The Daqing Zhonglan Petrochemical Co has had some significant achievements in its attempt to save water and improve water consumption. In 2012, the company cut water consumption by 238,427 tons year-on-year. It saved 28,828 tons in January 2012 compared with 28,828 in Dec 2011 and 9,976 tons in February over January. There are 140 fresh water sites in all, 39 of them for cooling, 11 for production, 90 for cleaning and household needs, and 27 for desalted water, according to a study done from the beginning of this year. It showed that most of the water consumption is in cooling, desalination, steaming, and replenishment at heat exchangers and although consumption for cleaning and daily use is small, it cannot be neglected because of the large number of sites. So, the company’s production departments have drawn up detailed water-saving plans taking practical conditions into account.
They started with on-site water management and asked various departments to put the excess discharge of water and steam, the water taps, and the water leaks under control. There were also follow-up checks and after two months of inspections, water waste was under control. In future, the company will watch cooling water consumption in relation to temperature changes and find ways to recycle condensed water from steam and increase the recovery rate of steam from boilers. A water-saving campaign is now underway and every employee is expected to be aware of the importance of energy conservation and improved efficiency and to put it into practice at work.