The technological upgrades of Yanchang Petroleum Group’s syngas-to-ethanol project have yielded significant results

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Significant Results Achieved in the Technical Upgrades of Yanchang Petroleum Group’s Syngas-to-Ethanol Technology Project Author/Source: Date: 12-25-2017 Clicks: 14 On December 14, reporters learned from Xinghua Company that the group’s 100,000-ton per year syngas-to-ethanol technology demonstration project had completed three key technical upgrades: the replacement of dimethyl ether heat exchange equipment, the installation of a new dimethyl ether deoxygenation distillation system, and the addition of an ethanol molecular sieve membrane dehydration unit. All of these upgrades have achieved the desired results, with the system operating well. The product specifications meet national standards. The replacement of stainless steel heat exchange equipment with dimethyl ether was completed in its entirety on December 3 ； The newly added dimethyl ether de-olefination distillation system was successfully commissioned on December 5 with a single feed; after purification, the olefin content in the dimethyl ether was less than 10 ppm, which is well below the design specifications and the requirements set by the technical team ； The ethanol molecular sieve dehydration membrane was put into operation for testing on December 11. Following these tests, the water content in the ethanol product is now less than 0.5%, meeting the standards specified in GB/T678-2002 (Chemically pure anhydrous ethanol). It is understood that at the beginning of the year, the 100,000-ton synthetic gas-to-ethanol demonstration project succeeded in producing qualified products through its operational process. Since the trial production began, Xinghua Company has conducted research and analysis, carried out comprehensive certifications, and made process adjustments to address various issues by formulating corresponding solutions. After approval from the technical experts and design institutes, it has started to implement process optimizations and technical upgrades step by step. At present, as the results of the technical upgrades to the ethanol demonstration project become apparent, Xinghua Company has, through discussions with the technology providers and design institutes, reached a mutually agreed solution to address the issues associated with its 100,000 tons per year ethanol production facility. This will enable the collection of scientific and detailed operational data for the 500,000 tons per year ethanol project.