On July 9, 2025, China's first domestically-produced 40 megapascal high-pressure large-displacement centrifugal gas injection compressor was officially put into operation at China Petroleum's Tahe Gas Storage Facility, the first deep-in-service condensate gas reservoir storage facility in China.
Currently, the equipment is undergoing installation and commissioning, and it will be officially put into use in October. The commissioning of this core equipment marks the first time that China has achieved 100% domestic production of complete sets of equipment in the field of gas storage reservoirs, breaking the foreign technological monopoly and providing new technical support for ensuring national energy security.
The Taiermu Oilfield Dayahe Gas Storage Reservoir is located in Kuqa City, Aksu Prefecture, Xinjiang. It is the first deep-seated in-service condensate gas reservoir gas storage reservoir in China and a key project of China National Petroleum Corporation. The construction of the gas storage reservoir follows the principle of overall planning and step-by-step implementation. The overall construction is divided into two phases: the first phase has a working gas volume of 2.4 billion cubic meters, which is responsible for seasonal peak regulation and emergency supply in the southern Xinjiang five prefectures; after the second phase is completed, a strategic working gas volume of 5 billion cubic meters will be formed, effectively ensuring the peak regulation and strategic emergency supply of the West-to-East Gas Pipeline Network.
During the database construction process, the 40 megapascal injection pressure was regarded as the "mountain peak of the industry". Previously, the core technology at this level had been long controlled by foreign manufacturers, and there were problems such as high prices and long supply cycles, which posed "blockage" issues. Zhang Yong, a second-level equipment engineer of the Ground Engineering Department of Dingna Oil and Gas Production Management Area of Tarim Oilfield, said.This independently developed high-pressure centrifugal compression unit can process 5.5 million cubic meters of natural gas per day, with an injection pressure of up to 40 megapascals and an electric motor power of 23 megawatts. It will significantly enhance the injection efficiency of the gas storage facility.
The Tarim Oilfield Company collaborated with Shenyang Gear Group Co., Ltd. to jointly conduct research and development on key technologies such as the design of high-pressure cylinder bodies, the dynamics and sealing technology of high-pressure rotors, and the efficient flow model. They successfully developed and formed key core components and complete machine technology with complete independent intellectual property rights. After rigorous testing, this domestically pioneered 40 megapascal pressure-level gas storage centrifugal compressor unit has achieved main indicators of mechanical operation and performance tests at the international advanced level, filling the domestic gap.
To promote the domestic production of high-pressure centrifugal compressors, the research and development team has successfully overcome numerous challenges and developed a number of key innovative technologies.The pioneering drive structure is the first to adopt a compact drive solution of "variable frequency motor + gearbox + high/low pressure cylinders in coaxial configuration" in domestic gas storage station units. This significantly reduces the floor space and lowers the investment cost.The innovative manufacturing of the impeller employed the narrow ternary impeller electrical discharge machining technology, successfully developing a model-stage impeller suitable for high-pressure, high-efficiency, and low-flow conditions. At the same time, the team also optimized the rotor structure of the high-pressure cylinder. By precisely calculating the rotor thrust under high-pressure conditions and quantifying its dynamic characteristics, they solved the sealing problem. They adopted the "honeycomb structure + counter-rotating flow seal" combined technology, effectively addressing the sealing deformation and gas excitation problems under high differential pressure conditions.
