On May 3, 2026, in the control room of Tarim Energy Co., Ltd. in Bazhou, Xinjiang, Wang Jiahao, a production and operation staff member, stared closely at the pressure data jumping on the large screen, holding a walkie talkie in one hand and issuing debugging instructions to the front. Outside, the Lunnan Industrial Park is lined with towers and tanks, with winding pipelines, and over 100 workers shuttling between various processing units. This natural gas deep processing project, covering an area of about 1000 acres, has entered the final sprint stage before production.

Annual processing capacity jumps to 20 billion cubic meters

The project will commence construction in September 2024 and be delivered to China on March 30, 2026. It is expected to be put into operation before May 30. The project mainly includes two sets of ethane recovery units, one ethane liquefaction storage tank, and multiple export pipelines, with a designed annual processing capacity of 10 billion cubic meters. After the first phase of the project is put into operation, the annual processing capacity of natural gas will reach 20 billion cubic meters, making it the largest natural gas deep processing base in Xinjiang. At present, nitrogen injection and replacement operations are being carried out on site. First, the pipeline sealing is tested with nitrogen, and then the drying system is purged to make final preparations for the official injection of natural gas.

Domestication rate exceeds 90%, independently controllable

The project has achieved systematic localization substitution on key equipment, with an overall localization rate exceeding 90%. The core equipment such as propane refrigeration unit, compressor, and high-speed regeneration gas compressor are all domestically produced products, and the device control system also adopts a localization scheme. The vibration testing system, which was previously monopolized by foreign countries, has achieved independent breakthroughs. Yang Junqi, Director of the Equipment Technology Department, revealed that all core components are also manufactured domestically, and the production and operation of the project are fully autonomous and controllable. Keywords: Infrastructure Engineering News Network, Natural Gas Deep Processing

Intelligent control achieves increased production without increasing manpower

The project synchronously promotes the application of artificial intelligence and relies on advanced control systems to achieve intelligent warning and automatic parameter adjustment. After production, the ethane recovery project team built in 2021 will be responsible for operation, doubling the processing scale without the need for additional personnel. The extracted ethane, light hydrocarbons, liquefied petroleum gas and other products will be transported to the downstream Dushanzi Petrochemical Tarim Phase II Ethylene Project as raw materials to dry and extract the heavy components from the rich natural gas, achieving higher economic value. From impurity and dust removal to large-scale deep processing, Tarim Oilfield has completed a value chain leap in the natural gas industry on the Gobi Desert in ten years.Editor/Gao Xue