The World Coal Chemical Industry Miracle in the Desert

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The Miracle of Coal Chemical Industry in the Desert / Author/Source: Yulin Daily, Date: 2020-07-20, Views: 165. This construction project located in the Qingshui Industrial Park of the Yushen Industrial Zone, on the southeastern edge of the Maowusu Desert, is currently the largest coal chemical project under construction in the world. It covers an area of about 13 square kilometers, with a total planned investment of 126.2 billion yuan. It is capable of processing around 24 million tons of coal per year, and it includes 27 processing units along with associated utility systems. These include processes for the medium- and low-temperature pyrolysis of 15 million tons of coal, the production of 5.6 million tons of methanol, 1.8 million tons of ethylene glycol, 2 million tons of olefins, as well as downstream products derived from these raw materials. Representing the highest level of development in the coal chemical industry, this project is a large-scale integrated coal utilization industrial cluster initiated by Shaanxi Coal Group. It takes advantage of the coal resources available in Yulin, relies on a technology system for the differentiated utilization of coal that boasts independent intellectual property rights, and draws on international best practices in the development of chemical parks. Guided by market principles, it innovates in terms of industrial organization structures, and is planned and structured following the principles of park-based development, precision management, material-focused approaches, and integration of upstream and downstream processes. “As the platform company responsible for planning, constructing, and operating this project on behalf of Shaanxi Coal Group, Yulin Chemical adheres to the corporate vision of \"dedicating itself to providing chemical solutions that enhance people’s lives.\" It strives to become a world-class chemical industry company, offering customers high-quality products and excellent services. In doing so, it contributes to the high-quality development of the group company, as well as to the advancement of Shaanxi’s economic initiatives, while supporting the strategic plans put forward by the provincial party committee and government regarding \"three transformations.\" ”said Song Shijie, Party Secretary and Executive Director of Yulin Chemical. July 24, 2019, was a milestone in the history of Yulin Chemical’s development. On that day, the groundbreaking ceremony for the project’s 1.8 million tons per year ethylene glycol production facility was held, marking the official transition of the project from the design phase to the construction phase. The 1.8 million tons per year ethylene glycol plant is part of Phase 1 of the project; it is also the largest coal-based ethylene glycol facility under construction worldwide. Completion of its mechanical construction is scheduled for June 2021 ； Phase 1, stage 2 involves the construction of a facility capable of producing 5.6 million tons per year of methanol and 2 million tons per year of olefins, along with related processing units; construction is scheduled to begin in the third quarter of 2020 and be completed by the end of 2023. Phase II of the project focuses on coal pyrolysis and is also divided into two stages. The first stage involves an industrial demonstration facility for 1.2 million tons per year of pulverized coal pyrolysis and 500,000 tons per year of advanced processing of coal tar; completion of the construction is scheduled for June 2021 ； In the second phase, the scale of pyrolysis will be increased to 15 million tons, and the coal tar industry chain will be expanded to produce aromatic hydrocarbons as well as downstream products derived from arylenes. Construction is scheduled to begin in 2022, with all construction work to be completed by the end of 2025. It is understood that as a coal conversion demonstration project with the highest coal processing capacity, the greatest degree of industrial integration, the most complex technology integration, and a supply chain that is closest to the end market, this project represents, to a certain extent, the highest level of development in the coal chemical industry. It will have a profound impact on the further development and future direction of China’s coal chemical industry. To build a globally leading enterprise in intelligent manufacturing – by deeply integrating coal chemical and petrochemical industries, focusing on three key areas namely textile materials, automotive materials, and building decoration materials; striving to create complete industrial chains, foster industrial clustering, and help the energy and chemical industry base in northern Shaanxi gain a global competitive advantage in these three fields. ”This is the planning orientation for this project. How can we turn this grand vision into reality as soon as possible? After accurately assessing the trends in industry development and changes in industrial organization patterns, as well as conducting a thorough analysis of the company’s various business operations, Yulin Chemical established a clear development strategy and innovation-driven goals at the strategic level: to build an \"ecosystem\" and create six \"functional platforms\" in order to enhance the company’s core capabilities and competitive advantages. Every member of the Yulin Chemical community has long kept this in mind and put it into practice. Building an “ecosystem” involves covering business cooperation, production and operation, technological innovation, industry incubation, project management, production management, logistics and trade, services for production and daily life, as well as the relevant stakeholders. Six \"functional platforms\" will be established, namely a comprehensive platform for external cooperation, a platform for organizational innovation and change management, an innovation platform, a platform for demonstrating new technologies and fostering new industries, a platform for formulating coal chemical technology standards and specifications as well as promoting their application, and a platform for efficient and standardized business processing. During the planning phase of Phase 1, Stage 1 of Project I and Phase 1, Stage 1 of Project II, Yulin Chemical put forward a strategic vision for creating an intelligent factory characterized by knowledge-driven operations, smart management, human-machine collaboration, and continuous innovation. It pursued comprehensive digital delivery of projects through a unified platform, aimed at optimizing the company’s organizational structure and streamlining its workforce. By carrying out digital transformation efforts, the company sought to become a globally leading benchmark in intelligent coal chemical manufacturing that is safe, green, efficient, and intelligent. Digital delivery is the first step in the digitization of smart factories, and it is also an essential part of the data chain in such factories. The digital delivery platform integrates all the documents related to the entire project lifecycle – including design, procurement, construction, and acceptance – in a digital, structured, and platform-based manner. This enables the operation and maintenance of smart factories to rely on comprehensive, reliable, and efficient static databases. It also provides rich mathematical models and 3D models as a foundation for the information systems associated with smart factories. The full digital delivery that Yulin Chemical is about to achieve is also the first digital delivery project in China’s coal chemical industry to achieve unity in terms of delivery scope, delivery platform, and delivery code. From selecting several university students to form a digital training team and sending them to Shanghai for training on digital delivery software, to the holding in Xi’an of the preliminary design review meeting for the first phase of the project, which involves an ethylene glycol production facility with an annual capacity of 1.8 million tons – where the expert panel unanimously approved the design – and then to the establishment of a leadership team for the smart factory as well as the holding of meetings to advance its construction... Yulin Chemical is working diligently and steadily to advance the construction of this smart factory, accelerating the implementation of this project in order to achieve production automation, optimal control, information interconnection, visual monitoring, and standardized business processes as soon as possible. Press the ‘fast forward button’ to accelerate project development. As a key project for deep coal processing under the 13th Five-Year Plan by the National Development and Reform Commission and the Energy Bureau, as well as a key project under Shaanxi Province’s 13th Five-Year Plan, and as a project that receives priority support from Shaanxi Coal Group during both the 13th and 14th Five-Year Plans, this project carries great responsibilities and a glorious mission. At Yulin Chemical, the “21630” goal is firmly rooted in the minds of every person involved in the project: by June 30, 2021, both Phase 1 of Project 1 and Phase 1 of Project 2 were to reach mechanical completion. Large projects require thorough planning as well as great enthusiasm! To formulate a scientific and rational schedule for project construction, Yulin Chemical held several special meetings to thoroughly analyze the factors that affect the overall progress of the project. It established an annual work plan for project construction and, by optimizing the plan management and progress control systems, regularly monitored and supervised the implementation of the project plan. At the same time, monthly evaluations of the performance of each contractor’s construction projects are carried out; those contractors whose project progress is slow or delayed have their performance reported to the higher-level authorities, so that corrective measures can be taken promptly to ensure that all projects are completed on schedule, with proper implementation and tangible results. According to Wang Huimin, Deputy Secretary of the Party Committee and General Manager of Yulin Chemical Company, this year is a crucial year for project construction. The entire company is focused on achieving all set goals and tasks, keeping strict track of the deadlines, and coordinating strategic planning with tactical actions to ensure that project construction progresses smoothly in all aspects. Especially since April, the company has focused on five key areas: investment, overall progress, management improvement, project quality, and safety, environmental protection, and fire management. It has launched comprehensive efforts to catch up and surpass others, pressing the \"fast forward button\" for project construction. One part planning, nine parts implementation. Each project department promptly organized special meetings to further refine the implementation plan, fostering a positive atmosphere of striving for excellence. The Gasification and Purification Project Department employs professional engineers to monitor the progress of construction tasks on a daily basis, while the department head conducts thorough analyses of the progress toward achieving target milestones every Saturday, in order to address any difficulties that arise during construction promptly. Guided by the goal of catching up and surpassing others, the Air Separation Thermoelectric Project Department formulated plans for the pouring of large-volume concrete and subsequent maintenance, and arranged for personnel to work in shifts 24/7 to ensure the continuous and smooth pouring of the concrete. The Mechanical, Electrical and Instrumentation Management Department is making every effort to create standout features for the large-scale welding plant; it also adopts 24-hour shift work to ensure that the scheduled tasks are completed on time. On May 30, the soil filling at the concrete ring beam of 0.700 meters in the gasification framework of the coal gasification unit was completed successfully, marking the successful fulfillment of this month’s goals set by the Gasification and Purification Project Team ； On June 22, the steam drum of Boiler No. 3 at the power station, whose construction was overseen by the Air Separation and Thermal Power Department, began to be lifted. This was 13 days ahead of the company’s secondary schedule and 23 days ahead of the annual plan; 10 days later, the steam drum of Boiler No. 4 at the power station was also successfully lifted ； The construction workers from the Mechanical, Electrical and Instrumentation Management Department overcame the effects of changing weather conditions as well as the simultaneous operations related to equipment manufacturing on site, and completed the construction of the key visual features of the large-scale welding plant in just 6 days... The timely completion of these various projects demonstrates the speed at which the Yulin Chemical project is being built. During project construction, Yulin Chemical also relies on the issued procedural documents to standardize operations across all project departments, carrying out standardization efforts in five areas: organizational structure, office facilities, job responsibilities, work processes, and on-site management. By institutionalizing business management and experience through standardized processes, enterprise management efficiency and capabilities are gradually improved, thereby establishing a set of standard rules that can be followed consistently, replicated, and transferred. This ensures a more solid foundation for project management, more standardized construction practices, more scientific control methods, and higher-quality teams. Confidence is strength, and determination leads to success. At present, the workers at Yulin Chemical are full of enthusiasm and determination; they work together to overcome challenges, making every effort to accelerate the construction progress. They strive to achieve the annual goals as well as the “21630” objectives, and they also work hard to help Shaanxi Coal Group become a world-class enterprise, develop into a lasting company, and achieve high-quality growth in the new era.