The equipment and process for carbon fiber precursor preparation have long been a critical bottleneck restricting China's self-supply of high-end carbon fiber. Recently, the 5,000-ton DMSO dry-jet wet-spinning high-performance PAN-based precursor complete equipment and process, developed by Jinggong Technology together with Zhejiang Huachuang Carbon Fiber Technology, Donghua University, and Zhejiang University of Technology over two years, passed the scientific achievement appraisal in Shaoxing, Zhejiang. The overall technology was recognized as reaching international advanced level, with DMSO recovery steam consumption and polymerization kettle temperature uniformity rated as internationally leading. This marks a substantial step forward in the localization of the precursor preparation segment.
Background
Precursor is the core of carbon fiber performance, directly determining the mechanical properties and stability of the final fiber. For a long time, high-performance precursor complete equipment and processes relied on imports, which not only incurred high costs but also posed hidden risks to supply chain security. The appraised project precisely targets this pain point through concentrated research. The project team, led by Jinggong Technology, in collaboration with Zhejiang Huachuang Carbon Fiber (the provincial manufacturing innovation center operator), Donghua University, and Zhejiang University of Technology, brings together industrial and academic forces to break through the entire technical chain from polymerization, spinning, to solvent recovery.
From the technical indicators, the project achieved quantitative breakthroughs in multiple key links. The temperature uniformity in the polymerization kettle under effective loading reached ±0.4°C, solving engineering scale-up challenges such as heat transfer lag and local mixing deficiencies in high-viscosity systems. In the spinning stage, the pressure deviation of high-viscosity PAN solution at the end was controlled within ±1%, the pressure fluctuation at the spinneret outlet was as low as 1‰, the coagulation bath temperature was stabilized at 5°C±0.2°C, and the liquid level fluctuation was only ±0.1mm. These data mean that the uniformity and consistency of precursor production have obtained hard guarantees at the process level, laying a foundation for stable carbon fiber performance downstream.
Industry Impact
For the carbon fiber industry chain, the appraisal of this equipment and process signifies far more than the success of a single project. First, it means that the self-sufficiency capability in the precursor preparation segment has significantly strengthened. The 5,000-ton annual capacity, combined with a process speed of 280m/min, can provide downstream carbon fiber enterprises with stable, large-batch domestic precursor supply, reducing dependence on imports. Especially in the current context of geopolitical complexity and frequent export controls on high-end materials, such self-supply capability directly relates to industrial security.
More noteworthy is the breakthrough in solvent recovery. DMSO recovery rate is not less than 99.5%, steam consumption per ton of recovered DMSO is not higher than 2.2 tons, recovered purity reaches 99.88%, and residual solvent in wastewater is less than 100ppm. The economic and environmental significance of these figures is equally substantial. Solvent cost accounts for a considerable share of precursor production; high recovery rate and low energy consumption directly reduce unit production costs. Strict control of wastewater residuals aligns with increasingly stringent environmental regulations, clearing compliance obstacles for large-scale expansion. For buyers, this means more room for price competitiveness in domestic precursors.
Moreover, the introduction of the MOM intelligent production management system and central control visualization platform makes the production process visible, quality traceable, equipment manageable, and energy consumption controllable. This is not just a technological upgrade but represents a transformation of precursor production from experience-driven to data-driven. For downstream carbon fiber plants, traceable quality data means more stable incoming material quality, helping improve their own product yield and consistency, and reducing process adjustment costs caused by raw material fluctuations.