to the Middle East, Maoming Zhongli keeps engaging in key energy and chemical projects along the Belt and Road and worldwide, enabling Chinese petrochemical equipment manufacturing to enter global markets.
The successful delivery of the loop reactor for Kazakhstan’s SILLENO Project marks an important practice of Maoming Zhongli in global energy and chemical industrial cooperation, and another achievement of the company’s internationalisation drive.
As a winner of the Guangdong Provincial Government Quality Award and a national-level Specialized, Refined, Unique and Innovative "Little Giant" enterprise, Maoming Zhongli will further improve its R&D and manufacturing capacity for large petrochemical equipment in the future, injecting new momentum into its vision of “Building a Centennial Zhongli, Equipping the Petrochemical Industry”.
