Dimethyl ether cost

:handshake :handshake Our plant’s 100,000-ton dimethyl ether production facility was successfully put into operation on June 30, and it has reached its planned production capacity. The total investment amounts to only 26 million yuan, covering public roads, utilities, irrigation systems, the main factory building, etc. The main portions of this investment are spent on technology transfer fees and equipment purchases; moreover, the investment required for water and steam systems cannot be underestimated either. :handshake :handshake

The entire process of producing dimethyl ether through the gas-phase dehydration of methanol is relatively simple. The amount of methanol required per ton of dimethyl ether produced is close to the theoretical value; therefore, the main costs lie in steam consumption and capital investment. The latest dimethyl ether production technologies should enable the steam consumption per ton of dimethyl ether to be kept below 1.1 tons when using crude methanol as raw material, and below 1.0 ton when using refined methanol. At a cost of 30–40 yuan per ton of steam, this can result in cost savings of around 100 yuan per ton of dimethyl ether, which represents a net profit. Importing foreign technologies does not seem to be a good option, as the cost of such technologies on a scale of 100,000 tons is estimated to be over 15 million yuan, which is at least 10 million yuan more than the cost of domestic technologies. Manufacturers prefer foreign technologies because they are considered more reliable, have better engineering capabilities, and result in lower consumption. However, this additional cost of over 10 million yuan represents a heavy burden. It would be better if domestic engineering companies could adapt and incorporate foreign technologies, so that locals can benefit from advanced technologies at lower costs. Hehe

A production capacity of 100,000 tons per year is a bit small; when launching new projects, it’s better to consider larger-scale facilities. Our company’s 300,000 tons per year dimethyl ether production project: The cost of equipment acquisition is 70.901 million yuan, accounting for 40.9% of the total investment; the cost of installation work is 30.677 million yuan, accounting for 17.7% of the investment; the cost of construction work is 30.109 million yuan, accounting for 17.4% of the investment; other related costs amount to 41.508 million yuan, accounting for 24.0% of the investment. In total, the investment amounts to 173.1954 million yuan, which represents 100% of the total investment

I would like to ask everyone: which process is better for dimethyl ether dehydration, gas-phase dehydration or liquid-phase dehydration? Which company in China offers the best technology? Thank you!

The biggest difference between the gas-phase and liquid-phase methods lies in the catalysts used: the gas-phase method employs a catalyst primarily composed of alumina for fixed-bed gas-phase reactions, whereas the liquid-phase method uses a composite acid mainly containing phosphoric acid along with concentrated sulfuric acid for contact reactions. The advantages of the vapor-phase method are high product purity, low energy consumption, low corrosivity of the medium, and low investment costs. The advantages of the liquid-phase method are low reaction pressure and temperature, as well as a high one-pass conversion rate of methanol. The disadvantages include the high toxicity of intermediate products, strong corrosivity of the medium, high energy consumption, and operational difficulties due to corrosion issues and acid recovery.

Sichuan Tianyi Technology Co., Ltd. (formerly Southwest Chemical Engineering Design Institute) holds around 80% of the national market share in terms of the gas-phase production technology for dimethyl ether at a capacity of 100,000 tons per year – the relevant data can be found on the company’s official website; no updates will be provided if there are any changes. The company has now developed a technology for producing dimethyl ether at a capacity of 200,000 tons per year, with 3 such facilities already in operation. As it was the first in China to develop this technology, it is naturally the best of its kind in the country

Based on the preliminary stages of projects we have carried out over the years, the costs are not very high; generally, the investment does not exceed 400 yuan per ton. It’s not very meaningful to discuss this issue in general; it’s necessary to consider specific factors such as where the factory will be built and the local price of raw material methanol

At present, the liquid-phase method for dimethyl ether is mainly the composite acid-catalyzed liquid-phase technique developed by Jutai Chemical Technology Co., Ltd. There are many gas-phase methods available, such as those from the Southwest Chemical Engineering Design and Research Institute, Tsinghua University, Dalian Institute of Chemical Physics, and Shanxi Coal Chemistry Institute, among others； Among them, Jutai technology has evolved from the oldest sulfuric acid process, overcoming many of the problems associated with that method; the products produced are easy to separate and have high purity, reaching over 99.6% without any further treatment, and 99.99% after slight purification. At present, the largest industrial-scale units in use are those with a capacity of 300,000 tons per year, with two such units in operation, while two units with a capacity of over 900,000 tons per year are under construction. In terms of the application of dimethyl ether, Jiutai Chemical has collaborated with several key domestic universities to develop this product and expand its market presence, making active progress in projects related to vehicle fuel and household fuel use, which has accelerated the growth of the dimethyl ether market. Industrial facilities using the gas-phase method have developed quite rapidly in recent years, capturing a larger market share, which indicates a high level of technical maturity. However, there are no large-scale facilities in operation (with a production capacity of over 300,000 tons per year); the focus remains on small enterprises and smaller-scale plants. Its main advantage is that the device can be easily scaled up, with a small reactor diameter and no need for multiple units connected in parallel.

A production facility for 100,000 tons of dimethyl ether is set to go into operation here soon, and I hope to have the opportunity to discuss this with everyone!

May I ask if the investment costs mentioned by those upstairs refer to the investment for the methanol vapor-phase method? Is it the technology of Southwest Research Institute, or that of SNOW Energy and Jiutai? It seems that most of them are using the Southwest Institute at the moment, right? New here, I have a question:D