Who is familiar with the K-fuel lignite upgrading technology?

K-Fuel clean coal technology 1. Basic principles and main technical aspects: K-Fuel technology is a next-generation clean coal technology that involves treating coal before it is burned. It uses high temperature and pressure to alter the physical and chemical structure of low-quality coal, enabling the conversion of such coal types as sub-bituminous coal and lignite into higher-quality coal. Meanwhile, it allows for the removal of heavy metals such as mercury, as well as sulfur and nitrogen, in large quantities. Its core technology is to construct an autoclave to alter the thermal stress of low-quality coal lumps through high temperature and pressure. After being crushed into lumps, low-quality coal is fed into a high-pressure cooker through a conveying device. The autoclave is equipped with pressure control valves to maintain a pressure of 550 psi and a temperature of 725 degrees Celsius. Under this thermal stress, the coal blocks crack, separating the sulfides from the coal ； The moisture in coal will also evaporate, and at the same time a molecular change known as decarboxylation occurs, increasing the calorific value of the coal. The coal powder that has been treated under high temperature and pressure, along with the evaporated water vapor, can be directly fed into a combustion boiler for power generation or heat supply. Coal is a porous material rather than solid; it contains a large amount of water and impurities. Under specific pressures and temperatures, the internal voids collapse, the water is expelled, and the coal becomes more malleable. At the same time, the tar in the coal is also forced out, forming a seal on the surface of the coal to prevent further absorption of moisture. Unlike conventional coal drying techniques, the K-Fuel technology requires more precise and complex control over pressure and temperature. In this technology, the moisture in the coal blocks is squeezed out, similar to the Fleissner process. The conventional Fleissner process is carried out batch by batch, whereas the K-Fuel technology operates continuously; coal pellets are continuously fed into the furnace through stepped pressure control valves, and impurities are removed. In practical operation, the K-Fuel technology primarily controls the residence time of coal pellets in the autoclave; the longer this time, the less moisture and impurities there are, and the higher the calorific value. However, too little moisture can cause the coal lumps to catch fire on their own in the autoclave, leaving behind ash. Compared to removing moisture when burned in a boiler, the same amount of coal requires only half as much energy using K-Fuel technology. This technology can effectively remove heavy metals such as mercury from low-quality coal. For this reason, extensive research has been conducted on various types of coal using the K-Fuel technology, in order to determine the optimal ratio parameters and identify the necessary temperature, pressure conditions, and residence time to achieve the best results in removing heavy metals, moisture, sulfur, and nitrogen. 2. Equipment and process flow: The K-Fuel technology is implemented in combination with Lurgi pressure gasification units (Lurgi Mark IV gasifiers), eliminating the need for layout tests related to such technical integration. The Ruhr process for pressurized gasification has a history of operation spanning over 50 years, with 120 units in use around the world. It is a fixed-bed gasifier developed by the German company Ruhr. Upright cylindrical structure. The furnace wall is equipped with a water jacket. The height of the furnace body varies depending on the type of fuel used. The size of the lignite should be moderate, at about 1 to 1.5 times the inner diameter of the furnace. The raw coal used in this process has a particle size of 8–50 mm, and it is required to use bituminous coal or lignite that is highly reactive and does not stick together. It operates in a solid slag discharge mode. The gasification pressure in the Luchi pressurized gasification process is 3.0 MPa, with a gasification temperature of 900–1050°C. However, the operating temperature of K-Fuel is much lower than that of the Ruhr pressure gasification process, at only 725 degrees Celsius, and it can overcome the shortcomings of using the Ruhr pressure gasification method alone. 　　