It provides a new model for the development of the nitrogen fertilizer industry in our country

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The project titled “Development, Research, and Application of Advanced Technologies and Complete Sets of Equipment for the Entire Nitrogen Fertilizer Production Process,” which aims to provide new models for the development of China’s nitrogen fertilizer industry and to raise the level of nitrogen fertilizer production technologies as well as the manufacturing capabilities of related equipment to international advanced standards, was recently awarded the **Second Prize for Scientific and Technological Progress** for this year. The China Petroleum and Chemical Industry Association stated that: \"With the completion and operation of this project, China has developed a comprehensive set of technologies for large-scale fertilizer production based on its own intellectual property rights, as well as the capability to use domestically produced equipment for such facilities; this represents a historic breakthrough in China’s field of large-scale fertilizer production.\" ” Yang Zhenfeng, general manager of Shandong Hualu Hengsheng Chemical Co., Ltd., the main person responsible for this project, told reporters that since China’s fertilizer industry first imported 13 large-scale fertilizer production units in 1973, a total of 33 such units have been introduced, yet not a single one of them was designed and manufactured in China. In a single set of installation units, the costs associated with patent licensing and process software packages are around 10 million US dollars each; all the key equipment for large-scale fertilizer production plants relies on imports. For a long time, the localization of major technical equipment for large-scale fertilizer plants has been under close attention by **the relevant ministries and industry departments. Furthermore, in our country, ammonia synthesis plants that use coal as a raw material account for about 67% of the total ammonia production, and coal will remain the primary raw material for the ammonia synthesis industry in the future. Given these national conditions, Hualu Hengsheng, taking advantage of China’s technical and equipment manufacturing capabilities as well as its own abilities in absorption and innovation, worked together with Hualu Engineering Technology Co., Ltd. and China Global Engineering Corporation to undertake and complete the development of this set of large-scale fertilizer production equipment as part of the 10th Five-Year Plan. Two invention patents were applied for, and 7 utility model patents were granted. Yang Zhenfeng explained that the project \"Development, Research, and Application of Full-Process Technologies and Complete Sets of Equipment for Large-Scale Nitrogen Fertilizers\" focuses on advancing technologies in the field of advanced manufacturing and major equipment. It has led to the development of technologies and complete sets of equipment for large-scale fertilizer and air separation production with independent intellectual property rights. For the first time, it has been possible to achieve domestic production of 500,000 tons of synthetic ammonia, 200,000 tons of methanol, 12,000 cubic meters per hour of carbon monoxide, 700,000 tons of urea, and 40,000 cubic meters per hour of air separation capacity using coal as raw material, thereby raising the technical and equipment standards in the fertilizer industry. Focusing on the research and development of process technologies and equipment for air separation, coal gasification, purification, ammonia synthesis, methanol production, carbon monoxide generation, and urea production, the project team independently developed a composite process that utilizes coal to produce syngas while simultaneously generating ammonia, methanol, and carbon monoxide, enabling controlled adjustment of the output of these three products ； Engineering and production technologies for gasification, purification, ammonia synthesis, methanol, urea, etc. have been developed, achieving the localization of large-scale fertilizer production technologies ； Key equipment was developed, enabling the localization of major equipment ； An operational model that enables simultaneous project development and construction was introduced, reducing the project construction timeline ； The operating mechanism of the device was improved, which facilitated the project’s rapid achievement of target standards and production capacity, enabling continuous and stable operation. Industry experts believe that the outcomes of this project are of great significance for promoting adjustments in the raw materials and products used in the nitrogen fertilizer industry, as well as for facilitating technological upgrades in small and medium-sized fertilizer manufacturers. It helps to reduce energy consumption, protect the environment, improve the technical level and equipment standards of the industry, provide a model and technical support for its development, and stimulate the growth of related industries ； At the same time, it provided a model for the renovation of small and medium-sized nitrogen fertilizer plants. Its overall technical level is internationally advanced, with significant economic and social benefits, and it holds broad prospects for market application. It is understood that the comprehensive energy consumption per ton of ammonia produced by this project is on par with that of international ammonia synthesis plants that use coal as a raw material. The independent intellectual property achievements resulting from this project include: water-coal slurry gasification technology, low-temperature methanol washing and liquid nitrogen washing technologies, “megapascal ammonia synthesis technology,” and a new process for producing urea with improved efficiency and reduced energy consumption through full circulation of aqueous solutions. The successful development of these process technologies has enabled our country to acquire the capability for independent design and development of large-scale nitrogen fertilizer plants, resulting in system processes with proprietary intellectual property rights. To date, all outcomes of the project have been put into practice, with the first domestic production facility for large-scale nitrogen fertilizers having been established in China. The device has been operating smoothly to date, with all performance indicators meeting the design requirements. By the end of 2007, an additional 833,200 tons of synthetic ammonia, 411,400 tons of methanol, and 1.2 million tons of urea had been produced ； New sales revenue amounted to 2.141 billion yuan, with profits and taxes totaling 803 million yuan; this represented a savings of nearly 1.2 billion yuan in investment compared to introducing similar foreign equipment. Thanks to the demonstration role of this project and the technologies developed, over 10 units have been built across the country using domestic coal gasification, purification, methanol, and urea technologies. Take the new urea production technology featuring energy savings and increased yield through full circulation of aqueous solutions as an example. Building a new urea plant with an aqueous solution full-circulation capacity of 110,000 tons per year or 150,000 tons per year requires an investment of around 87 million yuan; whereas using this technology for capacity expansion upgrades can save nearly 50 million yuan in investment. In an era when the whole country is advocating the establishment of a conservation-oriented society, if all the more than 80 domestic urea plants with a production capacity of 110,000 tons per year or 150,000 tons per year that use aqueous solutions could be upgraded using this technology, it would be possible to save nearly 4 billion yuan in investment costs, while generating annual benefits of over 1 billion yuan.