The first coal-to-natural gas demonstration project achieved continuous and stable operation

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China’s First Coal-to-Natural Gas Pilot Project Operates Continuously and Stably Author/Source: Huahua Network – Coal Chemical Industry Date: June 25, 2018 Clicks: 17 As China’s first coal-to-natural gas pilot project, the first phase of the Datang Keqi coal-to-gas project maintained a production capacity of nearly 90% from January to May, operating continuously and stably. The highest daily production volume reached 4.098 million standard cubic meters, exceeding the designed level of 4 million standard cubic meters. This is what a reporter from China Chemical Industry News learned recently from Datang Keqi Coal-to-Natural Gas Company. 　　 “As it was a pilot project with no precedents in China, the project encountered many difficulties for a long time after it began operations, and it took a significant amount of time before it was able to reach full production capacity. ”Xia Junbing, deputy general manager of Sino-Singapore New Energy Chemicals and general manager of Datang Keqi Coal-to-Gas Company, said that since the restructuring of the Datang coal chemical project in 2016, the company has analyzed the problems existing within the project, identified key points for addressing these issues, and focused its efforts on technology, management, and reform – achieving historic breakthroughs in a relatively short period of time. 　　 Xia Junbing explained that the reason why Keqi Coal-to-Gas Company chose lignite as raw material was to thoroughly explore the comprehensive utilization potential of lignite, which has poor quality, high water content, low calorific value, and high volatiles, in order to **find new ways to convert lower-grade coal into clean energy. After the coal-to-gas demonstration project came online, the company overcame various bottlenecks through a series of technical improvements and innovations, including controlling the proportion of pulverized coal used as raw material, upgrading the coal feeding system in the gasification furnace, optimizing the reduction method for methanation catalysts, improving the wastewater treatment system, and switching power boilers from oil to gas fuel. At present, the project is operating safely, stably, over long periods of time, and under high loads, with natural gas production continuously setting new records. 　　 To continuously increase the load level of the equipment, after making breakthroughs in a series of key technologies, the company focuses on daily technical management as well as the inspection and maintenance of the equipment. Since 2017, the company has carried out two scheduled maintenance campaigns, focusing on the maintenance of the power desulfurization towers and the repair of aluminum-magnesium alloy pipelines in the air separation cryogenic tanks; a total of 377 maintenance tasks were completed. 　　 At the same time, to meet environmental protection requirements, the company has carried out a series of technical upgrades; projects such as the renovation of carbon dioxide exhaust stacks, the boiler ignition and combustion assistance system, the comprehensive optimization of the wastewater treatment system, and various comprehensive technical upgrades to ensure compliance with environmental standards have all been successfully put into operation. 　　 “Large-scale coal-to-natural gas projects are complex systematic undertakings. To manage such a pilot project with no precedents in the country, it is necessary to establish control models and management methods that suit the characteristics of the project. ”Xia Junbing said that in recent years, Keqi has strengthened basic management in coal-to-gas production, achieving notable results. 　　 At the institutional level, the company has established a three-tier framework system centered on management manuals, supported by procedural documents, and based on operational documents. It combines, abolishes, or adds new elements to existing management documents, in order to create management systems that are easy for others to understand, clear for the company itself to explain, and effective, practical, useful, and user-friendly. 　　 In terms of production management, Keqi Coal-to-Gas continuously improves its production management mechanisms by implementing measures such as daily tracking and reminders regarding output, weekly analysis for corrective actions, and monthly evaluations to ensure compliance with targets. It enforces strict scheduling rules and organizes production coordination using a holistic approach. A technical task force is established to minimize the impact of issues related to coal supply and water usage on production. Since 2017, its monthly production has repeatedly reached new highs; since 2018, it has become normal for the daily production to reach the designed level. 　　 According to Xia Junbing, as a third-level enterprise of a central state-owned enterprise, Keqi Coal-to-Gas also suffered from the problems typical of large enterprises in the past, such as an overly complex organizational structure and excessive redundant staff. At the end of 2017, the company carried out thorough internal reforms, merging its original 25 departments and branch factories into 6 production centers and 12 functional departments. The number of middle-level managers was reduced by 48%, while that of general managers was reduced by 13%. After the reform was completed, it greatly boosted the productivity enthusiasm of cadres and employees.