Generally, the particle size of the feed material used in the Lurgi pressure gasification process is around 2x¼ inches. If the particle size of the feed is not uniform, problems such as under-processing or over-processing can occur; this makes it difficult to maintain control and results in poor stability. However, when combined with the K-Fuel ProcessTM technology, stability is greatly improved, the products become more uniform, and their chemical properties are more stable. Coal fuel with a particle size of less than ¼ inch or 50 mesh, produced by the Lurgi pressurized gasification process, can be used directly as feedstock in power plants, while larger particles are treated using K-Fuel to produce a uniform product. If very low calorific value coal is processed, its calorific value can also be increased to 10,500 Btu/lb after K-Fuel treatment. The first facility to adopt this technology was a demonstration plant built in Wyoming, USA, with an annual production capacity of 750,000 tons. After over 20 years of development, EvenGreen has accumulated considerable experience in the construction and management of pilot plants and commercially operational plants. Currently, we are working with Bechtel Power Corporation to develop an enhanced next-generation product that adopts a standardized, modular design approach, offering advantages such as high efficiency and speed. With 4 unit modules, the annual production capacity can reach 1.5 million tons of high-quality coal. The new generation of products is modularly assembled and can consist of 2–4 unit modules. Each module is primarily composed of a conveyor belt, an upper feeding hopper, an upper bottom feeding hopper, a reaction tank, upper and lower distribution hoppers, a lower bottom feeding hopper, a steam collection system, a filter, a water purification system, and various pipes. 3. Technical specifications: 1) Suitable for sub-bituminous coal and lignite, but not suitable for peat, which has a lower calorific value. 2) The calorific value of combustion increases by an average of 30–40%. According to the data provided by the company, low-quality coal with 8000 BTU/lb (approximately 4440 kcal/kg) can be converted into high-quality coal with 12000 BTU/lb (approximately 6660 kcal/kg). The specific indicators vary depending on the type of raw coal. 3) Reduce the water content by more than 70–80%. 4) Reduce the mercury content by 66–88%. 5) Reduce sulfides. 6) Reduce nitrides. 7) Reduce CO2 emissions. 4. Economic analysis: 1) Total investment. The lignite drying plant of Baiyinhua Coal and Electricity Co., Ltd. is located in the southeast of the industrial site of the No. 2 open-pit mine in the Baiyinhua mining area, Xiwuzhumuqin Banner, Xilin Gol League, Inner Mongolia. The planned capacity for this project is 16 million tons per year, with the first phase having a capacity of 1.6 million tons per year; in addition, a 2×135,000-kilowatt power generation facility will be built as part of this project. For the first phase of the project, the K-Fuel steam drying technology from the United States has been initially selected. The total investment amount is 485 million yuan. Once in operation, it will consume 2.2 million tons of lignite per year, generating annual sales revenue of 724 million yuan. The return on investment rate is 46.68%, with annual income tax payments of 70.57 million yuan; the payback period for the investment is 3.95 years. 2) Sources of supplementary funding: (1) Make full and reasonable use of **preferential policies** – the Planning Commission has decided to implement preferential policies for clean coal technology. These include: 1. Import equipment and technologies required for clean coal technology are eligible for preferential policies regarding import tariffs and value-added tax at the import stage, in accordance with relevant regulations ； II. The Planning Commission strives to ensure that the Global Environmental Protection Fund and other preferential loans are allocated priority to clean coal combustion technology projects, in order to reduce the financial costs of such projects ； Appropriate subsidy funds can be allocated for the work of digesting and absorbing technologies introduced by research institutions and manufacturing enterprises. III. For power generation projects that utilize clean coal technology, the on-grid electricity price shall be set in accordance with the on-grid price of environmentally friendly coal-fired power plants constructed during the same period within the power grid. (2) Carbon credits: By partnering with relevant foreign companies to sell carbon credits, a source of funding can be obtained. 3) Benefits: The K-Fuel ProcessTM technology can convert low-quality coal into bituminous fuel with a calorific value of 11,000–12,000 Btu. Based on the current prices of lignite in the western United States, the cost is $11–15 per ton, while the price of low-sulfur bituminous coal in the eastern United States has risen to $85 per ton. The economic value of the transformed coal fuel is about 8 times higher than that before transformation. Based on the domestic coal prices in June 2008, the price of 6,000 kcal thermal coal was approximately 800 yuan per ton; therefore, a K-Fuel clean coal processing plant with a capacity of 1.5 million tons could generate annual sales revenue of around 1.2 billion yuan. 4) Economic comparison between coal with low calorific value and high calorific value: Although coal with low calorific value is cheaper, for power plants and boilers, using coal with high calorific value is superior in terms of both economic efficiency and equipment safety compared to coal with low calorific value. Using the data from a power plant