On December 5, the joint test run of the steam turbine, compressor, motor generator and expander of Korla Zhongtai Petrochemical’s 1.2 million tons/year PTA unit, which was constructed by China Chemical Engineering No. 11 Construction Co., Ltd., marked the successful completion of the PTA project. The test run of the “four-in-one” compressor unit was successfully completed.
“Four-in-one” compressor unit It is the core equipment of Korla Zhongtai Petrochemical PTA plant and the “heart” of the entire plant. The compressor unit consists of steam turbine, process air compressor, electric generator and tail gas expander. Since the one-time overturning of the steam turbine was successful on November 12, on November 20, the “three-machine” joint test of the steam turbine and electric generator jointly driving the compressor was successfully completed. Recently, the most difficult “four-machine” test was successfully completed. The joint test run was a one-time success.
It is understood that the compressor power of this unit is 54783 KW, the speed is 3021r/min, the compressor, steam turbine, motor /The main engine part such as the generator is produced by the German MAN company. The compressor and steam turbine are disassembled for transportation, delivered separately, and installed on site. At present, the main PTA unit of Korla Zhongtai Petrochemical has undergone thermal-movement linkage testing, and the core equipment “four-in-one” compressor unit has been successfully tested, laying a solid foundation for the high-quality, high-efficiency commissioning of the PTA unit on December 20.
As the world’s first million-ton PTA project built in an inland area, Zhongtai Petrochemical’s 1.2 million-ton annual PTA project has been added to the national “13th Five-Year Plan” In the next two years, new key energy projects will be added. The project started construction in 2016. The project covers an area of about 58 hectares and has a total investment of 5.62 billion yuan. Together with Siemens (China) Co., Ltd., it will build a digital factory for Zhongtai Group with an annual output of 1.2 million tons of PTA (polyester fiber raw material). PTA is one of the main raw materials for the production of polyester, which is an important material in the textile industry. The implementation of this project is of positive significance for filling the shortcomings of Xinjiang’s textile industry and improving the upstream and downstream industrial chains of textile and clothing.
The growth rate of polyester production capacity cannot match the expansion rate of PTA production capacity, and the pressure on PTA will become more obvious in the later period
In 2019, the PTA market was affected by factors such as supply and demand, PX profits, processing fees, and the commissioning of new devices in the polyester industry chain, and the price fluctuated greatly.
The newly added PTA production capacity in 2019 is mainly 1 million tons from Sichuan Energy Investment, 2.2 million tons from Xinfengming, and 2.2 million tons from Heng Power (Phase IV) 2.5 million tons device. In 2019, the domestic PTA production capacity base was 46.78 million tons/year. It is comprehensively estimated that PTA output in 2019 will be about 44.8 million tons, with an increase of 9%. It is planned that 13.8 million tons of new PTA units will be put into operation in 2020, which marks the coming of a new refining era, and the pressure in the later period will become more and more obvious.
Take a polyester company in Suzhou as an example. The company currently has a filament production capacity of 580,000 tons, of which 400,000 tons are semi-gloss. tons, 100,000 tons for polishing and 80,000 tons for chip spinning. The person in charge of the company said that it is expected that there will still be 200-300 yuan in downward potential for product prices in the later period. Hengli Petrochemical No. 4 (capacity: 2.2 million tons) PTA unit is expected to be put into operation on December 28. Hengli Petrochemical No. 5 (capacity: 2.2 million tons) PTA unit is expected to be put into operation from April to May next year. The PTA unit production progress is in line with market expectations expectations. The decline in terminal demand will lead to a decline in polyester production.
Polyester production capacity is likely to maintain an annual growth rate of three to four million tons in the next two years. Orders for winding heads from Barmag and TMT have been scheduled for the next few years. This round of market competition is very fierce, and polyester will not stop production as long as cash flow can be guaranteed. Next year, the winding heads of Barmag and TMT will have a production capacity of two to three million tons. Together with short fiber and bottle flakes, the growth rate of polyester may reach 8%-10%.
According to statistics, the new polyester production capacity in 2020 is expected to reach 5.15 million tons, corresponding to an increase of about 4.3 million tons in demand for PTA, which is far less than the PTA production capacity planned to be put into production in 2020. 13.8 million tons. Costs are falling, processing fees are falling, and under a large production expansion cycle, it is difficult for the PTA price center to reverse. </p
