The gasification technology developed by East China University of Science and Technology was applied for the first time in the field of coal-to-natural gas production

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The gasification technology developed by East China University of Science and Technology was applied for the first time in the field of coal-to-natural gas production. Author/Source: Gasification World. Date: 2021-09-14. Clicks: 8. Recent news from the site of a coal-to-natural gas project in Inner Mongolia indicates that the super-large multi-nozzle opposed water-coal slurry gasification unit, capable of processing 4,000 tons of coal per day per furnace, which was developed jointly by East China University of Science and Technology and Yankuang Group Co., Ltd. (Shandong Energy Group Co., Ltd.), has successfully been put into operation for the first time. The device is designed to produce a maximum gas volume of 247,500 Nm3/h (CO + H2), making it the gasifier with the highest gas production capacity among those currently in operation worldwide. The successful commissioning of this coal-to-natural gas project marks the first application of Huali’s gasification technology in the field of coal-to-natural gas production. The project involves constructing 3 multi-nozzle opposed water-coal slurry gasifiers, with a pressure of 6.5 MPa and a diameter of 4000 mm (2 in operation and 1 as backup). This furnace type is an ultra-large-scale gasification furnace (capable of processing 4,000 tons of coal per day per unit) developed as part of a key research and development project under the **13th Five-Year Plan**, undertaken by East China University of Science and Technology and Yankuang Group Co., Ltd.; it is currently the largest operating coal-water slurry gasification furnace in the world. This successful commissioning also marks the first time that this super-large gasifier has been successfully applied outside of a demonstration facility. With the establishment of China’s goals for carbon peak and carbon neutrality, the clean and efficient use of coal is a top priority for energy conservation and emission reduction. The enlargement of the gasifier, the core unit in modern coal chemical plants, is one of the effective ways to improve energy utilization efficiency and reduce the total investment in such projects. Since the operation of the first 1,000-ton-class demonstration unit for multi-nozzle opposed water-coal slurry gasification in 2005, Huali has remained at the international forefront in research and development related to the scaling up of gasification facilities, achieving advancements from a single furnace capable of processing 1,000 tons of coal per day to capacities of 2,000 tons, 3,000 tons, and 4,000 tons per day. To date, a total of 197 gasification units from 66 projects have been promoted and put into use; 37 of these projects are currently in operation, with 102 gasification units active. This has played a significant role in driving the transformation and upgrading of China’s energy and chemical industries, laying a technical foundation for the early achievement of the \"dual carbon\" goals. It is understood that this coal-to-natural gas project is located in the Shengyuan Coal Chemical Industry Base in Yijinhuoluo Banner, Ordos City. The project uses coal as raw material to produce synthetic natural gas and liquefied natural gas; it is the first demonstration project for coal-to-natural gas in the country to be invested and built by a private enterprise. The project is constructed in two phases: Phase 1 required an investment of around 7 billion yuan, and it began operations in trial mode in October 2014, with all 400 million cubic meters of natural gas being liquefied ； The second-phase natural gas liquefaction project (LNG) is a load-driven natural gas liquefaction plant. The planned investment for this project is 12 billion yuan; the construction will include natural gas purification, liquefaction, storage of liquefied natural gas, transportation, as well as related supporting facilities. It will enable an additional production capacity of 1.6 billion cubic meters of coal-based natural gas, all of which will be liquefied, with a processing capacity of 2.7 million cubic meters of natural gas per day.