The coal-to-ethanol project of Yushen Energy and Chemicals, operated by Shaanxi Yanchang Petroleum, has resumed operations officially

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The coal-to-ethanol project of Yushen Energy and Chemicals, operated by Shaanxi Yanchang Petroleum, has resumed operations. Author/Source: Coal Chemical Industry 114 Forum. Date: March 9, 2020. Clicks: 8. On March 4, in the cold weather at the 500,000-ton/year coal-based ethanol production site of Yanchang Petroleum, 35 ramming machines were at work intensively; iron hammers weighing over 20 tons were dropped from a height of 30 meters, producing a thunderous noise that shook the ground. The total investment in this project is 6.98 billion yuan, and upon completion it is expected to convert 1.5 million tons of coal into 500,000 tons of clean ethanol products annually on-site. To date, 180 employees of Yushen Company under Yanjiang Petroleum have returned to work; 67 construction technicians and multiple pieces of equipment have been deployed for dynamic compaction operations, and all aspects of the project construction are progressing in an orderly manner. It is reported that the Yushen coal-based ethanol project is a key initiative within Yan’an Petroleum’s coal chemical industry plans for the 13th Five-Year Plan period and beyond. As of the end of February, a total of 1.15 billion yuan has been invested in this project; all the process equipment has been purchased, the preliminary design has been approved, and the preparatory work for the EPC bidding process has begun. The site preparation and ramming works have been completed, while 80% of the work related to foundation ramming has been finished, with completion expected by the end of March. The procurement of long-term-use equipment for the project is also progressing in an orderly manner. Shaanxi Yanchang Petroleum Yushen Energy Chemical Co., Ltd.’s 500,000 tons/year coal-based ethanol project. Project type: new construction ； Construction unit: Shaanxi Yanchang Petroleum Yushen Energy Chemical Co., Ltd ； Construction location: South Area of Qingshui Industrial Park, Yushen Industrial Zone, Yulin City, Shaanxi Province ； Staffing and operation system: This project requires 674 employees, and continuous operation is employed. The workers work on a four-shift, three-cycle system, with 8,000 hours of work per year ； Construction contents: Construction of gasification, shift, purification, gas separation, methanol synthesis, and 500,000 t/a ethanol production facilities (dimethyl ether, methyl acetate, and ethanol units), a 75,000 Nm3/h air separation unit, 3×220 t/h high-pressure coal powder boilers, a 6,000 t/a sulfur production facility, along with associated utility systems ； The project uses the Xiwan open-pit coal mine as its raw material, and employs the HT-L gasification technology to produce raw gas. One stream of this raw gas undergoes shift reaction, while another stream is used for waste heat recovery. Both streams are then subjected to low-temperature methanol washing to remove sulfur and carbon dioxide from them. The gas that has not undergone the shift reaction is purified and separated into H2 and CO through deep cooling; part of the gas that has undergone the shift reaction is sent to a PSA unit for hydrogen production, and another part is sent to a methanol synthesis unit to produce methanol. CO, H2, and methanol are then fed into an ethanol production facility.