The opening of the Beijing 2022 Winter Olympics has entered a month of countdown, and all the work is ready, and one of the important protagonists, the "Flying" torch, has once again become the focus.
Did you know that the torch "Flying" is developed and produced by Sinopec Shanghai Petrochemical! Behind it is the story of petrochemical people's continuous innovation and pursuit of excellence.
Sinopec conscientiously implements the spirit of the important instructions of General Secretary Xi Jinping, in addition to providing clean energy guarantee for the infrastructure construction and operation of the Beijing Winter Olympic and Paralympic Games, it also shoulders the responsibility of the long industrial chain, leads the research and development and mass production of the Winter Olympic torch, and realizes the world's first carbon fiber composite material to make the Olympic torch shell and help the green Olympics.
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The reporter takes you to see the "big" qiankun in the "small" torch!
The overall appearance of "Flying" echoes the form of the main torch tower at the opening ceremony of the Beijing 2008 Olympic Games. The torch is "bottomed" with a xiangyun pattern, and gradually transitions from the xiangyun pattern from bottom to top to a paper-cut style snowflake pattern, rotating and rising, like a ribbon fluttering.
The torch is mainly divided into three parts: the outer streamer, the inner streamer and the hydrogen combustion device.
"Feiyang" not only has a very dynamic and dynamic appearance, but its shell also contains "black technology". The "flying" shell must not only be resistant to fire and high temperatures, but also can be used in extremely cold weather. How to withstand this double test of "ice and fire", the mystery lies in a new material - carbon fiber.
Origins: Resolutely fulfill the responsibilities of central enterprises and turn "black gold" into the winter Olympic torch
First, the material selection: carbon fiber
Why Carbon Fiber?
The first evaluation given to it by the Winter Olympic Organizing Committee is that it is light, and it is very strong, and it cannot be broken. Especially when the winter torch is passed, the weather is very cold, the traditional metal material feels bad, and the composite material can effectively solve this problem to avoid a very cold touch.
The person in charge of the Sinopec Shanghai Petrochemical Innovation Research Institute said: The quality of carbon fiber is only about 1/4 of steel, but the strength is 7 to 9 times that of steel.
Since 2008, Shanghai Petrochemical has carried out carbon fiber technology research, formed an innovation ability from the primary silk, pre-oxidation, carbon fiber to composite material industry chain, has independent intellectual property rights complete sets of technology, Sinopec has applied for 274 carbon fiber related patents, authorized 165, ranking first in China and third in the world.
Tackling key problems: launching a collaborative innovation battle, using "black technology" to make the Winter Olympic torch "light, solid and beautiful"
Second, shape the shell: three-dimensional weaving molding
This time, the torch adopts three-dimensional weaving technology, which is a technological breakthrough in carbon fiber molding.
In the production workshop, black tows are towed, each containing 12,000 carbon fiber filaments. After three-dimensional weaving, it is finally woven into a torch shell like a "knitted sweater", and no seams and pores can be seen, and the whole shape is integrated.
Third, high temperature ceramicization
The fire of the torch is burned out from the inside, and the general composite material cannot be burned in the fire, and it will be gone when it is burned at 500 ° C.
Shanghai Petrochemical and the Eighth Institute of Nuclear Research together to tackle the problem, the introduction of high-performance resin, together with carbon fiber to make carbon fiber composite materials, and finally through the process adjustment, the upper half of the torch combustion end at a high temperature of more than 1000 ° C for ceramicization, effectively solve the high temperature preparation process torch shell foaming, cracking and other problems, to achieve both temperature resistance and fire resistance requirements, to achieve the combustion temperature of > 800 °C hydrogen combustion environment normal use.
4. Spray paint - radium carving
The flare combustion end is also made of special paint that is resistant to high temperatures!
Fifth, the combustion device
In addition to the internal and external streamers, the burning device of the Winter Olympic torch is also very successful! It solves a number of technical problems such as flame color and stability, high-pressure hydrogen storage, and safe utilization of hydrogen energy. It has achieved high safety and reliability, wind resistance 10 levels, can be used in extremely cold weather, the pressure reduction ratio is up to hundreds of times, while taking into account the requirements of lightweight and miniaturization. ”
The internal space of the torch is relatively small, and in such a space, it is also a very difficult problem to achieve a large proportion of pressure reduction of up to hundreds of times.
Therefore, China Aerospace Science and Technology Corporation and many other countries have developed a lightweight and miniaturized hydrogen decompression device to reduce the pressure on high-pressure hydrogen.
Sixth, the visible flame
Seeing this, I think you must have a general understanding of the production process of the torch, but the above process is only a few key processes in many processes, and the "black technology" in this small torch is far from it.
The flames of hydrogen are originally invisible in daylight, so why is the "flying" flame so dazzling in color?
That's because the team developed a formula that adjusts the color of the hydrogen flame so that it has a visible flame color in daylight.
Mass production: shoulder the responsibility of the long chain of the industrial chain to ensure the smooth delivery of the Winter Olympic torch "over the mountains and over the sea"
Sinopec also undertook the mass production project of holding torches as the official partner of the Beijing Winter Olympics.
Shanghai Petrochemical coordinated and promoted, a set of torch shell, inner streamer, combustion system, tinder lamp, terminal detection and delivery of products as one of the total process, in Shanghai, Beijing, Jiangsu, Guangdong, Hebei and other five major bases quickly established and quickly operated.
April 28, 2021
The leaders of Sinopec Group Corporation went to Shanghai Petrochemical to inspect and guide the work, and specially gave instructions for the mass production of torches.
Shanghai Petrochemical has set up three working groups of comprehensive coordination, commercial operation and production supervision to fully promote the mass production of torches.
September 22, 2021
Shanghai Petrochemical officially delivered 115 propane torches, tinder lamps, ignition rods and other peripheral products to the Beijing Winter Olympics Organizing Committee, and successfully completed the first batch of mass production tasks delivered by the Beijing Winter Olympics Organizing Committee.
Another 1,200 torches are scheduled to arrive in Beijing by mid-January 2022.
October 18, 2021
The Beijing Winter Olympics fire was successfully collected at the site of ancient Olympia.
There are two Sinopec employees in the tinder collection team, who are mainly responsible for escorting the smooth holding of the Tinder collection in Athens, Greece and the welcome ceremony for the Tinder in Beijing.