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The Continuous Stable Operation of China Coal Yueneng Chemical’s Methanol Plant Exceeds 500 Days / Author/Source: Yahuac Coal Chemical Industry / Date: 16-01-2018 / Clicks: 28 On January 14, good news came from Yueneng Chemical’s methanol plant: since it was put back into operation after maintenance in September 2016, it has been operating continuously and stably for over 500 days. Meanwhile, the synthetic catalyst used when the plant was first put into operation in July 2014 has been in use for over 42 months; it has produced nearly 5.5 million tons of methanol to date, and its performance remains excellent, with a methanol production rate of over 26,200 tons per cubic meter of catalyst. The operating records it has set continue to exceed those of similar plants in China. According to the person in charge of the Methanol Center, over the past year or so, the methanol production complex has managed to overcome issues such as restrictions on natural gas supply during winter, blockages caused by leaks in the propylene heat exchangers, and leaks in the high-pressure steam pipelines, thereby achieving stable and high levels of production as well as optimal operational efficiency. In 2017, this facility produced a total of 2.0638 million tons of methanol, accounting for 114.66% of its designed capacity of 1.8 million tons. What is even more noteworthy is that in 2017, the methanol complex processed 24,900 tons of DCC residue through oil-coal co-gasification, and successfully incorporated over 4,000 tons of oil residues from coal-cooking projects into its operations. This not only led to significant cost savings and increased revenue but also facilitated greater diversification of raw materials in terms of comprehensive resource utilization. In addition, the methanol complex also utilizes the high-oil-content, high-COD wastewater from the DMTO/MTBE plants for pulp production, treating over 60,000 cubic meters of wastewater. This not only reduces the burden on the wastewater treatment facilities but also saves on treatment costs. The person in charge of the methanol facility said that in the next step, the facility will continue to strengthen the control of catalyst process parameters and carry out thorough analyses to ensure the safe and stable operation of the catalysts. At the same time, strict adherence to process regulations will be maintained, process parameters will be closely monitored, regular inspections and oversight of potential hazards will be enhanced, and supervision and evaluation mechanisms will be put in place to ensure the continuous and stable operation of the plant at high load levels.