The world’s first 4,000-ton gasifier was put into operation at Yankuang Rongxin Chemical, and it has been functioning well for four months

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The world’s first 4,000-ton gasification furnace was put into operation at Yankuang Rongxin Chemical Industry, and it has been functioning well for four months. Author/Source: Dazhong Daily Date: February 27, 2020 Clicks: 63. Just recently, the world’s first 4,000-ton gasification furnace in the second phase of Yankuang Rongxin Chemical Industry’s project has been operating successfully for four months; all production indicators are within normal ranges, product quality is stable, and all design specifications are met. It is reported that this 4,000-ton gasifier is currently the largest coal-water slurry gasifier in the world. “To meet the demands for large-scale and intensive system operation, new breakthroughs must be achieved in the scaling up of gasification technology. ” Ji Wenpu, general manager of Rongxin Chemical Company, said that the multi-nozzle opposed coal-water slurry gasifier with a daily processing capacity of 4,000 tons, which possesses independent intellectual property rights and was developed by Yankuang, became the final choice for Rongxin Chemical’s second phase of development. This is not merely a simple increase from a capacity of 3,000 tons to 4,000 tons; there are requirements for changes in design parameters, as well as challenges related to maintaining stable and controlled operating parameters. Construction of the second phase of Rongxin Chemical’s project began on November 15, 2017. Trial operations were successful on October 25, 2019, with qualified methanol product being produced, and qualified ethylene glycol product was produced on December 28 – setting a new record as the fastest time for an ethylene glycol production facility in China to start operating successfully during the harsh northern winters, as well as the fastest time to produce qualified products from the outset. Once the project is in operation, it will be capable of producing 400,000 tons of ethylene glycol per year, 300,000 tons of polymethoxymethane per year, 19,000 tons of sulfur as a by-product per year, 12,000 tons of dimethyl carbonate as a by-product per year, 10,000 tons of ethanol as a by-product per year, and 6,000 tons of mixed alcohols as a by-product per year. Previously, the first phase of Rongxin Chemical’s project, which included a 1.8 million-ton coal-to-methanol facility and a 600,000-ton methanol production unit, utilized the world’s largest 3,000-ton coal slurry gasification technology at that time. In July 2014, the process was successfully operationalized to produce high-quality methanol; this project set several records, including the shortest construction time and lowest investment among similar chemical enterprises in the country. It became operational in the same year and reached full production capacity right away. The project was awarded the **Quality Project Award for 2016–2017**, while the 3,000-ton coal slurry gasification technology received the **Second Prize for Scientific and Technological Progress**.