China National Offshore Oil Corporation (CNOOC)’s acrylonitrile device with a production capacity of 200,000 tonnes per year, its first acrylonitrile device and a key project of Hainan Province, was successfully commissioned at 14:18 on 6 February. Up-to-standard acrylonitrile products were produced at 13:16 on 9 February, marking a successful startup of the acrylonitrile device at the first attempt.

The acrylonitrile project of Phase II of Hainan Fine Chemical Project is a key project for CNOOC to transform and upgrade from the oil, gas and chemical industry into the fine chemical industry in Dongfang Lingang Industrial Park. It is also an important means for China BlueChemical Ltd. to draw a new blueprint for high-quality development, create a new situation for transformation and upgrading, and realise "second entrepreneurship". The acrylonitrile project includes the 200,000 tonnes/year acrylonitrile device, 70,000 tonnes/year methyl methacrylate (MMA) device, 214,000 tonnes/year sulphuric acid recovery (SAR) device and supporting facilities. It uses the world’s advanced process for the production of acrylonitrile from propylene by ammoxidation, which is safe, energy-saving and eco-friendly. The project is expected to achieve output value of about 2.5 billion yuan/year after full production. It takes a total of 72 hours from the acrylonitrile device’s commissioning at 14:18 on 6 February to the production of up-to-standard acrylonitrile products, refreshing the record for the shortest time from the first startup of a proprietary acrylonitrile process to the production of up-to-standard products, setting a new record for the shortest time from interim delivery to production of acrylonitrile devices of the same kind in China, and achieving the shortest construction period for projects of the same kind. It writes a new chapter for the production and operation of CNOOC’s first acrylonitrile device.

Since the commencement of the construction of the project in November 2020, China BlueChemical Ltd. has actively coordinated the efforts of all parties and mobilised the whole company to support the construction of the project under the strong support of CNOOC and the local government. The acrylonitrile project team has overcome many difficulties and withstood severe tests, including tight construction schedule, inexperience of the design institute, resurgence of the COVID-19 pandemic, extreme weather, as well as increases in labour and material prices. Efforts were made to take multiple measures, including optimisation of construction planning and site management and implementation of the working systems, “5+2” and “day and night”, which are conductive to the fulfilment of the set objectives in a safe, high-quality and efficient manner and the high-level interim delivery of the project. CNOOC Dongfang Petrochemical Company and the acrylonitrile production preparation team actively carried forward the spirit of hard work and its leaders and employees overcame the impact of the pandemic to organise and receive training on the new process and equipment. They checked design vulnerabilities, project quality and hidden dangers, and the unfinished work, and set tasks, fixed schedule, arranged personnel and determined measures. In addition, detailed and practical actions were taken to make preparations. All these lay a solid foundation for ensuring the successful first-attempt production of the acrylonitrile device.

China BlueChemical Ltd. is a subsidiary of CNOOC, which is principally engaged in the research and development, production and sales of fertilisers and chemical products. Since its establishment more than 20 years ago, the company has achieved rapid development in various businesses through the development pattern combining independent growth with reorganisation and mergers, ranking first among central-government-controlled enterprises in terms of production capacity and output of fertilisers. As acrylonitrile is an important raw material for three major synthetic materials (plastics, synthetic rubber and synthetic fibres), the operation of this project marks a solid step for China BlueChemical Ltd.to transform and upgrade into the new chemical materials sector. Based on this, the company, which anchors the goal of "second entrepreneurship", will integrate into the construction of Hainan Free Trade Port and give full play to the advantages in policies, resources and location of Dongfang Industrial Park to gradually build a green and low-carbon industrial cluster with coordinated development of the oil and gas industries, aiming to lay the industrial foundation for building an international high-end net-zero industrial park.

Taking up the mission to turn a new page and working together on a new chapter. China BlueChemical Ltd. will spare no effort to ensure the safe and stable operation of the device and gradually optimise the operating conditions to guarantee the safe, efficient and stable operation of the device, with a view to making new and greater contributions to break new ground of high-quality development via transformation and upgrading, and help CNOOC build itself into a world-class enterprise.