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New breakthrough achieved in the operating cycle of Zhengyuan Hydrogen Energy’s gasification furnace. Author/Source: Lu’an Zhengyuan Group. Date: 2021-09-03. Clicks: 14. By applying lean management principles, Zhengyuan Hydrogen Energy fosters high-quality development for the company; building on the management philosophy and corporate cultural values of Lu’an Chemical Group, it implements a \"culture of cost analysis\" guided by lean management in order to achieve efficiency through such approaches. As a result, the Gasification Furnace A was able to operate continuously for 366 days, setting a new record since its commissioning – an operating cycle that is at the forefront of the industry. Optimizing process operations and enhancing lean management: Since its commissioning in 2015, Zhengyuan Hydrogen Energy has seen its production operations become increasingly mature and stable. On the basis of maintaining stable and high levels of production, it is now imperative to further increase the company’s profitability by identifying new sources of growth. To this end, Zhengyuan Hydrogen Energy is promoting a culture of cost accounting at the grassroots level, clarifying responsibilities, and having each workshop and each process assess its own costs in order to identify areas for improving efficiency. Ultimately, Zhengyuan Hydrogen Energy focused on achieving long-term operation of the gasifier as a way to boost its profitability. To achieve long-term operation of the gasification furnace, Zhengyuan Hydrogen Energy has taken multiple measures, carefully examining each factor that could affect its operation, formulating improvement plans, and ensuring their strict implementation. Measures are taken to improve process management levels and optimize process operation, to firmly implement basic management practices, to advance refined production management, to refine operating procedures, to continuously monitor key indicators, to conduct random inspections of these indicators, to ensure thorough control over the performance of Category A, B, and C indicators in gasification processes, to strictly control any deviations from these indicators, and to analyze the reasons for such deviations in a timely manner in order to take corrective actions. Competitions for small indicators such as the temperature of the gasification furnace and methane levels were continued to be held; by standardizing operating methods, the compliance rate for these indicators remained above 95% throughout the year, thereby preventing blockages at the slag outlet and dust accumulation in the system. Identify gaps and address weaknesses, strengthen implementation and consolidate foundations. Zhengyuan Hydrogen Energy compares itself horizontally with industry leaders and vertically with its own past performance to pinpoint areas for improvement, aiming to reach industry-leading standards. By engaging with external experts and bringing in best practices, it continuously enhances its production management capabilities. In light of the high temperatures and changeable weather in summer, a work plan for preventing problems during the rainy season, a production and operation plan for summer, and a water quality control plan have been formulated ； Winter anti-freezing procedures and emergency plans for extreme weather conditions are established in light of the characteristics of strong winds and low temperatures in winter, to ensure the stable operation of the equipment under harsh weather conditions. Relevant personnel were organized to conduct study visits to companies such as Shandong Ruixing and Mingshui Chemical Industry, in order to make adjustments to the operation of the gasification furnaces through these studies. In-depth discussions were held regarding aspects such as pressure differences, slag accumulation on the furnace walls, as well as the control of furnace conditions and temperature. Zhengyuan Hydrogen Energy implemented relevant corrective measures based on these findings, achieving excellent results that ensured the stable and long-term operation of the gasification furnaces. Strengthen execution to improve efficiency; ensure stable production and increased benefits. Allocate coal rationally to prevent significant fluctuations in furnace conditions. Originally, 100% of the gasification coal used by Zhengyuan Hydrogen Energy was supplied by Shenhua. Three different types of coal have been utilized over time, with as many as 10 mining sites involved. However, the supply from these sites is unstable; the quality of coal from the same mining site also fluctuates frequently, making it difficult to maintain stable operating conditions in the gasifiers. To address this issue, Zhengyuan Group and Zhengyuan Hydrogen Energy conducted inspections of the coal mines used for gasification in the Shenmu area. Through evaluations based on actual usage