Types of gasifiers

On October 13, China’s first set of HT-L pressurized coal gasification furnaces, regarded as the first of their kind in the aerospace industry, were successfully tested at Puyang Longyu Chemical Co., Ltd., which is part of Henan Yongmei Group； Immediately thereafter, on October 31, the HT-L pressurized coal gasification demonstration project of Anhui Linquan Chemical Co., Ltd. also started up successfully with a single feeding operation. For a time, domestic gasifiers with independent intellectual property rights became the focus of attention for those in the coal chemical industry. How could the chemical industry be related to aerospace? How did space technology fulfill the aspirations of the chemical industry? What does this have to do with coal? The journalist’s interviews uncovered one mystery after another. Market demand has spurred creativity. Beijing Aerospace Wanyuan Coal Chemical Engineering Technology Co., Ltd. – just by hearing its name, it’s clear that it must be a combination of aerospace technology and coal chemical processing. Indeed, this company is affiliated with the Institute of Launch Vehicle Technology under the China National Space Administration (hereinafter referred to as the Launch Vehicle Institute); it is a \"specialized company\" established by aerospace professionals to enter the coal chemical industry. Aerospace and the chemical industry are originally two completely unrelated sectors, yet they are closely linked due to the gasifier, a key equipment in the coal chemical industry. “The idea of the space furnace is the result of a seamless collaboration between aerospace engineers and chemical engineers. Aerospace engineers have tackled the challenges related to hardware devices, while chemical engineers have overcome the difficulties associated with production processes. ”said Wang Mingkun, general manager of Beijing Aerospace Wanyuan Coal Chemical Engineering Technology Co., Ltd. Wang Mingkun told reporters that the Rocket Research Institute is a military-industrial enterprise, but 20 years ago it began to leverage its technical expertise in developing liquid rocket engines to work on the localization of equipment for the energy and chemical industries. At the Rocket Research Institute, many offices have copies of the China Chemical Industry News, as they keep a close eye on the developments in the petroleum and chemical industries. Wang Mingkun said, “Around 2005, we noticed that the coal chemical industry was gaining momentum, so we wanted to do something in this field.” ” There was also a direct reason that drove action in the aerospace sector: in December 2004, the China National Space Administration set the development goal of \"two 100 billion,\" and assigned targets for the development of the civil aviation industry at various levels, from the administration itself to its various institutes, and then to the individual factories and research centers. The targets assigned to the Rocket Research Institute could not be achieved merely by relying on the civilian projects it had at that time. Therefore, the burgeoning coal chemical industry was naturally included among the key areas of consideration by the Rocket Research Institute. And so, while the space workers were busy sending Shenzhou 5, Shenzhou 6, and Shenzhou 7 into space, they began to research gasification furnaces. The chemical industry has also been seeking suitable coal chemical technologies. Lu Zhengtao, former chief engineer of the Lanzhou Design Institute of Sinopec and current chief engineer of Beijing Aerospace Wanyuan Coal Chemical Engineering Technology Co., Ltd., explained that for a long time, the domestic coal chemical industry has been unable to develop on a large scale due to the lack of independent pressurized coal gasification technology in China. And the imported technologies cannot fully meet the needs of the domestic coal chemical industry either – if Texaco’s gasification technology is used, it is not possible to source the raw coal locally ； The investment required for adopting Shell’s gasification technology is too high. Therefore, developing domestic coal gasification technology that is efficient, clean, and adaptable to various coal types, with independent intellectual property rights, has always been the dream of the industry. Why choose the gasification furnace market as a starting point for breakthrough? Lu Zhengtao said that since the core component of a gasification furnace is its combustion nozzle, this nozzle must possess exceptional heat resistance, and it is quite difficult to achieve such properties. Similarly, the nozzle at the top of the rocket is also subjected to very high temperatures, and these temperatures are much higher than those experienced by the combustion nozzles in vaporization furnaces. If aerospace technology is \"grafted\" onto the coal chemical industry, it’s a bit like using an axe to kill a chicken; there is no issue with the technical difficulty. With this idea, all efforts to develop domestic gasification furnaces were launched in full swing. On March 1, 2005, the development project for domestic gasifiers was named Project “301”, with the code HT-L (the first letter of “Space Furnace”). On March 8 of the same year, the Rocket Research Institute filed applications with the **Patent Office for 14 invention patents, including those related to gasification furnaces. Based on the technical specifications of