Background and Significance

In response to the national "14th Five Year Plan" energy conservation and emission reduction goals, and to address the gap in vacuum technology standards in the petroleum refining industry, the China Petroleum and Petrochemical Equipment Industry Association (Sinopec) has officially released the "Design Guidelines for Vacuum Distillation and Vacuum Extraction Systems". This standard was initiated by Ren Weimin, a member of the National Vacuum Technology Standardization Technical Committee, Chairman of Zhejiang Hangzhen Energy Technology Co., Ltd., and technical leader Yuan Xuejuan. It is the first industry standard for mechanical pump vacuum systems in China, filling the gaps in energy consumption, configuration, and technical integration of existing standards (such as JB/T 8540, SH/T 3118), and helping the industry reduce costs and increase efficiency.

Core Breakthrough

Driven by technological innovation
With the intensification of heavy crude oil, mechanical pump vacuum technology (such as "fully mechanical vacuum pumping system") has been widely used due to its high efficiency and energy saving, but there has been a long-term lack of unified design standards. This standard was drafted by Chairman Ren Weimin (member of the National Vacuum Technology Standardization Technical Committee) and led by the Technical Department of Zhejiang Hangzhen Energy Technology Co., Ltd. It was jointly developed by Zhejiang Hangzhen Intelligent Technology Co., Ltd., Sinopec Guangzhou Engineering Co., Ltd., Zhenhai Petrochemical Engineering Co., Ltd., Sinopec Zhenhai Refining&Chemical Co., Ltd., Zhongke (Guangdong) Refining&Chemical Co., Ltd. and other leading enterprises. It was reviewed by experts from China Petroleum and Petrochemical Equipment Industry Association, Sinopec Group Co., Ltd., Sinopec Engineering Construction Co., Ltd., Sinopec Guangzhou Engineering Co., Ltd., China Huanqiu Engineering Co., Ltd. Beijing Branch, PetroChina East China Design Institute Co., Ltd. Beijing Branch, Sinopec Guangzhou Engineering Co., Ltd., and approved by the Standardization Management Committee of the China Petroleum Association, The attending experts unanimously approved the approval of this standard.

Clarify the entire process specifications
This standard covers six major aspects including system design, manufacturing, and inspection. It is the first to define the terminology, application scope, and technical requirements of mechanical pump vacuum systems, providing authoritative basis for equipment selection and engineering budgeting.
Efficient promotion: lasted for 23 months
October 2023: The project is officially approved and the drafting working group is quickly established.
From October 2023 to March 2024: Conduct extensive research, collect opinions, form a draft standard, and repeatedly revise and improve it.
May July 2024: Solicit public opinions from the industry.
On November 3, 2024, the China Stone Association organized a review meeting for the submitted manuscript, with 10 authoritative experts conducting the meeting review.
March 31, 2025: Complete the standard approval draft.
August 1, 2025: This standard will be officially implemented.

Empirical evidence of energy-saving benefits

Sinopec Guangzhou Branch Renovation Project: 5.2 million tons/year atmospheric and vacuum distillation unit vacuum system, two sets of Roots pump units will be newly built next to the old unit to replace the existing first two stage steam vacuum system, realizing a fully mechanical vacuum pumping process of Roots pump+liquid ring pump combination. The project has been operating well after renovation.
•Annual energy savings of 6283 tons of standard coal
•Energy efficiency exceeded expectations by over 9%, significantly reducing steam consumption and operating costs.

industry impact
This standard seamlessly integrates with current national and industry standards to promote refining enterprises.
• Reduce the difficulty of technology integration and investment risks
Accelerate the large-scale application of mechanical vacuum technology
• Assist in achieving the 'dual carbon' goal