Domestic pressure swing adsorption equipment is gaining popularity

Thread Content

Domestic pressure swing adsorption equipment is gaining popularity. Author/Source: Sinochem New Network. Date: July 4, 2019. Clicks: 5. From June 21st to 22nd, the 2019 Pressure Swing Adsorption Industry Development Conference was held in Taiyuan, Shanxi Province, organized by the Gas Separation Equipment Branch of the China General Machinery Industry Association and the Pressure Swing Adsorption Network of the National Natural Gas, Chemicals, and C1 Chemicals Information Center. More than 100 representatives from domestic research institutions, industry associations, equipment manufacturers, and end-user companies attended the conference. 　　The meeting noted that pressure swing adsorption (PSA) is one of the most important technologies in the field of gas separation, and it has consistently supported the rapid development of numerous industrial sectors such as petrochemicals, coal, and steel. Currently, environmental protection standards in China’s industrial sector are becoming increasingly stringent, the circular economy is highly valued, and the level of product refinement is constantly improving. These factors place higher demands on the type, purity, flow rate of gases, as well as the scale of equipment used, thereby creating new market opportunities for pressure swing adsorption technology. Chinese companies specializing in pressure swing adsorption equipment are, in this struggle between opportunities and challenges, taking advantage of the current situation to seize the present, while also exploring potential avenues and planning for the future. 　　Domestic technology shines brightly. Xu Jianping, deputy secretary-general of the China General Machinery Industry Association and secretary-general of its Gas Separation Equipment Branch, pointed out that with the development of heavy industries such as metallurgy, petrochemicals, and coal chemistry in China, the gas separation equipment industry has reached its best stage of development in recent years. According to incomplete statistics, in the air separation equipment market in 2018, the demand for pressure swing adsorption gas separation equipment at normal temperatures was as high as that for low-temperature air separation equipment. Among them, the production volume and sales volume of pressure swing adsorption oxygen generation equipment manufactured by producers increased by over 50% on a year-on-year basis. The production volume of such equipment at many companies reached record highs, with a clear trend toward larger-sized products. The production volume of pressure swing adsorption nitrogen generation equipment increased by over 30% on average; the growth rate for pressure swing adsorption hydrogen generation equipment was even more rapid, with a year-on-year increase of double the previous level. Therefore, since last year, the pressure swing adsorption equipment industry in our country has been booming, and this prosperous market is expected to continue, driving further growth in the pressure swing adsorption sector. 　　Regarding the development of larger-scale pressure swing adsorption equipment, Xu Jianping noted that China is now at the world’s leading level in this field; a number of key devices and technologies not only fill gaps in domestic capabilities but also set global standards. In particular, with the construction of large-scale domestic refining and coal chemical projects, the use of complete air separation units of 100,000 cubic meters or larger is also becoming increasingly mature. 　　Yang Yun from the Pressure Swing Adsorption Network of the National Natural Gas Chemicals and C1 Chemicals Information Center explained that currently, the use of pressure swing adsorption for hydrogen purification represents the most widespread, maturest, and largest-scale application of this technology. Looking at China’s ongoing integrated refining and chemical projects such as Hengli Petrochemical’s 20 million tons per year facility, Zhejiang Petrochemical’s 40 million tons per year facility, and Shenghong Petrochemical’s 16 million tons per year facility, it can be seen that the scale of pressure swing adsorption purification units used in these projects is continuously increasing. For example, the PSA hydrogen production capacity of Hengli Petrochemical is 1.2 million Nm3/h, while that of Shenghong Petrochemical is 670,000 Nm3/h. 　　There is great potential for expanding applications. Several industry professionals present at the meeting suggested that, in addition to the three main areas where this technology is currently used most extensively—hydrogen production, oxygen production, and nitrogen production—pressure swing adsorption should be applied in more fields. In particular, given the current market demand for environmental protection technologies and a circular economy, this technology can play a greater role in the separation of gases such as CO, CO2, NOx, SOx, and VOCs. 　　