Reducing Energy Consumption, Boosting Output, and Stabilizing Production: Tongding's Petroleum Coke Dryer Supports Sichuan Xiangfenghua
Recently, the petroleum coke double-cylinder drying project for Sichuan Xiangfenghua, undertaken by Zhengzhou Tongding Machinery Equipment Co., Ltd., successfully completed installation and commissioning. Located in Suining City, Sichuan Province, Sichuan Xiangfenghua New Energy Materials Co., Ltd. is a subsidiary of Xiangfenghua (Stock Code: 300890), a company listed on the Shenzhen Stock Exchange's ChiNext board. Specializing in the manufacture of graphite and carbon products and deeply rooted in the lithium-ion battery anode material sector, the company supplies core raw materials to renowned enterprises such as BYD and CATL. The commissioning of this drying project ensures a stable supply of raw materials for its high-end artificial graphite anode production. Driven by Sichuan Xiangfenghua's core requirements to "maintain output and save energy," and leveraging Tongding's mature technical expertise and customized equipment design, the project resolves traditional production bottlenecks. Key operational metrics meet industry-leading standards, establishing the project as a benchmark for the high-quality development of drying infrastructure supporting the lithium-ion battery anode industry in Southwest China. As a technology enterprise with years of experience in the drying sector, Tongding possesses a comprehensive technical portfolio-including 26 invention patents, 77 utility model patents, 8 design patents, and 12 software copyrights-and demonstrates strong capabilities in R&D, manufacturing, and project implementation. Its drying equipment series is widely used across industries such as mining, chemicals, and metallurgy, with products exported globally thanks to their reliable quality.
Focusing on Production Stability: Solving Capacity Loss Issues Through Structural and Material Innovation
Petroleum coke is characterized by high moisture, high viscosity, high oil content, and high hardness. These properties often cause issues in traditional single-cylinder dryers-such as material sticking to the walls, agglomeration, clogging, and rapid component wear-directly resulting in production capacity loss; this has long been a critical pain point in the industry. Industry data indicates that traditional single-cylinder equipment requires frequent clearing of blockages caused by wall adhesion, leading to annual capacity losses exceeding 15%. Furthermore, the cylinder body and lifting flights are susceptible to erosion and wear from the material; burn-through and leakage often occur within six months, requiring maintenance at least once a month, which further disrupts production continuity. Petroleum coke, a key byproduct of oil refining, serves as the core raw material for Sichuan Xiangfenghua's production of high-end artificial graphite anode materials. Once dried, it has diverse applications; beyond its use in lithium-ion battery anodes, it is utilized in electrode manufacturing, metallurgical smelting, chemical production, and fuel supply. Specific applications include the production of pre-baked anodes (for the electrolytic aluminum industry) and graphite electrodes (for electric arc furnaces in steelmaking), as well as use as fuel for industrial and power plant boilers and in the manufacture of chemical products like silicon carbide and fertilizers. Since the quality of the raw material directly determines the performance of the downstream anode products, a stable drying process is crucial for Sichuan Xiangfenghua to boost production capacity and ensure quality control.
To address these challenges and meet Sichuan Xiangfenghua's rigorous standards for raw material drying quality and production stability, Zhengzhou Tongding Machinery Equipment Co., Ltd. leveraged its extensive technical expertise in the drying industry to custom-design a "dual-long-cylinder, three-pass" drying system. The company fortified production reliability through both structural design and material selection. With a deep focus on the drying sector and multiple patented technologies for equipment optimization and material upgrades, Tongding is renowned for producing equipment that maximizes output while minimizing energy consumption. This custom-built system specifically addresses the material characteristics of petroleum coke and Sichuan Xiangfenghua's operational needs, overcoming industry pain points to ensure stable production output and consistent raw material quality.
