Nghi Son Refinery and Petrochemical Complex Project (Thanh Hoa) is one of the key national oil and gas projects, with strategic significance in ensuring energy security for the country. Unlike conventional factories, an oil refinery is an extremely complex complex with thousands of tons of equipment, a dense pipeline system and the highest safety requirements.
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1. Challenges: Payload, Complexity and Harsh Environment
Building an oil refinery poses extremely difficult technical problems:
- Extreme load: The plant includes huge equipment such as distillation towers, reactors... along with hundreds of kilometers of technological pipelines. One installation package alone has a steel structure volume of more than 5.000 tons and equipment of nearly 7.000 tons.
- Diverse and complex structures: Not only the factory frame, the steel structure here also includes multi-storey pipe rack systems (piperack), equipment support structures, tanks, working floors... requiring absolute precision in processing and assembly.
- Highly corrosive environments: The plant's coastal location and chemical environment required structures to have superior corrosion resistance to ensure longevity and safety.
- Strict safety standards: The oil and gas industry has some of the most stringent safety and quality standards in the world, from input materials to the quality of welds and joints.
2. Solution: In-depth Application of Steel Structures
To address the above challenges, contractors have applied specialized and advanced steel structure solutions.
a. Piperack System – The “Blood Veins” of the Factory
One of the most important steel structure items at a refinery is the exhaust system. piperack (pipe support).
- Role: These are multi-storey steel frames, running throughout the factory, acting as “highways” to support the entire system of technological pipes, electrical cables and control trays. They ensure that the pipes are routed correctly, safely and conveniently for maintenance.
- Structure: In essence, piperack is a specialized application of steel column , and steel beams, designed to withstand extreme loads from product-filled pipes.
b. Steel Structures Supporting Equipment and Tanks
Heavy technological equipment cannot be placed directly on concrete floors.
- Solution: Engineers have designed and fabricated separate, sturdy steel frames to support these devices. At the same time, giant product tanks are also fabricated from thick steel plates, connected together by high-quality welds, ensuring absolute tightness.
c. Combination of Welding and High Strength Bolts
The complexity of the project requires a flexible combination of link types.
- Factory welded joints: Complex structural assemblies (modules) are machined and welded completely in factories, where the best quality control conditions are available. The use of automatic and semi-automatic welding ensures that the welds meet international standards.
- Bolt connection at construction site: The large modules are then transported to the construction site and assembled together with high-strength bolts. This method helps speed up the erection process, ensuring accuracy and safety for workers working at height.
3. Result: Ensuring National Energy Security
The successful application of advanced steel structure solutions has significantly contributed to the success of the Nghi Son Refinery and Petrochemical mega project.
- Completing complex projects: Tens of thousands of tons of steel structures and equipment have been safely and precisely installed, creating one of the most modern refineries in the region.
- Ensuring durability and safety: Steel structures are designed and constructed according to international standards, capable of withstanding harsh environments, ensuring the factory operates stably and safely for decades.
- Contribute to energy security: Together with Dung Quat oil refinery, Nghi Son Petrochemical Refinery project helps meet most of the domestic demand for petrochemical products, contributing greatly to the socio-economic development of Vietnam.
