Thread Content
Tianye Group’s project for producing 600,000 tons of ethylene glycol per year has achieved full operational capability, with polyester-grade ethylene glycol being successfully manufactured. Author/Source: Guanzhi Tianye; Date: August 25, 2020; Clicks: 9. At 2:30 p.m. on August 24, Tianye Group’s facility for producing 600,000 tons of ethylene glycol per year managed to produce polyester-grade ethylene glycol. Tests showed that the purity of this product was 99.96%, and its ultraviolet transmittance was satisfactory; it met the standards for high-quality ethylene glycol and satisfied the highest requirements set by the polyester industry for such a material. This marks the completion of all stages of this project and its entry into production. It is understood that this project relies primarily on Tianye Group’s extensive production experience and research achievements in the field of coal chemical industry. During the planning and construction of the project, a variety of resource-recycling technologies were innovatively applied, and first-class large-scale equipment from within China was introduced. Advanced international technologies for the synthesis of dimethyl oxalate and hydrogenation were used to produce polyester-grade ethylene glycol. This approach underscores the project’s advantages in terms of large-scale equipment, intensive use of technology, and large-scale production. The capacity of the project’s core reactors, the scale of each production line, and the quality of the products are all at the leading level both domestically and internationally. It is currently the largest coal-based ethylene glycol production project built in China. Since the start of the project’s commissioning phase, the Tianye Group project command team has provided comprehensive coordination and meticulous organization. Production supervisors have been on site throughout the entire process to direct operations, while technical personnel analyzed the data generated during the trial production phase and made necessary adjustments accordingly. Safety officers ensured that all potential hazards were identified and eliminated. On-site operators worked in three shifts to keep the production equipment running smoothly. With close cooperation among all teams, the project was advanced safely and efficiently, enabling all production units to operate as planned. Among these, the gasification furnace was successfully ignited on July 28; coal water slurry was fed successfully on July 29; the methanol production process was launched smoothly on August 1; the dimethyl oxalate intermediate was produced on August 20; and the entire production process was completed on August 24. The whole commissioning process was carried out safely and efficiently, setting a benchmark for the commissioning of large-scale coal chemical plants in the industry. The end product of this project, ethylene glycol, has a wide range of applications; it is mainly used in the production of polyesters, antifreeze, paint solvents, cold-resistant lubricants, surfactants, and polyester polyols. Once the project is operational, it will provide new impetus for the economic growth of Tianye Group. Meanwhile, it will ensure a supply of raw materials for subsequent projects in the Shihu Tan New Materials Industrial Park, which are part of the group’s key initiatives – namely the production of differentiated polyesters and special fibers, as well as high-end olefins and engineering plastics. This will help to further develop and strengthen Tianye Group’s circular economy industry chain. (Zhao Xiaoshan, Zhai Jie)