The “Gasification Furnace” patent project from the Department of Thermal Engineering at Tsinghua University won the China Patent Award for Excellence

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The patent project for the \"Gasification Furnace\" developed by the Department of Thermal Engineering at Tsinghua University won the China Patent Gold Award. Author/Source: Modern Coal Chemical Industry. Date: May 25, 2021. Clicks: 12. In accordance with the \"Rules for the Evaluation of China Patent Awards\" and the \"Notice from the Intellectual Property Office regarding the selection of the 22nd China Patent Awards,\" a total of 30 projects were awarded the China Patent Gold Award, 60 projects received the China Patent Silver Award, and 826 projects were honored with the China Patent Excellence Award in the 22nd edition of these awards. The patent for the “vaporization furnace” invented by Zhang Jiansheng and others from the Department of Mechanical Engineering in our university has won the China Patent Gold Award; this is the second time that our university has received this award since 2015. The patent for “A two-stage parallel robot device for precision assembly,” invented by Shao Zhufeng and others from the Department of Mechanical Engineering, won the China Patent Silver Award. In addition, 5 invention patents won the China Patent Excellence Award. The Chinese Patent Gold Award-winning patent technology for the \"gasification furnace\" addresses the challenges related to the protection of water walls at high temperatures, ignition without hot spots, stable heat transfer, and ash blockage, thereby creating a portfolio of patents for the \"water-cooled wall gasification furnace using water-coal slurry.\" The world’s first water-cooled wall gasification technology for coal slurry overcomes the limitation that coal slurry gasifiers cannot use low-quality coals with high sulfur, high ash content, or high ash melting point, thereby expanding the range of coal types that can be used. It offers advantages such as longer operating time per furnace, high availability and system efficiency, as well as lower costs for manufacturing and maintenance. These series of technologies provide new methods and approaches for the comprehensive utilization of \"high-carbon, high-sulfur, and high-ash coal\" across the country, as well as for the local processing of gasified coal. They are characterized by high levels of technological sophistication and innovation, as well as strong environmental benefits; they meet strategic requirements such as energy security and environmental protection, and offer significant economic and social advantages. The syngas steam co-generation gasifier after being put into operation won a silver award for Chinese patents. The patent \"A two-stage parallel robot device for precision assembly\" combines a cable parallel mechanism with a rigid parallel mechanism, pioneering innovations in hybrid rigid-flexible configurations; it enables the combination of a very large working space with the ability for precise operations in specific areas, and represents a fundamental patent in the field of precision assembly and positioning in large-scale environments. This patented technology was developed for China’s FAST project; it reduces the weight of the feedhead support system from thousands of tons to 30 tons, improving its overall performance by 10 times and ensuring its leadership status in the world for the next 20–30 years. It simultaneously addresses the key common challenges associated with high-precision positioning in extremely large spaces, and has been successfully applied in areas such as the automated precision assembly of spacecraft, space motion simulation on the surfaces of the Moon and Mars, the painting process for the C919, and high-speed robotics. A model of a two-stage parallel robotic system for precision assembly. Recently, Tsinghua University announced the results regarding its awards at the 22nd China Patent Awards; the university won one gold award and one silver award in this competition, as well as 5 awards for outstanding patents. Among them, the patent submitted by the Active Department, namely the \"Gasification Furnace (ZL201110044695.X)\", won the gold award. According to Tsinghua University, this is the first time that the Department of Mechanical Engineering has won the China Patent Gold Award; it is also the second time that Tsinghua University has received this award since 2015. “The patent for the gasifier (ZL201110044695.X) is the core patent of the Jinhua furnace series gasification technology developed by our institute. The series of patents centered around this patent cover various aspects such as the basic technologies, development technologies, application technologies, and operation technologies related to the water-cooled wall gasifier for coal slurry, thus forming a patent portfolio for the \"water-cooled wall gasifier for coal slurry\". Since its establishment in 2015, with the support of major special projects from the Shanxi Department of Science and Technology, our institute’s research team has further developed, on the basis of this patent, a water-cooled wall gasification technology for coal slurry that includes heat recovery – namely, the Jinhua Furnace 3.0 technology. This technological innovation proposes a gasifier structure that integrates the water wall gasification chamber with the radiant waste boiler, addressing the challenges of direct connection and sealing for high-temperature (above 1400°C) and high-pressure equipment ； Patented designs were invented for key components such as the annular single-cylinder structure, the radial dual-film water-cooled wall radiation heating surface, and the combined outlet for syngas and black water; these designs resolved the conflict between stable heat transfer in the radiation boiler and ash blockage, resulting in a 1.9 percentage point increase in the system’s thermal efficiency. The China Patent Award is the highest **governmental award** in our country specifically given to inventions and creations for which patent rights have been granted. It represents the highest honor in the field of patents in China. Its purpose is to actively implement intellectual property strategies, encourage innovation, promote the development of the creative design industry, foster an innovation culture, and enhance the quality and structural improvement of China’s own intellectual property. It serves as both an acknowledgment of a country’s capabilities in scientific and technological innovation and a recognition of its strength in terms of intellectual property.