Major new technology: Progress of the pilot project for syngas production via co-gasification of coal and natural gas (CNGG)

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Major New Technology: Progress of the Pilot Project for Synthesis Gas Production via Co-gasification of Coal and Natural Gas (CNGG) Author/Source: China Information Institute for Chemical Industry Date: 2018-04-20 Clicks: 16 China’s coal chemical industry has already implemented the practice of co-processing coal and oil at the Yanchang Petroleum Group, with successful operations, but to date there are no industrial facilities for co-gasification of coal and natural gas, and this technology is still in the exploratory stage. The pilot plant project for the coal and natural gas co-gasification to produce syngas technology (CNGG) is one of the 155 key construction projects in Xianyang City in 2018. 1 Project Name: Pilot Project on Synthesis Gas Production via Co-gasification of Coal and Natural Gas (CNGG). 2 Construction plan: Build a pilot-scale plant for the coal and natural gas co-gasification technology for producing syngas (CNGG). The scale of the plant shall be such that the coal feed rate is 1.5 t/h, the natural gas flow rate is 0.75–1.5 kNm3/h, the gasification pressure is 6.5 MPa, and the gasification temperature is 1350 °C; the output of useful gases (CO+H2) should be approximately 6.05 kNm3/h. A CNGG plant will be constructed as part of this project. 3 Total investment: 150 million yuan. 4 Development Background The synthesis gas production process using natural gas or coal as raw materials is already fairly mature from a technical standpoint; however, due to the characteristics of these raw materials, certain problems still exist. The process of converting natural gas into syngas is short, clean, and efficient, but the cost of raw materials is high and the hydrogen-to-carbon ratio is relatively high. Meanwhile, excessively high pipeline transportation costs severely hinder the adoption of this natural gas-based approach. Coal gasification produces syngas with a low hydrogen-to-carbon ratio; this ratio is often increased through a shift unit, but this process generates large amounts of CO2, thereby increasing the load and operating costs of the acid washing unit. Furthermore, coal-based syngas production facilities require high investment and cause significant environmental pollution, failing to meet the requirements of sustainable development. Therefore, a process for co-gasification of coal and natural gas to produce syngas is proposed, in order to reduce production costs, minimize CO2 emissions, and achieve an adjustable H2/CO ratio. 5 Records show that on January 6, 2016, the pilot project titled “Pilot Study on Synthesis Gas Production via Co-gasification of Coal and Natural Gas”, undertaken by the Northwest Institute of Chemical Engineering (Xi’an Yuanchuang Chemical Technology Co., Ltd.), passed the expert review organized by the Science, Technology and Information Management Department of Shaanxi Yanchang Petroleum Group Company. On December 23, 2016, the \"Coal-heavy oil co-gasification technology for producing syngas,\" which was independently developed by the Northwest Research Institute of Chemical Engineering (Xi’an Yuanchuang Chemical Technology Co., Ltd.) and implemented by Shaanxi Yanchang Zhongmei Yulin Energy Chemical Co., Ltd., passed the expert evaluation organized by the Shaanxi Provincial Department of Industry and Information Technology. The appraisal committee listened to the technical research report submitted by the project team and reviewed the relevant documents. It concluded that this technology, through innovations such as multi-channel process burners, a safety interlock control system for multiple materials including coal slurry, heavy oil, and oxygen, as well as control technologies for the gasification process, enables the use of heavy oil as a raw material for co-gasification with water-coal slurry. This approach not only ensures the harmless treatment of the low-quality heavy oil produced as a by-product of the DCC unit but also allows it to be utilized as a resource; it is therefore a highly targeted and applicable new technology.