Rewriting the history of China’s gasification industry

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Rewriting the History of China’s Gasification Industry Author/Source: Date: 2017-01-17 Clicks: 46 On January 15, the 2016 Awards Ceremony for the Top 10 News Stories and Influential Figures in China’s petroleum and chemical industry was held in Beijing. Organized under the guidance of the China Petroleum and Chemical Industry Federation and hosted by the China Chemical Industry News, the event had as its theme \"Sharing stories from the chemical industry with the public.\" In 2016, the petroleum and chemical industry saw the emergence of a number of leaders and role models who exerted significant influence, made outstanding contributions, and were able to represent the direction in which the industry was developing. A team from the Institute of Clean Coal Technology at East China University of Science and Technology, along with 14 other individuals, were awarded the title of “Influential Figures in China’s Petroleum and Chemical Industry for 2016”. 　On the afternoon of April 18, 2016, at the Shanghai Science and Technology Awards Ceremony, the project led by Professor Liu Haifeng, titled “Development and Application of Key Equipment for Single-Nozzle Cold-Wall Pulverized Coal Pressurized Gasification Technology,” won the first Shanghai Special Prize for Technical Invention. The project led by Professor Wang Fuchen, titled “Fundamental Research and Engineering Applications on Turbulent Multiphase Flow, Transport, and Reaction Processes in Large-Scale Fluidized Bed Gasifiers,” won the First Prize for Scientific and Technological Progress in Shanghai. Both awards come from the same team—the Institute of Clean Coal Technology at East China University of Science and Technology. 　　Over the course of thirty years, this team accomplished what they are most proud of: developing China’s own gasification technology. At the same time, the team has become the only research institution in the world to possess both water-coal slurry gasification and pulverized coal gasification technologies. The gasification technologies developed by them have become one of the three major international gasification technologies, on par with those of Shell and GE. Developing coal gasification technology to break international monopolies: China has abundant coal but limited oil and gas, with coal being the main source of energy consumption. To achieve clean and efficient utilization of coal, gasification is the key and leading technology. Through gasification, dark coal can be transformed into clean gases to produce various products, but for a long time, large-scale coal gasification technology has been monopolized by foreign countries. Developing large-scale coal gasification technology with independent intellectual property rights has been the aspiration of several generations in China’s coal chemical industry. 　　““We must develop China’s own gasification technology!” Mr. Yu Zunhong, the former director of the Clean Coal Technology Institute and the founder of the team, made this pledge thirty years ago. “After thirty years of hard work, led by Mr. Yu Zunhong, his team finally established a world-class gasification research facility. By integrating the constituent elements of coal gasification technology, the Clean Coal Technology Research Institute has established seven research platforms, defined the main areas of focus for each team member, and conducted in-depth fundamental research and technical development efforts on all the core components of the coal gasification process and industrial facilities. This has resulted in a team that works together in a coordinated manner to address challenges. 　　No pain, no gain; persistent effort finally yielded fruitful results. 　　In 2005, the multi-nozzle opposed water-coal slurry gasification technology developed by the team in collaboration with Yankuang Group possessed entirely independent intellectual property rights. To date, over 70 patents have been granted in the field of fluidized bed gasification (including 2 U.S. patents), breaking the monopoly on gasification technology held by large multinational companies such as GE and Shell internationally. This technology represents a milestone in the development of gasification technology in China. Currently, this technology has been successfully applied in 47 enterprises at home and abroad, with 130 gasification units in operation or under construction (of which 65 are capable of processing more than 2,000 tons of coal per day per unit), thereby significantly promoting the development of China’s modern coal chemical industry. 　　In 2014, the SE coal gasification technology jointly developed by the team and Sinopec provided advanced technical equipment for the clean and efficient large-scale gasification of China’s abundant low-quality coals with high ash melting points and high ash contents. This technology represented a major breakthrough in the field of modern coal chemical engineering. Since its industrial application at the beginning of 2014, it has generated approximately 3 billion yuan in additional sales for chemical companies, engineering firms, equipment manufacturers, and research institutions, along with direct economic benefits of 290 million yuan. It was also successful in testing Guizhou coal, Shanxi coal, and Huainan coal, thereby providing crucial core equipment support for energy strategic security and the sustainable development of the modern coal chemical industry. 　　