international advanced technologies, researchers identified three key objectives: local sourcing of raw coal, reduction of investment costs, and the use of domestically produced key equipment. To standardize and operate the aerospace gasification furnace projects on a market-based basis, on June 29, 2007, the Rocket Research Institute held a 70% stake in the establishment of Beijing Aerospace Wanyuan Coal Chemical Engineering Technology Co., Ltd. The survival of enterprises fosters practical application; at that time, the patents applied for were actually just various ideas, and the performance figures were merely theoretical data recorded in research reports. The concept of a space furnace still needed to be put into practice through an appropriate medium. Who is willing to act as this carrier? The methanol plant in Puyang City, Henan Province, which came online in October 1992, is a state-owned enterprise under the city’s jurisdiction. Before 2005, the plant was also the largest petrochemical complex in the Central Plains region, boasting great potential for development. However, in 2005, excessive debt and low market prices for methanol caused Bi Dianfeng, then the manager of the Puyang Methanol Plant, to be worried about the future. For development, it is necessary to reform old manufacturing processes, but choosing the right new processes has become Bi Dianfeng’s biggest concern. “At that time, the factory used old-fashioned fixed-bed gas generators for intermittent gas production; the process was outdated and inefficient, and it caused severe environmental pollution. In particular, old-fashioned gas generators require high-quality smokeless lump coal as raw material, which results in high production costs. When the methanol market is doing well, the factory can just manage to survive, but it becomes unprofitable when the market conditions are poor. The situation at the time was that if the old gasification furnaces were not upgraded, the factory had no other choice but to close down. Thus, we began to investigate coal-to-gas technology across the country in search of ways to upgrade the gasifiers. ”Bi Dianfeng recalled. Bi Dianfeng conducted market research for over a month. During that time, equipment and technologies such as the Texaco furnace, Shell gasification furnace, and the ash-polymerized fluidized bed coal gasification technology developed by the Shanxi Coal Chemistry Research Institute of the Chinese Academy of Sciences came under consideration for use in this plant. However, while some of these processes are efficient and produce little pollution, they have very strict requirements regarding the type of coal used. Other processes are complex and require large investments, which small and medium-sized enterprises like the Methanol Plant in Puyang City simply cannot afford. “By chance, we heard that a domestically produced space furnace with independent intellectual property rights was looking for partners, so we went to discuss matters with them right away. ”Bi Dianfeng recalled that after discussions with the Rocket Research Institute, they learned that the various technical specifications of this type of space furnace could match those of Shell furnaces, yet its price was much lower. Furthermore, having learned about the Rocket Research Institute’s advantages in technologies such as burners, they decided to use this type of space furnace. On December 7, 2005, the Rocket Research Institute entered into three contracts with the Puyang Methanol Plant regarding the construction of the first pilot plant for the HT-L coal gasification process for methanol production at a capacity of 150,000 tons per year. The Rocket Research Institute agreed to invest 100 million yuan in manufacturing the industrial furnaces and providing technical support ； The Puyang Methanol Plant has invested 180 million yuan to build a demonstration facility ； In March 2006, the two parties officially began their cooperation. However, not long after the contract was signed, the Puyang Methanol Plant encountered difficulties due to restructuring and financial constraints, forcing the aerospace furnace project to be put on hold. The development of the industrial chain ensured success; at a critical moment, the intervention of Yongmei Group, a leading enterprise in Henan Province, brought new life to the aerospace furnace project. Early in the morning on December 24, 2006, Chen Xuefeng, the chairman of Yongmei Group, instructed one of the vice presidents to \"rush to Puyang to sign the agreement…\" On the same day, Yongmei Group reached an agreement with the authorities in Puyang: Yongmei Group would acquire the former Puyang Methanol Factory, which had declared bankruptcy, and a new company named Puyang Longyu Chemical Co., Ltd. would be established, with Yongmei Group taking control while the employees holding shares in the company. The agreement also stipulates that the new company shall take on the construction of the space furnace project. Chen Xuefeng – this coal industry expert with a highly distinctive perspective – is well aware of the potential value of this gap in China’s coal chemical sector, and is determined to fill it. Although the raw coal produced by Yongmei Group has a low ash content and high calorific value, and it is located near the main coastal markets, demand for its products remains high. Yet Chen Xuefeng knows that as time goes by, it will become increasingly