Catalyst loading in the pure oxygen conversion furnace of the conversion unit for Henan Energy Xinjiang Zhongtai coal coking methanol project has been completed

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Catalyst loading in the pure oxygen conversion furnace of the conversion unit of Henan Energy Xinjiang Zhongtai Coal Coking Methanol Project completed. Author/Source: Coal Chemical Engineering 114 Forum. Date: November 23, 2020. Clicks: 21. On November 18, the catalyst loading process in the pure oxygen conversion furnace of the conversion unit of Henan Energy Xinjiang Zhongtai Coal Coking Company’s 200,000 tons per year methanol project was fully completed, and all manway flanges were reinstalled. This marks the near completion of the installation of the main equipment in the conversion unit of this methanol project, with full transition to the commissioning and purging phase upcoming. The pure oxygen converter is the core equipment in the conversion process. A cylindrical pure oxygen converter is used, and its main task is to convert methane in the feed gas into hydrogen and carbon monoxide, which are the effective gases for synthesizing methanol. The catalyst loaded in the pure oxygen converter is primarily intended to increase the conversion rate of methane. On November 19, inside the maintenance facility for the 200,000 tons per year methanol production project using coke oven gas at Henan Energy Xinjiang Zhongtai Coal Coking Company, the sound of nitrogen generators operating non-stop could be heard. After two days of intensive installation and testing, these nitrogen generators managed to produce qualified nitrogen on the first attempt. During the commissioning of the methanol project, a large amount of nitrogen is required to purge the equipment and pipelines, but the nitrogen produced by the company is limited in quantity and cannot meet the needs of the plant’s commissioning. With the coordination of the Xinjiang branch, the company promptly obtained a nitrogen generator from Zhongwei Coal Industry. To ensure the progress of testing, as soon as the nitrogen generator arrived at the factory, the company arranged for its equipment technicians to work overtime through the night to assemble and test it. Thanks to the joint efforts of everyone, the equipment was installed in just one and a half days. Ultimately, after 5 hours of troubleshooting, at 19:30 on November 18, the nitrogen generator showed an oxygen concentration of 99% online. Sampling and analysis by quality control personnel confirmed that the produced nitrogen was of satisfactory quality and suitable for use in the testing process. At 22:15 on that day, qualified nitrogen was officially supplied to the nitrogen pipeline network of the methanol project, providing a guarantee for accelerating the commissioning process in the subsequent steps. 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 conversion of local resources with advantages, boost the economic development and structural adjustment of Baicheng County, and achieve simultaneous gains in terms of environmental protection and economic benefits