Progress in equipment installation for Zhong’an United Coal Chemical’s 1.7 million tons per year coal-to-olefins project

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Progress in Equipment Installation for Zhong’an United Coal Chemical’s 1.7 million tons/year coal-to-olefins project Author/Source: Date: 11-06-2017 Clicks: 17 Since the end of September, work on the air separation unit of Zhong’an United Coal Chemical Co., Ltd.’s 1.7 million tons/year coal-to-methanol and olefins production project has progressed steadily in accordance with the planned schedule. After the installation of the turbines in three key compressor units, the molecular sieve adsorbers have also begun to be installed; out of six such adsorbers, four have already been installed. Equipment such as cold boxes is currently being welded on site. More than half of the structural work for the main pipeline corridors and backup system pipelines has been completed as well. The equipment installation for the air separation unit is advancing as planned. In November, the air separation unit will complete tasks such as the installation of the compressor main unit and the evaporator of the backup system, the alignment of the lower three sections of the main cryogenic tank’s steel structure, and its lifting. According to the project construction plan, the Zhongan United air separation unit is scheduled to be completed by September 30, 2018. The unit consists of 3 sets of air separation units with a capacity of 70,000 standard cubic feet per hour each; each air separation unit comprises a compressor section, a pre-treatment section, a cryogenic tank, and associated pipeline systems. Once completed and put into operation, the air separation unit will be responsible for supplying high- and low-pressure oxygen, nitrogen, instrument air, and plant air to all the production units and auxiliary utility systems throughout the plant. At present, the gasification unit of the Zhongan United Coal Chemical Project is in the stage of full equipment installation. In accordance with the equipment construction schedule, multiple large-scale gasification units are being built at the project site. As many as 23 large-scale gasification equipment units have been built at the coal chemical industry construction site, including pulverized coal storage tanks, vent scrubbing tanks, raw coal silos, coal powder silos, limestone powder silos, and more. After a period of intensive work, 3 limestone powder silos have been constructed and delivered for installation, while 4 out of 7 coal powder storage tanks have been assembled; it is planned to complete the construction of all coal powder storage tanks by November 15. The construction of the other equipment is also in full swing. The construction of large-scale equipment is carried out on-site, which facilitates effective control over the production timeline and quality of such equipment; it also makes it easier to transport large-scale equipment. The Zhong’an United Coal Chemical Integration Project is a key construction project of Sinopec and Anhui Province. Zhongan United Coal & Chemical Co., Ltd. was established on December 18, 2010, with a registered capital of 4 billion yuan. It is funded equally at 50% each by Sinopec Corporation and Anhui Wanbei Coal and Electricity Group Co., Ltd. On December 7, 2016, a preparatory meeting was held for the resumption of work on the Zhong’an coal chemical project, to arrange the preparations for its restart. On January 20, 2017, a meeting on resuming work on the Zhong’an project was held in Huainan. The project headquarters issued the \"Notice on Resuming Construction of the Zhong’an United Coal Chemical Project\" (Petrochemical Shares Construction and Refining [2017] No. 6), announcing that work on the Zhong’an United Coal Chemical Project would officially resume. The core process of the Zhong’an United Coal Chemical Integration Project utilizes the S-MTO patent technology owned by Sinopec, while the gasification unit employs the SE-Dongfang furnace technology also owned by Sinopec. Using coal from the Zhujixi mine as raw material, methanol and converted olefins (LDPE/PP), ethylene glycol (MEG) and other products are produced. Sinopec Engineering Construction Co., Ltd. is responsible for the overall management of the design, procurement, and construction of the MTO/OCC and PP units in this project, as well as six supporting facilities including the control room and 110-kilovolt substation ； Sinopec Ningbo Engineering Co., Ltd. is responsible for the design and construction of the gasification unit for the contracted project.