The hydrogen purification unit at Yanshan Petrochemical produces qualified products

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Yanshan Petrochemical’s hydrogen purification unit produces qualified product Author/Source: Sinochem News Network Date: April 9, 2020 Clicks: 34 On April 3, the hydrogen produced by Yanshan Petrochemical’s hydrogen purification unit with a capacity of 2,000 cubic meters per hour – as part of the project to ensure a supply of hydrogen as a clean energy source for the Beijing Winter Olympics – met the required standards after being tested by the Sinopec Research Institute of Petroleum Processing, marking a successful first operation of the unit and the production of high-quality hydrogen products. 　　The sample testing report issued by the Sinopec Research Institute of Petrochemical Science indicates that the purity of the hydrogen produced by this device is 99.976%. The levels of key impurities that can affect the safe use of batteries, such as total sulfur, carbon monoxide, halides, formic acid, and total hydrocarbons, are all below the detection limit, indicating a high quality that meets the requirements of the standard GB/T 37244-2018 \"Hydrogen for proton exchange membrane fuel cell vehicles\". 　　The hydrogen-based new energy supply guarantee project for the Beijing Winter Olympics is an official strategic partnership project between Sinopec and the Organizing Committee of the Beijing Winter Olympics. The 2022 Beijing Winter Olympics will deploy hydrogen fuel cell vehicles as transportation vehicles to support the movement of people during the event. As the Olympic Games’ official oil and gas partner, Sinopec will provide clean energy support for the Winter Olympics. 　　Yanshan Petrochemical has taken on the task of ensuring a supply of hydrogen as a new energy source. By providing clean energy for the Beijing Winter Olympics and meeting the demand for low-cost hydrogen from hydrogen fuel cell vehicles in Beijing, the company is also working to transform itself from a traditional oil refining and processing enterprise into a manufacturer of clean energy sources (hydrogen). 　　Currently, the main methods for hydrogen production in China include water electrolysis, natural gas-based hydrogen production, and hydrogen produced as a by-product of industrial processes. Beijing has high demands for natural gas and water resources, and producing hydrogen from these two resources is energy-intensive and costly. To this end, Yanshan Petrochemical has decided to make use of its abundant resources of industrial by-product hydrogen to build a new hydrogen purification unit, employing PSA pressure swing adsorption technology for hydrogen extraction. 　　According to Wang Fusheng, the chief engineer of Yanshan Petrochemical Chemicals Plant, compared with other hydrogen purification techniques such as low-temperature separation, membrane separation, and catalytic oxidation, pressure swing adsorption separation does not use chemical reagents, enabling green and clean production. Moreover, the entire production process does not require temperature changes, resulting in low energy consumption and thus resource savings. It also features a high degree of automation, easy adjustment, and great operational flexibility, offering advantages such as high product purity, high yield, and low operating costs. The implementation of pressure swing adsorption separation technology can improve the purity of the hydrogen produced and significantly reduce the amount of trace impurities in it. 　　It is understood that the hydrogen purification unit newly built as part of Yanshan Petrochemical’s project to ensure a supply of hydrogen energy for the Beijing Winter Olympics has a design capacity of 2,000 cubic meters per hour. The construction work includes both hydrogen purification and the external supporting facilities. The project received approval from Sinopec in March 2019, the final approval for the basic design was granted in August, construction preparations began in October, and on December 31, 2019, the on-site construction was successfully completed. On January 2, 2020, the project entered the production trial run phase. On March 26, the facility began trial production, and hydrogen was produced on the 27th, laying a solid foundation for the subsequent construction and deployment of hydrogen refueling stations.