The coal-to-hydrogen plant of Sinochem Refining has produced qualified hydrogen!

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The coal-to-hydrogen plant of Sinochem Refining has produced qualified hydrogen! Author/Source: Sinopec Ningbo Engineering Date: 2020-09-13 Clicks: 8 At 3 p.m. today, the coal-to-hydrogen (POX) unit of the Sinochem Refining and Chemical Integration Project, which is under EPC contract by Ningbo Engineering Company, achieved full operational capacity, producing hydrogen with a purity of 99.9%; this hydrogen was then integrated into Sinochem’s 20-kilogram hydrogen pipeline network. This marks the complete success of the first industrial application in Sinopec Refining of the company’s self-developed 2000-ton-class SE-Dongfang furnace coal gasification technology for clean coal gasification! The coal-to-hydrogen (POX) unit of the Sinochem Refining and Chemical Integration Project produces 180,000 standard cubic meters of hydrogen per hour. The unit includes supporting systems such as a gasification unit, a purification unit, and a low-temperature hot water station; 99.9% high-purity hydrogen produced is used throughout the plant. The gasification and purification units utilize the company’s self-developed 2000-ton-class SE-Oriental coal powder gasification technology, sulfur-resistant carbon monoxide shift technology, and S-AGR acidic gas desulfurization technology. Among them, the 2000-ton Dongfang furnace represents another \"upgraded version\" of such furnaces, following the successful use of 1000-ton Dongfang furnaces at Yangzi Petrochemical and 1500-ton Dongfang furnaces at Zhongan United. As part of Sinopec’s \"Ten Dragon\" key project, its successful commissioning laid a solid foundation for the smooth completion of this project. POX plant node timeline: On March 21, 2018, the pile foundation construction began. On March 4, 2020, it fully entered the single-unit load testing phase. On April 30, 2020, the first coal grinder, a key equipment of the plant, completed its no-load test successfully. On July 12, 2020, the three hot air furnaces in this unit were successfully ignited externally one after another. On July 14, 2020, the feeding trial run of the coal grinding and drying unit was successful on the first attempt, achieving the goals of normal equipment operation, excellent process parameters for coal grinding and drying, and no leaks in the coal powder system. On September 7, 2020, the oxygen and nitrogen products produced by the 70,000 standard cubic meter air separation unit passed the purification tests and were delivered to the coal-to-hydrogen plant for use in passivating oxygen pipes. On September 10, 2020, the first pulverized coal gasifier in Sinopec’s coal-to-hydrogen facility successfully processed coal for the first time, producing qualified crude syngas. At 15:00 on September 12, 2020, the device successfully produced hydrogen, and the quality check was successful. For over two months, Zhang Wei, the company’s expert in gasification technology, on behalf of the patent holders for the process technology related to coal-to-hydrogen plants as well as the company’s design team, worked together with the team of experts responsible for plant commissioning. They went to the site every day to provide the owners with competent technical support for the commissioning of the plants, and resolved promptly all kinds of technical issues related to feeding coal into the gasifiers. For over two years, Yan Xiong, the construction manager for the coal-to-hydrogen unit of the company’s integrated refining and chemical project, has been working tirelessly on site every day. He ensures smooth communication with designers, suppliers, and subcontractors, coordinates activities among different subcontractors, handles issues that arise on site in relation to the design specifications, keeps track of the arrival of equipment and materials, and resolves any obstacles that arise during installation as soon as possible. By taking into account the arrival of equipment and materials, he manages the pace of construction and installation, formulates plans for on-site work, and thus plays a pioneering and exemplary role as a professional.