difficult to extract coal. These black golds, which took hundreds of millions or even billions of years to form, should realize greater value. Thus, Yongmei Group turned its attention to the downstream part of the industry chain – methanol. Chen Xuefeng believes that resource-based enterprises are highly affected by industry cycles, and without a relatively scientific industrial chain, their risks increase further. To maximize a company’s profits, it is necessary to extend the industrial chain. Therefore, Yongmei Group must develop downstream industries closely related to coal, and focus on building multiple industrial chains such as coal-coal chemical industry and coal-electricity industry. Chen Xuefeng also warned the newly appointed head of Longyu Chemical Company: \"The new company has just been established and is facing operational difficulties. Your mission is not only to run this enterprise successfully so that its 1,200 employees can have a stable livelihood and opportunities for growth, but more importantly, as a member of Yongmei, you must be determined to succeed in producing the first furnace for aerospace use.\" ” However, upon learning that the methanol plant in Puyang City went bankrupt and was restructured midway, the Rocket Research Institute stated that it was unwilling to continue the cooperation. So, Chen Xuefeng showed great perseverance – he sent people to stay in Beijing for several days, waiting for hours in the lobby of the Rocket Research Institute’s office building... Eventually, moved by the sincerity of the people from Yongmei, the relevant leaders at the Rocket Research Institute agreed to have a discussion in the lobby of the office building. The person sent there seized this opportunity to report on the development status, operational conditions, and potential of Yongmei Group, emphasizing repeatedly that Longyu Chemical Company is a holding company of Yongmei Group, and that with the strong backing of Yongmei Group, it has every capability to undertake the construction of the space furnace project. The leaders of the Rocket Research Institute finally became convinced. On February 26, 2007, the construction of Longyu Chemical Company’s aerospace furnace project was officially launched. On October 13, 2008, the first trial run of the aerospace furnace project at Longyu Chemical Company was a success. They proudly called this gasifier the first one for spaceflight. 　Immediately thereafter, the sister furnace to the first aerospace furnace also achieved a successful test run at Anhui Linquan Chemical Co., Ltd. Currently, both space furnaces are operating smoothly. According to Lu Zhengtao, the main advantages of the space furnace are its high thermal efficiency (up to 95%) and carbon conversion rate (up to 99%) ； The gasifier features a water-cooled wall structure, capable of withstanding high temperatures ranging from 1500°C to 1700°C ； It has low requirements for coal types, allowing for the use of local raw materials ； It possesses complete independent intellectual property rights, with low patent costs ； All key equipment has been domestically produced, resulting in low investment and low production costs. According to experts’ calculations, the initial investment required to build a gasification plant using space-based furnaces capable of processing 250,000 tons of raw coal per year is 300 million yuan less than that for Shell’s gasification furnaces, and 54.4 million yuan less than that for Texaco’s gasification furnaces ； The annual operating and maintenance costs are 25 million yuan less than those of Shell gasifiers, and 5 million yuan less than those of Texaco gasifiers. Thus, driven by the market demands in each sector, the gasifier, a key equipment for coal chemical industry and also a common goal for industries such as aerospace, chemicals, and coal, was successfully manufactured domestically. It is the power of the market that has broken down industry barriers, brought together the creativity of various parties, and propelled China’s coal chemical industry to a new level. How much more strength can China’s chemical industry draw from the market? It’s limitless. The Aerospace Furnace Demonstration Base of Longyu Chemical Company, Yongmei Group, located in Puyang, Henan. The aerospace furnace project for Longyu Chemical Company was constructed by China National Chemical Engineering 11th Construction Co., Ltd. The 11th Construction Company completed the construction and installation work in less than a year, ensuring successful trial operation of the project from the first attempt and earning praise from the client. The image shows the installation site at that time. On October 13, after the space furnace was successfully tested at Longyu Chemical Company, the staff in the monitoring room stood up and cheered in celebration of the success.

It seems the space furnace has just completed pilot testing and has not yet been put into operation

I’ve heard that there are a total of five such space ovens

Just found out what a space furnace is; I’m learning about it

Is it the space furnace that directly liquefies coal into methanol?

The burner used in our vaporization furnace is from the 11th Aerospace Research Institute!

In front is Shell’s gasification technology and the quenching process, while behind is the Texaco process; thus the technologies are mature. The key considerations are investment, cost-effectiveness, etc. . . . . . . . .