Jinneng Science & Technology — PP (2019) — Brine Chiller Package for Polypropylene Production

Jinneng Science and Technology is a coal chemical and petrochemical enterprise in Shanxi Province, producing polypropylene, methanol, and related chemical products through coal-to-olefins (CTO) and methanol-to-propylene (MTP) process routes. The PP plant converts propylene into polypropylene resin used in packaging, automotive components, fibers, and consumer products.

Client	Jinneng Science and Technology Company Limited
Plant / Unit	PP — Polypropylene
Equipment	Brine Chiller Package × 2
Design Code	GB
Cooling Capacity	1,400 kW per unit
Motor Power	550 kW
Refrigerant	Propylene (R1270)
Coolant	Ethylene glycol
Design Institute	Huanqiu (Daqing)
Year	2019

Customer Background

Jinneng Science and Technology is a coal chemical and petrochemical enterprise in Shanxi Province, producing polypropylene, methanol, and related chemical products through coal-to-olefins (CTO) and methanol-to-propylene (MTP) process routes. The PP plant converts propylene into polypropylene resin used in packaging, automotive components, fibers, and consumer products.

Polypropylene production via gas-phase or bulk-phase polymerization processes generates significant exothermic heat that must be removed to maintain reactor temperature control. Sub-ambient cooling with chilled ethylene glycol brine provides the temperature differential needed for effective heat removal through the reactor’s jacket and external heat exchangers. The brine chiller packages are essential utilities that directly affect polymer product quality and production rate.

Located in Shanxi Province, Jinneng leverages the region’s coal resources as feedstock for its integrated chemical production chain. The PP plant is a key revenue-generating unit within the complex, producing polypropylene grades for packaging, automotive, and consumer goods applications across the Chinese domestic market.

Challenges and Engineering Requirements

Process Temperature Control in petrochemical processing

Jinneng Science and Technology Company Limited required precise low-temperature cooling for Brine Chiller Package × 2 service in the petrochemical processing sector. The brine chiller system must maintain stable outlet temperatures within narrow tolerances despite variable process heat loads. Fluctuations in feed composition, ambient temperature swings, and seasonal load variations all affect the refrigeration duty — the system must respond to these changes while protecting compressor operation from surge and liquid carryover.

Refrigerant Selection and Safety

The choice of Propylene (R1270) reflects the balance between thermodynamic efficiency at the target evaporating temperature, compatibility with the plant’s existing refrigerant infrastructure, and safety classification under the applicable code. Each refrigerant brings specific considerations: flammability limits for hydrocarbon refrigerants, operating pressure ranges that affect component sizing, and oil miscibility that influences compressor lubrication system design.

Integration with EPC Engineering

The chiller packages were specified and documented by Huanqiu (Daqing) as part of a larger process unit. This means every interface — brine supply/return connections, electrical load requirements, control signal protocols, and physical footprint — must match the EPC’s plot plan and P&ID exactly. Any deviation requires formal design change management, adding time and cost to the project.

Why Jinneng Science and Technology Company Limited Selected Lmart

Integrated refrigeration package capability. Lmart designs and manufactures complete refrigeration systems — compressor selection, heat exchanger sizing, piping layout, control logic, and skid-frame engineering — as a single-source supplier. This eliminates the interface risks that arise when the chiller vendor, vessel fabricator, and system integrator are separate companies.

Process refrigerant experience. Lmart has delivered refrigeration packages using propylene, propane, ammonia, R134a, and other process refrigerants across petrochemical, chemical, and marine applications. This experience base means the engineering team understands the specific requirements of each refrigerant — safety classifications, oil management, capacity control methods — without a learning curve.

Repeat performance. Lmart has delivered equipment to Jinneng Science and Technology Company Limited and similar clients in the petrochemical processing sector, demonstrating consistent quality and on-time delivery performance across multiple projects.

Technical Scope and Specifications

Two brine chiller packages, each rated at 1,400 kW, provide the primary cooling for the PP reactor system. Propylene (R1270) refrigerant drives screw compressors with 550 kW motors. Chilled ethylene glycol brine circulates to the process heat exchangers where it absorbs polymerization reaction heat.

Key design features:

• High cooling capacity: At 1,400 kW per unit (2,800 kW total), the installation provides substantial cooling duty for a large-scale PP production line with high throughput requirements
• Dual-unit redundancy: Two identical packages allow continued PP production during scheduled maintenance of either chiller, avoiding costly plant shutdowns
• Propylene refrigerant (R1270): Selected for thermodynamic efficiency at the target evaporating temperature and compatibility with the petrochemical plant’s hydrocarbon infrastructure — propylene is already handled throughout the facility as both feedstock and product
• Ethylene glycol brine loop: The secondary cooling circuit uses ethylene glycol at a concentration optimized for the required minimum brine supply temperature, with corrosion inhibitors to protect the closed-loop piping and heat exchanger surfaces
• Huanqiu (Daqing) engineering: Equipment designed to China Huanqiu Contracting & Engineering’s Daqing branch specifications, with documentation and testing requirements aligned to their PP plant engineering standards

The Jinneng PP project represents Lmart’s continued penetration of the coal chemical sector, where CTO and MTP plants require the same industrial refrigeration technology as conventional naphtha-based petrochemical complexes.

Delivery and Quality Assurance

Both brine chiller packages were factory-assembled and tested at Lmart’s Zhangjiagang facility. Testing included compressor mechanical run-in with vibration and noise measurements, hydrostatic pressure testing of all heat exchangers and pressure vessels, refrigerant charge and leak testing, and complete electrical and instrumentation verification. Documentation was prepared to Huanqiu (Daqing)’s engineering requirements.

The packages were shipped to Jinneng’s Shanxi facility and integrated into the PP plant’s reactor cooling system. The 1,400 kW capacity per unit places these among Lmart’s larger brine chiller installations, demonstrating the company’s ability to serve the coal-to-chemicals sector where plant scales increasingly match those of conventional petrochemical complexes.

Results and Business Impact

Lmart successfully delivered 2 units of Brine Chiller Package × 2 to Jinneng Science and Technology Company Limited, meeting the project’s quality, schedule, and documentation requirements. The equipment was manufactured to GB standards, with full documentation packages accepted by the client and applicable inspection authorities.

This project reinforces Lmart’s position as a qualified manufacturer for petrochemical processing applications, demonstrating the company’s ability to deliver equipment that meets international quality and certification standards.

Customer Voice

“The equipment was delivered on schedule and the documentation package was complete. The quality of fabrication met our inspection requirements.”

— Jinneng Science and Technology Company Limited project team (paraphrased from project review)

Note: Lmart respects client confidentiality. Specific contact references are available upon request during the qualification process.