Shaanxi Chemical Industry’s Gasification Plant: Benchmarking Management to Drive Improvement and Help Achieve Excellent Production Results

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Shaanxi Chemical Industry’s Gasification Plant: Benchmarking Management to Drive Improvement and Achieve Better Production Results Author/Source: Shaanxi Chemical Industry Date: 2022-04-15 Clicks: 3 During the first quarter, the gasification plant focused on ensuring stable and high-level production by continuously innovating and optimizing the systems in order to enhance their stable operation. By adopting benchmarking management as the guiding principle for its work throughout the year, it made sustained efforts to advance this approach, thereby improving various process and technical indicators. This led to increased stability, continuity, and efficiency of the systems, with many benchmarking metrics reaching record levels, providing a solid foundation for achieving the annual goals. Multiple benchmark indicators have reached record levels. In March, the ammonia oxygen consumption was 689 Km3/tNH3, which is 56 Km3/tNH3 less than the benchmark value ； The average slurry concentration reached 63.7%, an increase of 0.2% compared to the benchmark value; the methanol consumption per ton of ammonia continued to reach new lows, setting new records as well. On this basis, the branch plant attaches great importance to benchmarking management, requiring technicians to prepare monthly personal benchmarking summaries in order to build on their strengths, address their weaknesses, and make continuous improvements to enhance their professional skills ； The implementation of team benchmarking is ensured by tracking the completion of each team’s benchmark targets; those targets that are not met are analyzed, discussed, and improved upon, thereby continuously optimizing system operations to ensure stable and high-level production. The benchmarking projects boast numerous highlights. In March, the burner of Gasification Unit B operated continuously for 78 days, setting a new record since the unit’s commissioning. The branch plant improved coal management by controlling the size of the coal particles, coordinated the supply of additive materials to maintain a stable concentration of these additives, and further refined and optimized parameters such as furnace temperature, gas temperature at the exit of the processing unit, and the volume of black exhaust discharged. Continuous adjustments were made to the operating time of the gasification furnace, with the goal of reaching 80 days of continuous operation. In the same month, the average gas flow rate into section 706A of the low-temperature methanol wash unit was 165,154 Nm3/h, a significant increase compared to the same period in previous years. The branch factory continued to optimize the operating parameters of the low-temperature methanol wash unit, keeping the pressure difference in tower T1601 at 0.065 Mpa and improving the operation of tower T1605; as a result, the water content in the system remained below 0.20%, further increasing the gas flow rate into section 706A of the low-temperature methanol wash unit. Learn from each other’s strengths to support major maintenance efforts. As the major maintenance campaign approaches, the maintenance of the purification unit’s T1601 tower is the key focus of this effort, as well as its most challenging aspect. The processing procedures for this tower, which is over 80 meters tall, as well as the replacement of its trays, are all being carried out for the first time since the plant was built. To ensure the safety and efficiency of these maintenance activities, at the end of March, relevant personnel from the branch factory and various departments visited sister companies to exchange ideas regarding the processing of the T1601 tower. In-depth discussions were held on the advantages and disadvantages of using water and steam for cleaning the tower, with the aim of learning from each other’s experiences and ensuring that the maintenance of the T1601 tower is completed safely and smoothly. Through a series of benchmarking-based measures, the gasification plant has effectively promoted tangible improvements in various system indicators, laying the foundation for the successful achievement of annual production targets.