The 40×60 project renovation in the Shandong Alliance uses space-based furnaces to produce hydrogen for use in vehicles

Thread Content

For the renovation of its 40·60 project, Shandong Alliance utilized space-based furnaces to produce hydrogen for use in vehicles. In November 2020, Shandong Alliance Chemical published a second public notice on its official website regarding the environmental impact assessment of the upgrade project aimed at improving the clean production processes of its 40·60 project. According to the public information, the Shandong Alliance has upgraded the traditional fixed-bed batch gas production process by employing space powder gasification, low-temperature methanol washing, and liquid nitrogen washing technologies. Upon completion of the renovation, the production capacities for synthetic ammonia and methanol remain unchanged at 400,000 tons per year of liquid ammonia and 200,000 tons per year of methanol. Contents of the renovation project: Gasification – construction of 2 space furnaces. The model is φ3200/3800. Process 3,000 tons of coal per day (on a dry basis). The gasification furnace load is 76.06% (the remaining load is reserved for subsequent projects of the Alliance Group, with separate environmental impact assessments to be conducted for those projects). The conversion is carried out using a Co-Mo-based conversion catalyst in an isothermal conversion process. Two sets of isothermal conversion units will be constructed, with the diameter of the conversion furnace being φ3600. Low-temperature methanol washing includes processes such as desulfurization and decarbonization, CO2 desorption, H2S concentration, and methanol thermal regeneration. Construct 2 methanol wash absorption towers, 1 CO2 desorption tower, and 1 methanol thermal regeneration tower. Liquid nitrogen washing is used for gas purification. Install 1 nitrogen scrubber tower. Ammonia synthesis employs a low-pressure synthesis process of 15 MPa. One set of φ2800mm ammonia synthesis towers is installed, with an ammonia synthesis production capacity of 400,000 tons per year. The internal structure of the ammonia synthesis tower is of the “three-bed, four-stage type, quasi-full radial layer, intermedial heat exchange structure” design. Methanol synthesis involves the co-production of methanol by mixing hydrogen-rich off-gas with raw gas used in low-temperature methanol washing. Lixiu currently has 2 100,000-ton/year low-pressure polyol production units, and it has phased out the high-pressure polyol and alkylation units. Air separation employs an internal compressed air pressurization cycle expansion process. Air is cryogenically separated into liquid oxygen and liquid nitrogen; at the same time, the argon in the air is also frozen to become liquid argon. The oxygen production capacity through air separation is 55,000 m3/h. The projects under construction are the acid gas recovery and comprehensive utilization project, as well as the hydrogen fuel for vehicles project. The acidic gas recovery and comprehensive utilization project uses as raw materials the non-condensable gases from the high and low pressure stripping towers in the gasification unit of the 40·60 project’s clean production technology improvement project, the acidic gases from the seventh water separator in the conversion unit, and the acidic gases from the methanol thermal regeneration tower in the low-temperature methanol washing process. Through a wet acid production process, hydrogen sulfide is removed from these acidic gases, ensuring that the exhaust gases meet regulatory standards while simultaneously producing sulfuric acid. The vehicle fuel hydrogen project uses the pressure swing adsorption process to purify H2 from the feed gas derived from low-temperature methanol washing, and then pressurize it to produce vehicle fuel hydrogen. The process involves the gas coming from the low-temperature methanol washing unit entering 8 adsorption towers; these 8 towers take turns carrying out adsorption and regeneration operations, thereby enabling continuous separation and purification of the gas. The purified hydrogen gas (10,000 m3/h) is pressurized by a hydrogen compressor and sent to the filling station. The desorbed off-gas is fed into the methanol synthesis unit for comprehensive utilization.