HollySys Empowers MAN Compressor Upgrade for Yankuang's 80,000 Nm³/h Air Separation Unit

Recently, HollySys' T880 Triple-Modular Redundant Compressor Control System (CCS) has been successfully deployed to manage the full operating range of the MAN compressor train at Yankuang Xinjiang Coal Chemicals Co., Ltd.'s 80,000 Nm³/h air separation unit.

Established in 2009, Yankuang Xinjiang Coal Chemicals Co., Ltd. operates an 80,000 Nm³/h air separation unit at its industrial park—one of the first of its scale deployed in China. The unit supplies instrument air and industrial oxygen to support park-wide operations. Its core equipment comprises a MAN compressor train, with the main air compressor and booster compressor driven by a steam turbine. However, the original control system faces mounting issues: its core controllers have been obsolete for years, resulting in long spare-part lead times, high procurement costs, outdated software, and increasing cybersecurity vulnerabilities. Moreover, critical control logic—including anti-surge protection and speed regulation—is embedded in proprietary, encrypted function blocks provided by the original supplier. This "black-box" architecture prevents the owner from independently modifying or maintaining the system, posing long-term operational risks and maintenance difficulties.

To address these challenges, HollySys deployed the T880 Triple-Modular Redundant Control System, which is SIL3-certified with a control cycle of less than 30 milliseconds and system availability exceeding 99.99%. Compared with the original system, T880 provides enhanced control performance, SOE resolution, and system reliability. During the upgrade, HollySys' engineering team reconstructed the original control logic based on the unit’s anti-surge requirements and integrated advanced anti-surge strategies to fully restore the original operating performance. The team also developed a one-click steam turbine startup function, restored critical protection logic, and achieved autonomous control of key technologies while ensuring seamless takeover of all operating conditions. In addition, HollySys successfully completed the integration of the overspeed protection system and speed probe compatibility commissioning, providing full on-site support throughout commissioning and startup to ensure a smooth transition.

As the industry's first successful T880 application for an 80,000 Nm³/h air separation unit paired with a MAN compressor train upgrade, this project stands as a clear testament to HollySys' expertise in turbomachinery control. More importantly, it offers a reliable and scalable model for modernizing legacy imported systems—empowering the process industry with safer and more reliable operations.