Liu Yingshu, a professor at the University of Science and Technology Beijing, pointed out that the issue of air pollution control is receiving widespread attention from all sectors of society, which presents both challenges and opportunities for gas separation and purification technologies. Pressure swing adsorption technology has evolved from relying solely on pressure changes to incorporating various other techniques, such as magnetic control, and its applications extend to a range of atmospheric pollutants. For example, the purification of VOCs in diesel vehicle exhaust relies primarily on adsorption as a key technology. For the purification of SO2, methods such as absorption and conversion using lime water have been used in the past; currently, the research team is exploring the use of activated carbon adsorption, and experimental results show that a desulfurization rate of over 95% can be achieved, indicating great potential for practical application. The traditional denitration processes used for NOx purification also present certain challenges that are difficult to overcome. At present, the research team is investigating the recovery and reuse of resources after purification through adsorption methods, and there are many new approaches worth exploring. There is also a significant amount of flue gas and waste emissions from factories and kilns, which contain various gas components; the use of adsorption technology for their purification holds great promise for future applications. 　　At present, the project \"Integrated Adsorption and Removal of Multiple Pollutants from Flue Gas, as Well as Their Resource Utilization: Technology and Demonstration\", undertaken by Liu Yingshu’s research team, has been included in the **Key Research and Development Plan for the 13th Five-Year Plan** period. During the discussion session, Liu Yingshu also mentioned that in the future, pressure swing adsorption oxygen generation units are likely to develop in two extreme directions: larger scale for industrial use, and smaller, more portable versions for consumer applications. These trends present significant opportunities for growth for companies involved in adsorption technology and gas processing equipment. 　　In addition, Li Yongfeng, sales manager at Peking University Pioneer Technology Co., Ltd., also analyzed the future trends and market potential for the development of VPSA technology in China. These include developing more efficient functional oxygen-generation adsorbents to improve the core efficiency of oxygen generation devices; creating more effective, simpler, and innovative processes to enhance the efficiency of adsorbent use and reduce costs; the adsorption towers will tend to develop in two directions: larger-scale ones on one hand, and smaller, more compact ones on the other; the quality of related components such as valves, fans, pumps, and motors will improve to support scaled-up operations and higher energy efficiency; and noise reduction technologies will become more advanced and cost-effective. 　　Intelligent operation is an inevitable trend. Li Huazhi, a professor at the University of Science and Technology Beijing, told reporters that China’s pressure swing adsorption technology and equipment must accelerate their development in the direction of intelligence. Currently, international giants in the gas industry such as Linde and Air Products are actively implementing smart control solutions that enable a single control system to remotely manage multiple devices operating around the world. Such technologies offer great convenience to both users and operators, as they not only save on manpower on-site but also **improve the efficiency of equipment operation; as a result, these international giants have significant technical and cost advantages in this area. At present, in China, research on pressure swing adsorption technology is not closely integrated enough with technologies such as artificial intelligence, big data, and the industrial Internet. As equipment becomes larger in scale, the industry should strive more toward intelligence in the future, in order to achieve unmanned and intelligent operation as soon as possible. 　　Zhang Donghui, a professor at the School of Chemical Engineering at Tianjin University, also said that for any chemical separation process, effective monitoring of the control system is key to ensuring stable operation. Introducing an intelligent controller into the adsorption process to enable real-time monitoring and intervention is of great significance for ensuring the quality of the product gas. When disturbances occur in the process, operators can adjust key parameters promptly to restore it to optimal operating conditions, and they can even make optimizations based on production needs, thereby ensuring that the entire process remains efficient at all times. 　　Zhou Xiaoxian, a technical expert at Shanxi Fenshi Heavy Industry Co., Ltd., mentioned that with the rapid development of Internet of Things technology, the control of pressure swing adsorption nitrogen production technology will inevitably evolve in the direction of artificial intelligence. Under the traditional approach, devices have slow response times and high maintenance costs; any downtime results in significant losses for the user’s business. In contrast, with the intelligent remote monitoring system, it is possible to actively monitor the condition of devices through surveillance, prediction, and correction. By analyzing data, production processes can be optimized, and maintenance can be scheduled in advance, thereby reducing unplanned downtime. 　　To support the advancement of pressure swing adsorption technology, related fields such as molecular sieves, specialized pumps and valves, motors, and precision analytical instruments are advancing at a rapid pace. At the meeting, companies such as Shanghai Hengye Molecular Sieve Co., Ltd., Sichuan Tianyi Technology Co., Ltd., Kunshan Jincheng Gas Equipment Co., Ltd., Suzhou Duer Oxygen Production Equipment Co., Ltd., Luoyang Jianlong Micro-Nano New Materials Co., Ltd., Xiamen Boyilei Fluid Control Equipment Co., Ltd., Zhejiang Zhongfu Fluid Machinery Co., Ltd., and Ruya Technology (Beijing) Co., Ltd. also shared their insights regarding supporting technologies and equipment.