Progress in energy conservation in petrochemical enterprises

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2017-02-16 Petrochemical Technology 1: In assessing a company’s green development, energy consumption is an extremely important indicator. It not only relates to the efficiency with which a company uses energy but also to its economic development. Currently, many companies are trying every possible means to reduce their energy consumption. Looking at the industry as a whole, the pressure to reduce consumption is currently extremely high. **The assessment results for the energy-saving targets of 10,000 enterprises in 2013, released recently by the National Development and Reform Commission, also show that among the 1,191 enterprises that failed to meet their energy-saving targets, 286 were from the petroleum and chemical industry, accounting for 24% of them. 1.1 Energy Efficiency Leader Program In June 2012, the petroleum and chemical industry was the first in the industrial sector to establish a system for identifying energy efficiency leaders; activities to identify such leaders for 10 high-energy-consuming products were carried out, and these efforts received high praise from all sectors of society. In 2014, the Petroleum and Chemical Industry Federation released lists of leaders in energy efficiency as well as energy consumption benchmarks for 16 products, including synthetic ammonia, methanol, oil refining, and ethylene. The Energy Efficiency Leader program has received significant attention from **the relevant authorities. Although it is currently a voluntary standard, in the future, the criteria for being a leader may be incorporated into mandatory energy efficiency and energy consumption limits**, thereby creating a mechanism for dynamic updating of these standards and continuously raising the thresholds for meeting energy efficiency requirements. The industries with high energy consumption that implement the energy efficiency leader system will in the future be further expanded to areas such as industrial equipment, petroleum and petrochemicals, chemicals, and building materials. 1.2 Key Points for Energy Conservation in the Petrochemical Industry In 2015, efforts must be focused on reducing energy consumption in products that are major energy users. For key energy-consuming products, especially those that affect the achievement of the industry’s energy-saving targets for the 12th Five-Year Plan period, a list should be compiled, specialized research conducted, and specific corrective measures formulated. Efforts must be made within set deadlines to improve energy-saving performance and achieve breakthrough progress in reducing energy consumption. 　　Traditional industries in the petroleum and chemical sectors should be regarded as key areas to advance energy-saving efforts. For example, in traditional industries such as synthetic ammonia and caustic soda, it is essential to first carry out energy-saving measures on existing facilities, and to actively utilize technical and managerial approaches to promote energy savings. Companies that produce new high-value-added products must also focus on energy conservation and improve their economic efficiency. Furthermore, the construction and commissioning of new coal chemical projects may slow down due to falling oil prices; objectively speaking, this helps to accelerate the achievement of the industrial value-added targets in our industry. From the national level to various provinces, efforts are being made in the petrochemical industry to reduce consumption. Some provinces and cities have used the evaluation results of energy conservation and consumption reduction efforts as key indicators for deciding whether enterprises should continue operating or be shut down. On October 14, 2014, the \"Implementation Plan for Energy Conservation, Emission Reduction, and Low-Carbon Development in Shandong Province for 2014–2015\" was officially released. The release of this implementation plan marks that Shandong Province has assigned equal importance to energy assessment as it does to safety and environmental protection assessments; projects that fail to pass the energy assessment are not allowed to start construction. The fertilizer, chlor-alkali, and soda ash industries in Shandong Province are major consumers of energy; for these industries, obtaining energy assessment approvals represents a significant obstacle when planning to launch new projects. Strengthen the constraints imposed by energy assessment and environmental impact assessments, especially in those areas of Shandong with high pollution levels, such as Zibo, Dongying, Heze, etc. Due to limited environmental capacity, it becomes difficult to launch new projects in these areas. 1.3 Energy-saving measures in petrochemical enterprises Shanxi Jinmei has set a target for reducing energy consumption by 2015: to achieve an energy savings of 80,000 tons of standard coal ； The comprehensive energy consumption per ton of raw coal produced decreased by 2.5% compared to the previous year ； The comprehensive energy consumption per unit of synthetic ammonia produced decreased by 0.5% compared to the previous year ； The comprehensive energy consumption per 10,000 yuan of output value decreased by 5% compared to the previous year. To achieve its goals, Jinnan Coal Group will comprehensively strengthen energy-saving efforts: it will establish dedicated positions for energy management, set up sound energy-saving management organizations, and enhance the organizational leadership for these energy-saving initiatives ； Refine target tasks and strengthen the energy conservation target responsibility system ； Establish and improve the original records and statistical accounts for energy consumption, carry out in-depth activities related to \"energy efficiency benchmarking and metering diagnostics\", and strengthen energy metering and statistical work ； Continue to implement six key energy-saving projects: boiler upgrades, utilization of excess pressure and heat, cogeneration, energy savings in motor systems, optimization of energy systems, and substitution of petroleum with alternative fuels. Increase efforts in research and development of energy-saving technologies as well as in carrying out related upgrades ； Accelerate the phasing out of outdated energy-consuming equipment and production processes ； Actively carry out work to meet energy efficiency standards, and organize energy-saving competitions aimed at improvement and surpassing others ； Establish and improve energy-saving incentive and restraint mechanisms, as well as assessment methods and reward/punishment systems ； Give priority to energy-saving efforts in key energy-consuming units, striving to make breakthroughs first. Nine is to implement key projects and enhance the demonstration effect ； Focus on energy conservation and efficiency improvement in structures to promote the optimization and upgrading of the industry ； Carry out energy-saving awareness campaigns to enhance employees’ awareness of resource constraints and the importance of conservation, and foster a corporate culture that encourages everyone’s participation in energy-saving and low-carbon practices ； Actively introduce new energy-saving mechanisms based on the market economy, such as contract energy management, demand-side management of electricity, and voluntary energy-saving agreements, and research and develop new ideas, methods, and models for managing energy conservation. 　　On January 15, Anhui Huaxing Chemical Company attended the meeting on the breakdown of goals and tasks for the establishment of a demonstration project for energy conservation, emission reduction, and circular economy in Tongling in 2015. The company’s project to produce 40,000 tons of peroxosulfuric acid and 20,000 tons of sodium persulfate per year using sulfur dioxide exhaust gases has been designated as a key project for energy conservation and emission reduction. It is understood that this project will build an efficient treatment facility for sulfur dioxide emissions, with an annual production capacity of 0.5 tons; it will also enable an annual production capacity of 40,000 tons of peracetic acid and 20,000 tons of sodium peroxysulfate. 　　In short, according to industry experts, energy conservation and consumption reduction rely on these three approaches: first, the promotion of advanced technologies; the use of relevant energy-saving technologies and equipment can effectively reduce energy consumption ； Secondly, hierarchical utilization of energy is achieved through improved system management, thereby reducing energy consumption ； Third is structural energy conservation: by phasing out outdated production capacity, enforcing strict entry requirements for new production facilities, and strictly limiting the establishment of new projects with high energy consumption, the overall energy consumption of the industry can be kept under control.