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Ignition and heating up of the pure oxygen converter in Zhongtai Coal Coking’s 200,000 tons/year coal gas to methanol project / Author/Source: Henan Petrochemical News / Date: 2020-06-16 / Clicks: 39 On June 14, the pure oxygen converter for the 200,000 tons/year coal gas to methanol production facility operated by Henan Energy Xinjiang Zhongtai Coal Coking was officially ignited and heated up, marking the beginning of the commissioning process for this methanol plant and also indicating that significant progress has been made in its construction. The pure oxygen converter is the key equipment in the conversion process; it is a reaction device that operates at high temperatures and pressures. It features a refractory lining combined with an external water jacket, which helps to keep the temperature of the pressure-bearing shell within safe limits even in case the refractory lining fails. The pressurized catalytic oxidation method is used, with the main task being to convert methane in the feed gas into effective gases for synthetic methanol production, namely hydrogen, carbon monoxide, and carbon dioxide. It features good safety in operation, a long service life, and stable conversion efficiency; in addition, it has advantages such as no carbon black precipitation and the ability to discharge harmful substances at high altitudes. During the furnace preparation phase, the company’s professionals carry out the “three inspections and four determinations” task at the construction site on a daily basis, ensuring the “three verifications” of pipelines, equipment, and safety measures on site. The project owner, the general contractor, the supervision unit, and the construction unit jointly conducted multiple evaluations of the furnace heating plan and held technical briefings; technicians in the fields of process engineering, equipment, electrical systems, and instrumentation participated as well. They worked together to resolve any issues that arose, offered suggestions, endured the scorching heat, carried out thorough inspections, raced against time, and overcame all difficulties to ensure that all preparations were in place for heating up the pure oxygen converter. Before starting the heating process, the company’s various technical teams, together with safety personnel, conducted safety checks on a range of tasks including nitrogen purging, blind plugging, oxygen level analysis, and proper labeling of gas pipelines. Samples of the gas were also taken for explosion tests, and ultimately, the heating process was carried out successfully. After successful ignition of the furnace, the company assigns dedicated personnel to monitor the process on-site 24/7, taking temperature readings every hour to ensure stability in the furnace temperature and meet the requirements of the heating curve. “The main function of furnace drying is to ensure the thermal insulation performance of the equipment during normal operation, thereby extending its service life. ”Xue Wen, the on-site construction supervisor, explained. For this furnace drying process, two precision desulfurization tanks and one pure oxygen converter are used. The total drying time is planned to be 10 days; the ultimate goal is to completely remove the free water and crystalline water present in the refractory materials. At the same time, it is necessary to determine whether the refractory bricks, the converter, and the waste heat boiler as a whole can operate at the temperatures required by the normal manufacturing process, thereby ensuring that the pure oxygen converter can function at full capacity over extended periods of time. It is understood that Zhongtai Coal Coking is the first coal chemical enterprise in Baicheng County, Aksu Region, Xinjiang, to use coke oven gas for methanol production. The company’s 200,000 tons per year methanol production facility generates methanol through processes such as precise desulfurization, conversion, syngas compression, methanol synthesis, and methanol distillation. This approach features low investment costs, high output, energy efficiency, and good economic benefits. Once the project is completed and put into operation, it will be able to consume 432 million cubic meters of excess gas from coke ovens each year, and make use of 250 million cubic meters of hydrogen resources. This will result in a reduction of 39,500 tons of carbon dioxide emissions, thereby addressing the environmental pollution caused by the release of coke oven gas. In addition, the project can produce 200,000 tons of refined methanol per year, generating an annual output value of 440 million yuan and profits and taxes of over 50 million yuan; it will also create more than 150 job opportunities in Baicheng County. Once the project is put into operation, it will further facilitate the transformation of local resource advantages, boost the economic development and structural adjustment of Baicheng County, and achieve simultaneous gains in environmental protection and economic benefits.