performance, they determined that Shenyou No. 2 coal from Hala Gou was the preferred choice, followed by Gasification No. 52 coal. They arranged for Shenhua gasification coal and China Railway gasification coal to be supplied to the plant in an organized manner, implemented separate storage for different coal qualities, and carried out appropriate blending of the coal used for gasification. This approach effectively improved the quality of the coal fed into the furnaces, resulting in methane and temperature levels that met the required standards. Improve graywater quality to ensure the health of the water system. Zhengyuan Hydrogen Energy has always strictly controlled the dosage of flocculants and dispersants, formulating scientific dosing procedures to ensure that parameters such as suspended solids and turbidity in the graywater meet the required standards. In view of the high hardness of gray water, which leads to easy scaling, measures such as adding alkali to reduce hardness were adopted through learning from experiences elsewhere. The procedures for adding chemicals to treat gray water were gradually optimized, and remote level monitoring was implemented to allow constant oversight. As a result, the hardness of gray water was reduced from 1400 mg/L to 800 mg/L, with this level remaining stable. Implement strict dynamic management to adjust the furnace conditions in a timely manner. Zhengyuan Hydrogen Energy is taking active measures to address issues such as fluctuations in the pressure difference at the slag outlet of the gasification furnace, as well as excessive ash production in the slag-water circulation process, which are caused by coal types that do not meet the required standards. In 2021, fluctuations in coal quality led to 7 instances of variations in the pressure difference at the slag outlet. The workshop implemented a two-shift system with continuous monitoring; through nearly 48 hours of uninterrupted operation with high-temperature slag, the pressure difference at the slag outlet was reduced from 70 kPa to the standard level of 20 kPa. This approach effectively prevented the gasification furnace from stopping or operating at reduced capacity due to slag outlet blockages. The loading mechanism of the coal grinder was changed from hydraulic loading to spring loading, which effectively improved the vibration of the grinder’s frame structure and ensured stable operation. Due to their high rotation speeds, complex oil circuit systems, and intricate structural designs, high-pressure ash water pumps are prone to failures related to oil pressure signals, which can lead to pump shutdown. By replacing these high-speed pumps with multi-stage pumps, good performance has been achieved: the pumps operate stably with a low failure rate. This approach significantly improves the stability and reliability of the ash water system, and the costs associated with maintenance and replacement are much lower than those for high-speed pumps. The external moisture content of the raw coal supplied to the plant is generally around 17%. To prevent coal blockages, reduce the workload of employees, and ensure the stable operation of the coal grinding system, anti-blocking and cleaning machines have been introduced to avoid accidents caused by coal blockages that lead to plant shutdowns. Regular maintenance. Inspection and maintenance work was carried out on the three sets of coal grinding systems, and a regular rotation inspection and maintenance system was improved to ensure that the standby coal grinders remain in standby status at all times. To address the issue of the quenching water pump not being able to have its operation reversed on a regular basis, dual valves were installed on the inlet and outlet pipelines of the quenching pump, thereby reducing dust accumulation in the outlet pipeline of the pump that is not in use. Since the dust removal work was carried out on Boiler B in January 2021, good results have been observed in terms of its operational performance, and this measure has played a key role in ensuring the long-term stable operation of Boiler B. Through the joint efforts of all employees at Zhengyuan Hydrogen Energy, Unit A of the gasification furnace has been able to operate for 366 days in a row, which reduces the frequency of maintenance needs and brings it to an advanced level in the industry; this lays a solid foundation for ensuring the safe and stable production of the company. Entering a new era, we stride forward on a new journey. Zhengyuan Hydrogen Energy will continue to be guided by Lu’an Chemical Group’s \"culture of cost management,\" identify the key areas for implementing lean management practices, strive to meet industry standards, build on past achievements, and pursue innovation, thereby making positive contributions to Lu’an Chemical Group’s efforts to become a leading force in pioneering new paths for chemical industry transformation and development.