“The “Saiding Furnace” contributes to the successful operation of the coal-to-gas project in Ili, Xinjiang, for 100 days

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“The Saiding Furnace Helps the Coal-to-Gas Project in Yili, Xinjiang Reach 100 Days of Operation Author/Source: Date: 2017-07-17 Clicks: 22 On July 8, the world’s largest single coal-to-gas **pilot project – the Xin Tian 2 billion cubic meter coal-to-gas project in Yili, Xinjiang – celebrated 100 days since its commissioning. This coal-to-natural gas project, built in areas rich in coal resources, is of great significance for addressing China’s natural gas shortage, achieving clean and efficient conversion of coal resources in Xinjiang, boosting local economic development, supporting air pollution control in the eastern regions, advancing the localization of technologies and equipment for advanced coal processing, and serving as a model for industrial upgrading. In this project, the fixed-bed coal gasification furnace under pressure (SDH furnace) plays a crucial role as the key component. The Xintian coal-to-gas project uses coal as raw material, and through processes such as coal preparation, gasification, shift cooling, low-temperature methanol washing, sulfur recovery, and methanation, it produces natural gas, which is then transported via pipelines to the Second Phase of the West-East Gas Pipeline Project. As is well known, the gasification and conversion units are the core equipment in coal chemical projects, and the choice of gasification process is crucial for the construction and operation of such projects. In the Xintian coal-to-gas project, the gasification section utilizes a fixed-bed coal pulverization pressurized gasifier developed by Saiding Engineering Co., Ltd. This is primarily based on two considerations: first, the inherent advantages of the fixed-bed coal pulverization pressurized gasification technology itself; and second, the extensive experience that Saiding has accumulated in developing domestic boilers for coal pulverization pressurized gasification. The Xintian coal-to-gas project uses low-quality bituminous coal as raw material. In selecting the gasification process technology, they conducted a detailed analysis and comparison of various parameters relevant to this project, including the characteristics of different gasification technologies, gasification temperature and pressure, coal feed rate, coal consumption, oxygen consumption, energy consumption, carbon conversion rate, gasification heat efficiency, and investment costs. It was ultimately found that the consumption metrics for several gasification processes varied by up to 19 times, while the investment costs varied by up to 2.6 times. The investment required for fixed-bed coal pulverization pressurized gasification is only 1/3 to 1/2 of that for fluidized-bed gasification, and the power consumption is only 1/20 to 1/10 of it. Moreover, fixed-bed coal pulverization pressurized gasification enables the integrated utilization of by-products such as coal-to-natural gas, coal tar hydrogenation, and crude phenol refining, thus allowing for the graded and quality-based utilization of coal. It offers better economic benefits and greater resilience to risks. Previously, the Saiding furnace has been successfully applied in the Datang Keshiketeng coal-to-natural gas project in Inner Mongolia and the Qinghua coal-to-natural gas project in Xinjiang. Throughout the process of putting these projects into operation, Saiding has continued to improve, optimize, and innovate, achieving zero wastewater discharge. All of the equipment used is of domestic origin, and the company has accumulated extensive experience in areas such as design, manufacturing, construction, and operational management. Domestic coal pulverization pressurized gasification units have low costs and minimal maintenance requirements, whereas imported gasification units not only require high initial investment but also incur expensive fees for patents, technology transfer, the manufacturing of specialized equipment, on-site technical support, as well as various bundled sales arrangements. At the same scale, domestic coal gasification under pressure requires an investment that is more than 50% lower compared to imported gasification technologies. On June 16, 2017, Xinjiang Yili Xintian Coal Chemical Co., Ltd. held a trial production ceremony for its project aimed at producing 2 billion cubic meters of coal-based natural gas per year, marking the official start of trial production for this project. It is reported that the A series of the Yili Xintian coal-to-natural gas project began trial operations of the gasifier on March 6, 2017, and produced finished natural gas on March 20. The B series was put into trial operation on June 4, and it is currently operating stably. Xintian Company plans to start operating both series simultaneously in October and gradually increase the load, with an expected total output of 650 million cubic meters of natural gas by the end of the year. The total investment in this project is 16.09 billion yuan. It is located in the Yili Xintian Coal Chemical Industry Park in Yining City, Xinjiang, covering an area of 290.15 hectares. The project was jointly invested in and constructed by Zhejiang Energy Group Co., Ltd. and Shandong Energy Xinwen Mining Group Co., Ltd. The project received approval from the Ministry of Environmental Protection for environmental impact assessment in December 2016, and was approved by the National Development and Reform Commission on May 16, 2017. The project produces 2 billion cubic meters of pure natural gas per year, with by-products including 31,000 tons of light hydrocarbons, 100,000 tons of heavy aromatics, 84,000 tons of polyhydrocarbons, 25,000 tons of polyphenols, and 116,000 tons of thiamine. The project can convert 6.77 million tons of coal into 2 billion cubic meters of natural gas per year, which is sent to Zhejiang and accounts for about one-third of Zhejiang’s current natural gas consumption.