Latest progress on Qinghai’s 1.8 million tons/year methanol-to-olefins project

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Latest Progress on Qinghai’s 1.8 Million Tonnes Methanol-to-Olefins Project Author/Source: Huahua Network – Coal Chemicals Date: 2018-06-07 Clicks: 116 On the morning of June 6, the topping-out ceremony for the propylene tower of the methanol-to-olefins complex was held at the site of the waste gas utilization project for olefin production in the Damei Ganhe Industrial Park in Qinghai. The propylene distillation tower of the methanol-to-olefins complex is the tallest and heaviest static equipment in the entire project, as well as the one with the greatest difficulties in lifting and assembly; it represents a key control point for the whole project. With an overall height of 105.23 meters, in order to greatly reduce the risks associated with working at great heights, improve work efficiency, and save time on the critical path, Qinghai Damei Coal Industry Company has continuously optimized the construction plan. The installation was carried out in four stages, with the internal components of the tower as well as the external protective measures being installed in advance. What is being lifted this time is the fourth section of the propylene distillation tower, with a diameter of 6.6 meters, a section length of 16.15 meters, and a lifting weight of 221 tons; a 1250-ton crawler crane is used for this operation. Bai Yongqiang, Secretary of the Party Committee, Chairman, and Chief Commander of project construction at Qinghai Damei Coal Industry Company; Zhu Ping, Executive Deputy Commander of project construction; Xiao Wancai, Member of the Party Committee, Executive Deputy General Manager, and Deputy Commander of project construction; Zhou Chengping, General Manager of Sinopec Luoyang Engineering Co., Ltd., the EPC general contractor for the joint installation; as well as the heads of the various companies involved in the project’s construction and supervision, along with relevant department heads from the company, attended the ceremony. The project for the comprehensive utilization of exhaust gases to produce olefins in the Damei Ganhe Industrial Park in Qinghai was registered with the Qinghai Provincial Commission of Economy and Information Technology in September 2015 (Registration No. Qing Jing Xin Tou 56). In April 2016, the project’s environmental impact assessment report was approved by the Qinghai Provincial Department of Environmental Protection (Approval No. Qing Huan Fa 130). The project consumes 1.8 million tons of methanol, 4.65 million tons of water, and 490 million KWH of electricity per year. Annual production of polyolefin products amounts to 687,000 tons, with 31,000 tons of MTBE, C4, and C6 produced as by-products. The project is scheduled to be completed by the end of 2018, with official operation starting in 2019. The construction of the Qinghai Damei Coal Industry’s project for the comprehensive utilization of exhaust gases to produce olefins involves an investment of 12.7 billion yuan. The project is located in the western area of the Ganhe Industrial Park, within the Xining Economic and Technological Development Zone in Qinghai Province. Construction began on March 23rd, with a capacity of 1.8 million tons per year for methanol-to-olefins production, 300,000 tons per year for polyethylene production, and 400,000 tons per year for polypropylene production. Additionally, the project includes necessary utility systems, auxiliary facilities, and external infrastructure. The project uses MTO-grade methanol as raw material, and through production units such as methanol to olefins, olefin conversion, MTBE/1-butene, polyethylene, and polypropylene, it produces polyethylene and polypropylene products, with MTBE and C4/C6 as by-products. The MTO combined unit in this project utilizes the DMTO technology developed by the Dalian Institute of Chemical Physics, Chinese Academy of Sciences, and was EPC-general contracted by Sinopec Luoyang Engineering Co., Ltd.