【Ten Years of Rapid Development in Chemical Equipment】1649–2011: China’s First Industrial Facility for Producing Natural Gas Using the Low-Temperature Methanation Process for Coke Oven Gas

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Happy May Day 2024! Safety first. Let’s give praise and support to the achievements in China’s chemical engineering technology and equipment. **********************【Ten Years of Progress in Chemical Engineering Equipment】A continuously updated summary post is available; feel free to join the discussions at https://bbs.hcbbs.com/thread-3576046-1-1.html (Source: Haichuan Chemical Industry Forum) ***************** On April 13, 2011, the Shanxi Chemical Industry Association announced that China’s first industrial-scale experimental unit for producing natural gas using the low-temperature methane synthesis process from coke oven gas had completed 1,000 hours of continuous operation at the Tongshida Coking Plant in Shanxi. This plant is capable of processing 5,000 standard cubic meters of gas per day. Such a process is unique both in China and around the world, filling a gap in China’s field of using low-temperature methane processes to convert coke oven gas into natural gas. New technologies have opened up new ways for the efficient utilization of coke oven gas. The widespread adoption of these technologies will promote technological progress in the coking and energy industries, contributing to the structural adjustment of China’s coking industry as well as its economic transformation and development. 　　This project is a key initiative under the 12th Five-Year Plan for the production of natural gas from coal gas, supervised by Xie Kechang, an academician of the Chinese Academy of Engineering. It incorporates a range of innovative technologies such as the low-temperature methane process, water-cooled tubular heat exchange reactors, methanation catalysts, and a two-stage two-absorption desulfurization process. It is based on the patent \"A Method for Producing Synthetic Natural Gas from Coke Oven Gas\" applied for by Shanxi Taiyuan Ligong Coal Conversion Technology Engineering Co., Ltd., and the patent \"Method and Equipment for Methanation in the Production of Natural Gas from Syngas\" applied for by Hangzhou Linda Chemical Technology Engineering Co., Ltd. The M-849 low- to medium-temperature coking-resistant nickel-based methanation catalyst is provided by Dalian Purity Chemical Technology Co., Ltd. 　　Compared with the existing adiabatic process, this technology employs a isothermal process, which features a shorter process flow, lower investment costs, and reduced expenses. It utilizes low-temperature reactions, thereby avoiding catalyst deactivation due to high temperatures; there is also no need to add steam to prevent catalyst carbon deposition. This results in significantly reduced energy consumption, helps shift the reaction equilibrium toward the products, and **increases the methanation yield. 　　It is said that coke oven gas is a by-product of the coking process; typically, 300 m3 to 350 m3 of coke oven gas can be produced per ton of dry coal. Its main components are hydrogen (55%–60%) and methane (23%–27%), with small amounts of carbon monoxide, carbon dioxide, nitrogen, and other substances also present. In 2010, China’s coke production reached 388 million tons, accounting for over 60% of the world’s total coke production, while more than 150 billion cubic meters of coke oven gas were generated. Apart from being used by coking enterprises for their own needs, as urban gas, for hydrogen production, methanol manufacturing, direct iron reduction, ammonia synthesis, and power generation, a large amount of coke oven gas – approximately 20 billion cubic meters per year – remains unused. If all of this gas is recovered and utilized through methanization, it can yield significant economic and social benefits, and it is of great importance for promoting technological advancement and sustainable development in the coking industry.