Aiming at the goal of \"growing larger and becoming stronger,\" each member of the Clean Coal Technology Research Institute team acts like an ordinary screw nail, yet each also possesses unique skills; they are capable of publishing high-quality research papers and providing scientific support for two main types of technologies. According to statistics released by the Shanghai Municipal Education Commission in 2013, on a per-school basis, Huazhong University of Science and Technology ranked first in the world in terms of the total number of papers published in the field of gasification over the past five years, as well as in terms of the number of highly cited papers. 　　The team fulfilled Mr. Zun Hong’s vow. However, in 2008, just as the team signed a technology licensing agreement with the American company Valero, Mr. Yu Zunhong passed away due to long-term overwork, leaving the position he had dedicated his entire career to. However, the team built by Mr. Yu Zunhong, adhering to the spirit of the \"sweat philosophy,\" remains united and continues to strive hard to meet the needs of ** and society. “The “philosophy of sweat” is spoken of by everyone; success lies in dedication. Professor Yu Zunhong, the founder of the team, always believed in this philosophy throughout his life. He made the development of gasification technology his lifelong mission. Under his influence, the team has, over the years, adhered to a pragmatic and innovative approach as well as a spirit of hard work and dedication. They focus on topics related to industry needs and major challenges, carrying out fundamental research and engineering development in order to serve the industry and contribute to society. 　　The research team at the Clean Coal Technology Research Institute has a heavy workload. They are tasked with carrying out research projects such as those under the \"973\" and \"863\" programs, as well as projects funded by the National Natural Science Foundation, all of which require high-quality execution in order to produce outstanding results. In addition, there are numerous projects related to the transformation of patent technologies into practical applications and the provision of technical services for enterprises. These projects involve facilities built at a cost of hundreds of millions of yuan by enterprises, and any mistake in these areas can result in huge losses for the enterprises involved. Therefore, team members strive for excellence, go to the sites in person, provide thorough guidance, and work to ensure that each factory can start up successfully with the first attempt. Faced with such demanding research tasks, the team members overcame personal and family difficulties, took on heavy responsibilities, and sacrificed their own comforts, making significant contributions to the development of the research institute. 　　Teacher Gong Xin worked overtime on experiments; with no one to take care of her 3-year-old daughter, she had no choice but to confine the child in a large container in the laboratory. Teacher Wang Fuchen continued to work on setting up experimental equipment despite being ill, and collapsed beside the equipment due to exhaustion. Teacher Liu Haifeng conducted experiments during the day and spent nights analyzing data and writing papers; he often slept on the sofa in the laboratory, to the point that the sofa became damaged from his constant use. Teacher Xu Jianliang stayed up late working alongside factory technicians to ensure the smooth operation of pilot tests and production equipment, losing over 20 pounds in just one month. 　　Once, the equipment under the responsibility of Wang Yifei, a female teacher on the team, needed to be inspected inside. To get inside, one must rely on a soft ladder over 10 meters long that is suspended in the middle of the equipment. This is not easy for gay men either; it requires both courage and sufficient strength. But Wang Yifei didn’t say a word; he put on his work clothes and climbed into the equipment along with the workers on site. She obtained valuable first-hand information from the hot, dark, and coal ash-covered equipment. 　　“The “philosophy of sweat” also enabled the team at the Clean Coal Technology Research Institute to achieve remarkable results in 2016: on September 23, 2016, the team signed a licensing agreement with South Korea’s TENT company for multi-nozzle opposed water-coal slurry gasification technology, marking another instance of this technology being exported abroad; on October 1, 2016, the multi-nozzle opposed water-coal slurry gasifier used in the methanol plant in Qinghai’s salt lakes successfully processed coal for the first time, marking the operation of the world’s first coal gasification facility at a high altitude; between September and October 2016, the team tested the SE-Oriental furnace developed by Sinopec, using coal from Huainan, Anhui, which has a high ash melting point and high ash content; in November 2016, the SE pulverized coal pressurized gasification technology developed by the team won the Innovation Gold Award at the 18th China International Industry Fair; in 2016, the team from the Clean Coal Technology Research Institute was nominated for the “2016 People Who Moved Shanghai” award. 　　