I wonder how long it takes to start and stop your equipment each time?
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Hello everyone, I work in the methanol industry. Our workshop is responsible for managing many different units, including shift reactors, acid removal systems, synthesis units, and distillation units. I’m not sure how you organize these units; I’d like to know how long it takes from feeding coal into the system to producing steam and then methanol It would be great if you could explain the process of driving each unit. Hehe, I’d appreciate it if an expert could give a brief explanation, or at least tell me what indicator shows that it’s time to move on to the next unit after completing the previous one
At our company, parking generally takes 8–16 hours, while driving takes 16–48 hours, not including the initial heating and reduction process of the catalyst. It’s hard to say in special cases.
Previously, we usually drove for one shift (8 hours) and stopped for shorter periods.
We are mainly dealing with gases; it takes about 4 hours to drive there, and about 1 hour to park. :)
If photosynthesis is used for driving the process, it generally goes from pressure increase to steam generation, and it takes four to five hours to produce qualified distillation products. If the gasification furnace is started, the furnace temperature is normal. In other words, it is restarted after the gasification furnace shuts down; generally, it takes five to six hours for the gas to go through purification. Once the syngas has been purified and washed, it is directly used in methanol synthesis. Therefore, it takes at least 10 hours from gasification to the production of qualified distillate products.
For short-term parking, 8 hours is sufficient; once the crude alcohol is drained, it is considered as if driving has begun, and distillation can be carried out later, providing operational flexibility.
This question is somewhat challenging; here is a reference timeline (using coal as the raw material): 1. Igniting the boiler → steam parameters reach normal levels: 2 hours. 2. Igniting the gas furnace → coal quality and quantity are within normal ranges: 4–5 hours (about 1 hour under conditions of furnace warming up). 3. Starting the desulfurization process for gas replacement → H2S levels in the outlet gas become acceptable: 2 hours. 4. Replacing gases in the compressor and starting it → sending the gas to the shift converter: 1 hour. 5. Replacing gases in the shift converter, increasing pressure, and raising the catalyst temperature until the outlet gas meets specifications (depending on the rate of pressure and temperature increase): 2–14 hours. 6. The decarburization process depends on the technique used; dry decarburization takes about 0.5 hours, while wet decarburization takes 1–2 hours. 7. Refining process: Alkylation, which depends on the catalyst temperature; if temperature and pressure are maintained constant, it takes about 0.5 hours, but if temperature and pressure are increased, the time varies depending on the rate: 2–18 hours. Copper washing: This depends on the composition of the copper solution, as well as the rate at which copper is drawn out and the PPM levels; it generally takes around 2 hours as well. 8. Synthesis process: Also affected by rising temperature and pressure; takes about 2–14 hours. 9. Distillation: If there is crude alcohol in stock, and steam and water are available, the process can be started in advance, with no time constraint. So the total time is: 4-72 hours