Regarding structural design, the system employs a tandem layout featuring two long cylinders and proprietary lifting flight technologies: the inner cylinder utilizes multi-bend lifting flights (Invention Patent No. ZL 2017 1 1292674.3), while the middle cylinder uses serrated lifting flights (Invention Patent No. ZL 2017 1 1292672.4). These designs effectively disperse the petroleum coke and facilitate layered turnover, ensuring thorough material dispersion. This approach not only prevents material accumulation, wall adhesion, and clogging-thereby ensuring continuous, smooth production-but also maximizes heat exchange between the material and the hot air, effectively balancing high output with reduced energy consumption. Post-commissioning measurements demonstrate that the equipment operates continuously and stably for 30 days without failure. The frequency of clearing blockages is reduced by over 80% compared to traditional single-drum units, effectively preventing production losses caused by material sticking to the walls and clogging. Meanwhile, the "three-pass" structure-featuring the coordinated operation of dual long drums and a design that allows for "light-load startup" across eight independent internal drying chambers (utilizing vertical plates to connect and separate the inner and outer shells for stable, secure support)-ensures materials are spread thinner and dried more uniformly. This design extends material residence time to guarantee drying quality while simultaneously increasing throughput; for the same equipment specifications, production capacity exceeds that of traditional single-drum units by more than 20%. Furthermore, this structure avoids the challenges of restarting under heavy load following sudden power outages, ensuring operational stability and further minimizing production losses from unplanned downtime. The induced draft system is scientifically engineered based on required airflow and resistance within the equipment and ductwork, ensuring smooth ventilation and stable operation to robustly support continuous production.
Regarding material selection, the core drum is constructed from Baosteel NM400 high-strength, wear-resistant plate. This material boasts a Brinell hardness of at least 400 HBW and a tensile strength exceeding 1250 MPa; its wear resistance is 4 to 7 times that of standard manganese steel plates, effectively withstanding the erosive wear caused by petroleum coke and significantly extending the equipment's service life. The system incorporates highly wear-resistant trunnion rollers and riding rings: the riding rings are made of 45# forged steel with a surface hardness of 270±20 HB, while the trunnion rollers utilize 42CrMo forged steel with a hardness of 380±20 HB (an optimal range for wear resistance), offering 3 to 5 times the wear resistance of conventional rollers. Under standard operating conditions, the rollers require only one routine outer-diameter turning maintenance procedure per year, further reducing maintenance frequency. Overall, the equipment's service life is three times longer than that of traditional single-drum units, and the maintenance rate is reduced by 70%; this cuts annual production downtime caused by maintenance by at least 120 hours, indirectly reducing production capacity losses by approximately 3%. Furthermore, the equipment utilizes an anchoring foundation method involving pre-embedded anchor bolts and secondary grouting. This approach moves away from the common industry practice of using pre-embedded fixing plates-which are prone to issues like voids, loosening, and leveling difficulties-in favor of an anchor bolt structure that facilitates overall equipment leveling while offering superior support and pull-out resistance. When combined with secondary grouting, this method further stabilizes the shims and distributes the load on the anchor bolts, ensuring long-term operational stability, preventing production output issues caused by equipment misalignment, and safeguarding continuous production.
Focusing on Consumption Reduction: Optimizing Both Energy Use and Costs-From Thermal Efficiency to Smart Control
High energy consumption is a primary constraint on profitability for petroleum coke drying enterprises. Traditional single-cylinder dryers suffer from low heat exchange efficiency and significant heat loss; coupled with cumbersome manual operations, this results in persistently high operating costs. Industry data indicates that traditional single-cylinder equipment has a hot air utilization rate of less than 60%, with substantial heat lost through exhaust gases. Energy consumption per ton of dried material exceeds the industry average by 30%, and in large-scale production, energy costs can account for over 60% of total drying costs, severely squeezing profit margins. Leveraging its core technical strengths, Zhengzhou Tongding Machinery Equipment Co., Ltd. addresses this challenge across three dimensions-improving heat exchange efficiency, recovering and reusing heat, and optimizing intelligent temperature control-to simultaneously reduce energy consumption and operating costs, thereby strongly supporting project profitability.
