Optimized operation of Zhongan United air separation unit yields positive results

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Optimized operation of the Zhong’an United air separation unit yields positive results. Author/Source: Gas Separation. Date: 2022-01-13. Clicks: 16. “The steam consumption of Unit 2 of the air separation unit has decreased by 4 tons per hour, which translates to a daily savings of 12.4 tons of standard coal.” ”When introducing the current operating status of the air separation unit in Zhong’an United Gasification Department, the unit’s director, Fang Baiping, counted it out on his fingers. The air separation unit is a production facility that supports the operations of Zhongan United Coal Chemical Industry, and it represents a significant source of profit growth for the company. In 2021, a total of 183,000 tons of air separation liquid products were sold throughout the year, an increase of 24,500 tons compared to the previous year. Sales revenue rose by 81% on a year-on-year basis, with both the volume of sales and the sales revenue reaching record highs. The Zhongan United air separation units use the cryogenic air separation process to produce oxygen, nitrogen, and argon. There are 3 such units in total (3×75,000 Nm3/h), which supply oxygen, nitrogen, and other gases to the plant’s production facilities as well as to the auxiliary utility systems. While ensuring the supply required for coal chemical production, any excess liquid products resulting from air separation are sold to external parties. Aiming to ensure the efficient and economical operation of air separation units, the Gasification Department of Zhongan United focuses on providing special maintenance for key equipment and large-scale systems, thereby ensuring that the equipment operates under optimal conditions ； Conduct regular inspections for potential safety hazards in production, establish a list of issues, and take timely actions to address and improve them ； By guiding young workers to tackle technical challenges and eliminate production bottlenecks, the Gasification Department has laid a solid foundation for the efficient operation of the air separation unit. At the end of 2021, given that the continuous operation period of Air Separation Unit No. 2 had exceeded 20 months and the unit’s economic operating efficiency had declined, the department took advantage of the downtime resulting from maintenance work on the purification units to carry out planned repairs on Unit No. 2. This allowed for the timely resolution of key issues that affected energy consumption, such as fouling on the air compressor impellers, internal leakage in the molecular sieve charging valves, and fouling on the heat exchangers of the water-cooled units, thereby improving the unit’s operating efficiency. Since New Year’s Day, the gasification units at Zhong’an United Gasification Department have been operating safely and at high capacity, providing a stable supply of gas for the coal chemical production facilities. In the early days of January, nearly 5,000 tons of air separation products such as liquid oxygen, liquid argon, and liquid nitrogen were sold in total, continuing the strong sales momentum seen in 2021 and securing a successful start for the sales of these liquid air separation products.