in 2007 as a comparison: Raw coal price (yuan/ton), steam generated by the boiler, and the cost of generating that steam. For coal with 5200 kcal per ton, the figures are 546, 7.8 tons, and 91 yuan per ton of steam; for coal with 6000 kcal per ton, the figures are 678, 6 tons, and 87 yuan per ton of steam. If the boiler generates 2000 tons of steam per day, the difference between the two scenarios is 8000 yuan per day. 5) Comparison with conventional desulfurization costs: In conventional desulfurization technologies, wet flue gas desulfurization, particularly the limestone method, can remove over 95% of sulfur, but the investment cost accounts for about 12–15% of the total investment in a power plant, and the operating costs are also high. Assuming that the investment in desulfurization equipment accounts for 10% of the total investment in a power plant, the cost of installing such equipment for a 1×107 kW unit is 7.512 billion yuan. In addition to the increased investment in desulfurization equipment, the operating costs are also considerable: for example, the 2×360 MW units introduced by Luohuang Power Plant in Chongqing, Sichuan, have annual operating costs of 40 million yuan, and this also results in a 1-percentage-point decrease in the plant’s power supply efficiency. Based on 6,500 operating hours per year, this translates to 0.0855 yuan/(kW·h). Even with an operating cost of 0.05 yuan/(kW·h) and 6,500 hours of operation per year, the additional operating cost for a 1×107 kW thermal power unit amounts to as much as 3.25 billion yuan per year. 5. Advantages of K-Fuel technology: 1) Energy • Converts low-quality waste coal into high-quality coal, thereby improving energy efficiency and reducing the amount of coal needed. • Creates new markets for low-quality coal. • It has a wide range of applications – it can be used in large power plants and industrial boilers, as well as in domestic boilers. 2) Environmental protection • It helps to protect the environment by reducing the emission of pollutants such as sulfur and mercury, thereby meeting the increasingly stringent standards for pollution emissions. • Reduce dust during transportation and storage • Lower the moisture content of coal, improve combustion efficiency, and reduce carbon dioxide emissions. 3) Economic benefits • Eliminates the need for coal drying processes and related equipment, saving costs • Saves a significant amount of money by avoiding the need to install expensive, space-consuming pollution control devices for post-combustion treatment; for power plants that already have desulfurization equipment, using K-Fuel clean coal enables more efficient cleaning. • The K-Fuel treatment plants built near new or existing power plants are called K-Direct. The coal treatment process requires steam but generates a large amount of condensate water, while power plants produce excess steam but need water for cooling; thus, the two can complement each other to save resources, and the treated coal can be fed directly into the boilers. • Construction generally does not affect the operation of the power plant and boilers, whereas installing a desulfurization device requires a longer shutdown period.

Excel Engineering, Inc. is a company headquartered in Denver that specializes in the introduction of high-tech technologies as well as in trade between China and the United States. To actively promote the development of clean coal technology in China, improve energy efficiency, and reduce environmental pollution, our company is currently introducing the advanced, mature, and practical K-Fuel clean coal technology along with its complete set of equipment from the United States to Chinese coal-producing enterprises and coal-fired power generation facilities, in order to enhance the value of raw coal (for example, by converting it into high-quality coal). This K-Fuel patented technology represents a new generation of clean coal technology that involves treating coal before it is burned. By using high temperature and pressure, it alters the physical and chemical structure of low-quality coal, enabling the conversion of such coal types as sub-bituminous coal and lignite into higher-quality coal. This improves the efficiency of coal utilization; at the same time, it allows for the removal of heavy metals such as mercury, as well as sulfur and nitrogen, thereby **reducing the emission of harmful substances during combustion.

550 psi pressure and 725 degrees Celsius are required? The investment is certainly high, and the costs are not low either. Last year, the ex-pit price of washed coking coal in the United States dropped to 30 dollars per ton. Since natural gas prices fell to 3–4 dollars per GJ (1 GJ is approximately 26–27 cubic meters), 20% of thermal power plants switched from using coal to using gas in 2012, due to the high costs associated with processing coal. Is Changqing Sino-US (Beijing) Energy Technology Co., Ltd. a subsidiary of K-Fuel/Evergreen Energy http://www.evgenergy.com/? http://www.evergreen-china.com.cn/guanyuwomen-132121.html