Regarding heat exchange efficiency, the equipment features a dual-long-cylinder, three-pass structure paired with a patented lifting flight design. This configuration ensures full contact and heat exchange between the petroleum coke material and the hot air, significantly boosting heat utilization. When combined with a scientifically matched induced-draft system that further minimizes heat loss, the overall heat exchange efficiency exceeds 90%-an improvement of over 30 percentage points in hot air utilization compared to traditional single-cylinder equipment-thereby curbing energy waste at the source. The equipment features a combustion chamber designed for high-temperature durability, specifically tailored to the burner's flame dimensions to ensure complete natural gas combustion and prevent energy loss caused by incomplete fuel burning. The material chute is constructed from 310S stainless steel with an outer layer of castable refractory; the main body utilizes interlocking refractory bricks capable of withstanding temperatures up to 1400°C. These bricks offer excellent thermal shock resistance, ensuring no cracking or spalling during long-term use, thereby maintaining combustion system stability and further reducing fuel consumption.
Regarding heat recovery and temperature control, the equipment includes an exhaust waste heat recovery system that captures and reuses heat from the exhaust gas to preheat materials. This reduces the need for fresh heat input and lowers energy consumption. Precise temperature control maintains the exhaust temperature at approximately 70°C and the discharge temperature of the sand (petroleum coke) at around 60°C. This minimizes heat loss through exhaust gases while meeting downstream process requirements for petroleum coke temperature, achieving a balance between energy efficiency and practical utility. Additionally, an intelligent PLC temperature control system automatically adjusts hot air temperature and material rotation speed. This prevents issues such as fuel waste from over-drying or quality degradation from under-drying, further optimizing energy usage and eliminating the need for manual temperature adjustments or material monitoring, thereby significantly reducing energy consumption variances caused by manual operation.
On-site measurements at the Sichuan Xiangfenghua project demonstrate that the equipment reduces energy consumption per ton of material by 25–30% and drying costs per ton by 28% compared to traditional single-drum equipment. Based on the project's annual petroleum coke drying volume, fuel cost savings exceed one million yuan annually. Furthermore, the intelligent, automated operation design significantly reduces labor requirements, saving over one hundred thousand yuan in labor costs each year. This effectively helps Sichuan Xiangfenghua achieve its core objectives of cost reduction, efficiency improvement, quality enhancement, and increased profitability, providing robust support for the large-scale production of high-end artificial graphite anode materials.
Comprehensive Support: Environmental Compliance and Convenient O&M to Solidify Production Foundations
Beyond its core advantages of maintaining production and reducing consumption, Zhengzhou Tongding Machinery Equipment Co., Ltd. provides a comprehensive support system for the Sichuan Xiangfenghua project. This system ensures environmental compliance and ease of operation and maintenance (O&M), further enhancing the project's overall competitiveness. Regarding environmental compliance, the equipment is fitted with a dust collector that consistently maintains emission concentrations between 10 and 30 mg/Nm³-well below regulatory limits. This ensures zero fugitive dust emissions and exhaust compliance, helping Sichuan Xiangfenghua mitigate regulatory risks and achieve green, sustainable production; this aligns with both current environmental trends in the new energy materials industry and the company's positioning as a high-end manufacturer.
In terms of operational convenience, the equipment features a streamlined design with wear-resistant, durable core components that require infrequent maintenance. Coupled with the comprehensive support provided by Zhengzhou Tongding Machinery Equipment Co., Ltd.-including routine inspections, 24-hour emergency response, and lifelong maintenance support-this significantly reduces long-term operational costs and management complexity for Sichuan Xiangfenghua. Furthermore, features such as robust anchor-bolt foundation engineering and highly wear-resistant components enhance operational stability and minimize maintenance requirements, allowing Sichuan Xiangfenghua to focus its resources on the R&D and production of high-end artificial graphite anode materials.
