The transformation project of the coal-based synthetic oil company is progressing steadily!

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The transformation project of the coal-based synthetic oil company is progressing steadily! Author/Source: Lu’an Chemical Industry Date: 2021-10-28 Clicks: 17 The transformation and upgrading of production facilities is a key task and priority for this coal-based synthetic oil company this year. Since work began in May of this year, the company has mobilized all its resources and efforts to push forward with these initiatives, and currently all tasks are progressing in an orderly manner. The gas conversion project is now ready for operation. The coal-based synthetic oil company is an industrial demonstration project with an annual production capacity of 160,000 tons of oils, and it also produces 300,000 tons of urea as a by-product from the exhaust gases. It is the first domestic demonstration plant for coal-based synthetic oil produced via the indirect liquefaction method, selected through a tender process for such projects. Since it began operations in 2008, the company has been operating steadily for many years, achieving full capacity or even exceeding it; as a model project, its mission has been fulfilled. With the construction of several million-ton-scale coal-to-oil projects in China in recent years, intensified homogeneous competition, and the sharp drop in international oil prices, which has led to a significant decline in the prices of petroleum-based chemical products, the prospects for companies involved in coal-based synthetic oil production are not optimistic. Guided by the \"culture of cost accounting\" rooted in the group’s lean philosophy, and with the aim of maximizing corporate efficiency, the Coal-Based Synthetic Oil Company takes into account the current market conditions as well as its own capabilities. Through thorough research and repeated analysis, it focuses on making the most of existing assets, facilities, and even technologies. Through project evaluation, among the 9 different options for conversion and renovation, the coal-based synthetic oil company, with the determination to forge a path through any obstacles, boldly chose the option of suspending its oil production line, adding new conversion units, and operating at full capacity to produce synthetic ammonia and urea – the option that offered the best overall benefits. At the site of the production conversion project, Niu Xiaoqiang, director of the technology center at the Coal-Based Synthetic Oil Company, explained to the journalists: “The main components of the raw gas produced by the Lurgi gasifier at the Coal-Based Synthetic Oil Company are CO, H2, CH4, CO2, etc. As part of the production conversion project, when only the ammonia synthesis process is in operation, CO will no longer be used as an effective gas in the reactions. In order to increase the amount of effective gas available for ammonia synthesis and reduce production costs, the Coal-Based Synthetic Oil Company has added a gas shift unit, which converts CO and H2O into H2 and CO2 through a reaction catalyzed by a catalyst; these gases are then used in subsequent processes for the production of ammonia and urea.” ” The gas shift modification is part of this conversion project; another component involves optimizing the existing low-temperature methanol washing unit. By adding flash towers and carbon dioxide regenerators, toxic and harmful gases such as H2S, CO2, and NH4 present in the shift gas generated in the previous process are removed, ensuring that clean gas meeting the required standards is supplied to the pressure swing adsorption unit, thereby producing high-quality hydrogen. “The purity of CO2 produced using the original process was only 97%, with a gas flow rate of 8,900 standard cubic meters per hour. To meet the requirements of the conversion and renovation, we increased the number of flash towers, which raised the purity of carbon dioxide from 97% to 99%. The output volume of CO2 also increased from 8,900 to 15,000 standard cubic meters per hour, thereby meeting the needs for urea production. ”said Ren Haibin, director of the purification workshop at the coal-based synthetic oil company. Switching to a new production line is a tough task, and to succeed in such a challenge, strong measures must be taken. To ensure project progress, the Party and administrative leadership of the coal-based synthetic oil company took charge of supervision, integrating oversight with motivation to urge all business departments to work in unison. Focusing on key issues such as machinery and equipment, safety, and technology, they emphasized the proper implementation of responsibilities, policies, and tasks, addressing deficiencies one by one, strengthening weak areas, and making every effort to overcome the challenges associated with the production transformation. In addition, the Party committee of the coal-based synthetic oil company implemented a working mechanism of \"team leaders taking responsibility for specific tasks and Party committee members providing supervision\" in order to focus on the work related to resuming production. Party committee members evaluated attitudes, work styles, and outcomes at the organizational, cadre, and party member levels, thereby ensuring that the leadership of the Party organization was effectively integrated into the company’s key production activities. This approach helped to ensure the orderly progress of key projects prior to the company’s restart, allowing the Party committee to fulfill its role of setting directions, overseeing overall operations, and promoting implementation. Supervision teams were established to carry out specialized oversight and support work at the grassroots level. In line with the requirements of having strong political awareness, innovative thinking, clear understanding, accurate positioning, a rigorous work style, and high motivation, these teams focused on supervising and guiding the performance of leading officials, the progress of projects, the role of party branches in ensuring safe production, and the exemplary behavior of party members, thus providing a solid disciplinary foundation for a smooth restart on schedule. By mid-month, the maintenance of the equipment, frameworks, and external pipe rack foundations for the gas shift unit in the conversion project had been completed. The installation of supporting equipment, as well as the laying of water supply and sewage pipelines, was also finished. The prefabrication and installation of process pipelines are nearly complete and are in the final stages; 90% of the electrical and instrumentation installation work has been done, while 80% of the pipeline pressure testing and purging tasks have been completed ； The installation of equipment and pipelines for the low-temperature methanol washing optimization project has been completed. Pressurization testing of the pipes in the high-CO zone has been finished, and pressurization testing of the pipes in the desulfurization tower is underway. Cable laying and individual pump tests have been completed, while 80% of the anti-corrosion and insulation work on the pipes and equipment in Zone 51 has been done. At present, the various finalization tasks are being carried out in an orderly and intense manner.