Thanks to first-class research facilities and the collective efforts of the team, the gasification technology developed by the Clean Coal Technology Institute has been widely adopted across the country. It holds a 100% market share in large-scale gasification applications, saving application companies over 600 million yuan in patent fees. Over the past three years, it has generated an additional 13.15 billion yuan in sales for these companies and 1.62 billion yuan in additional profits; meanwhile, it has helped reduce CO2 emissions by approximately 2.6 million tons. This has made a significant contribution to advancing the development of China’s \"green coal\" strategy. Emphasis on integrating industry, academia, and research, as well as collaborative innovation between schools and enterprises. Coal chemical projects have one characteristic: they require investments in the order of billions, sometimes tens of billions, or even hundreds of billions. For a company, the reliability of technology and the stability of its operation are extremely important; otherwise, it may be brought to collapse. Therefore, during the project implementation process, providing technical support to the factory is a very important task for the team. 　　To ensure the successful industrialization of the first set of gasification technology developed independently, the team dispatched 8 members in turn to work on-site in Shandong during the facility construction and initial operation phases. For such complex, large-scale chemical plants operating under high temperature and pressure conditions, any oversight in construction or assembly can lead to serious consequences. To cut costs, the team of teachers rented a simple house near the factory, commuting to and from work with the workers on site every day to discuss and solve problems together. The vaporization framework, standing over 50 meters tall, must be climbed up and down multiple times a day in order to inspect all the pipes, instruments, and equipment one by one. After a tiring day at work, one still has to prepare progress reports in the evening to outline solutions to the problems. And that’s how the team stayed on site for two years, witnessing the entire process of the research institute’s technology evolving from a blueprint to a modern factory, and then to a successful trial run. The members said, “It’s tough, but we feel even more gratified and proud.” ” 　　The SE powder coal gasification technology developed through collaborative innovation between the team and Sinopec provides advanced technical equipment for the clean and efficient gasification of large quantities of low-quality coal in China, which is rich in reserves but characterized by high ash melting point and high ash content. This technology has led to significant breakthroughs in the field of modern coal chemical engineering. 　　In January 2014, the first set of clean and efficient gasification technology units for low-quality coal was put into operation for the first time. This is a set of facilities built by Sinopec at a cost of 1.3 billion yuan specifically for technical demonstration; relevant companies are paying close attention to it, and there are even super-large projects worth over 30 billion yuan that are ready for use. Since some instruments have not yet been calibrated and there is a lack of analysis data that operators can refer to directly, coupled with the introduction of new technologies, new equipment, and new staff, any improper setting of parameters can lead to the shutdown of the equipment. Plant operators are unsure about how to operate it, which causes them anxiety and stress. The team leaders, who had numerous times carried out operations at industrial plants on-site, were well aware of the importance of this period; they stayed at the site voluntarily, braving the severe cold in the dead of night, and went personally to the plant located hundreds of meters away every 20 minutes to collect the ash. Drawing on their years of engineering experience gained through research, they analyzed various situations and guided the operators in adjusting the parameters of the gasification furnace. After seven or eight hours, the plant finally began to operate smoothly. It was not until the day before New Year’s Eve that the teachers felt safe enough to leave the installation site. 　　The commissioning of this new technology and new equipment has set a record for the longest continuous operating time ever achieved by a domestic coal gasification demonstration plant. During the Spring Festival in 2014, the team’s teachers received a text message from the installation site every day; the joy of technical success accompanied them as they spent the happiest and most unforgettable festival of their lives!