What’s the latest on GSP!

Reposted from Sinochem New Network: Siemens’ GSP powder gasification technology is one of the world’s leading clean gasification technologies at present. The first project in China to apply this technology is the coal-to-olefins project of Shenhua Ningmei Group. Following adjustments carried out recently, and after the entire production process was operationalized by the end of 2010 to produce high-purity methanol, the gasification unit is now operating stably, thereby meeting the needs of downstream production processes. To understand the commissioning progress of Siemens’ GSP powder coal gasification technology in this project, the author recently interviewed Yang Jiayi, the chief commander of the gasification site for the coal-to-olefins project at Shenhua Ningxia Coal Group, as well as the deputy chief engineer of Shenhua Ningxia Coal Group’s coal chemical company. 　　Question: The 500,000 tons per year coal-to-olefins project of Shenhua Ningxia Coal Group is the largest industrial investment in Ningxia to date, and it is also the world’s largest project for producing polypropylene from coal. Siemens SFG500MW gasifiers with a capacity of 2,000 tons each were used for this project. How is the operation of these gasifiers currently? Has it met the expectations of Shenhua Ningmei Group when they chose this technology in the first place? 　　Yang Jiayi: The total investment in the coal-to-olefins project is 16 billion yuan. Its designed capacity is to produce 520,000 tons of polypropylene per year, with over 220,000 tons of other products such as gasoline and liquid fuels generated as by-products; the annual coal consumption is approximately 5 million tons. The key technologies and production equipment are all sourced from suppliers and patent holders at the world’s leading level. 　　The coal-to-olefins project of Shenhua Ningmei Group requires a large amount of syngas; under normal operation, 540,000 cubic meters of syngas are needed per hour. This also determines that only large-scale fluidized bed gasification technology can be used. 　　On the other hand, in terms of coal quality, the long-flame coals available in Ningxia generally have poor slurry-forming properties; therefore, the Siemens GSP powder gasification technology was chosen in the end. 　　Through the joint efforts of both teams, the operation of the gasification section has continued to improve since testing began in November 2010; in particular, each ignition after the Spring Festival in 2011 yielded impressive results. A total of 5 Siemens SFG500MW gasification furnaces are used in the project, and all of them have completed debugging, being ready for production. The 1#, 2# and 3# gasifiers, which have recently completed debugging, are now operating at full capacity in a continuous and stable manner. Methanol production has been ongoing since April 14th, with the syngas output reaching the designed capacity of 125,000 standard cubic meters per hour. During the system’s trial operation, with nitrogen used for transporting pulverized coal, the concentration of useful gases CO+H2 was nearly 90%. The test results of the ash show that the carbon conversion rate reached 99.5%, and all operating parameters of the gasification furnace were within the design specifications. We believe that the Siemens SFG500MW gasification furnace operates smoothly, is easy to operate, features high gasification efficiency, has strong adaptability to different coal types, and can use low-quality coal, which proves that choosing Siemens’ GSP gasification technology at that time was absolutely correct. 　　Question: Could you briefly introduce the main problems encountered during the commissioning of the gasification section? 　　Yang Jiayi: The commissioning work for the gasification section began in November 2010. Due to the high degree of automation of Siemens’ GSP technology, as well as the complexity of its safety interlocks and logic systems, operators needed to gain experience through continuous practice in order to become familiar with and master the operation of the gasification furnace. The strong emphasis placed on safety issues by both Shenhua Ningmei Group and Siemens has ensured that, from the start of construction to the current trial production phase, no accidents involving injuries to personnel or any environmental incidents have occurred in the gas processing section. Through repeated communication and ongoing exchanges to refine the operation plan, various difficulties encountered in processes such as ignition, coal feeding, transportation, and gasification were overcome. In particular, the challenges posed by operating the plant in winter and by the construction of fire-resistant materials during that season were addressed, enabling the commissioning process to proceed smoothly. 　　Question: What on-site technical services did Siemens provide for the preparation and implementation of the commissioning work? 　　Yang Jiayi: In March 2010, 10 technical personnel assigned to the project received 10 days of training on startup control at Siemens’ gasification technology headquarters in Germany, carried out practical operations on simulation systems, and visited industrial facilities in the Czech Republic. All the personnel who received training passed Siemens’ exams and certifications; they later became key members of the operation team, serving as a solid guarantee for the project’s commissioning and its subsequent safe and reliable operation. During the project construction, senior experts from Siemens Fuel Gasification Technology Company conducted on-site inspections and provided guidance on the construction quality, ensuring its excellence. Once the debugging began, Siemens sent a field technical service team of over 10 people, who even gave up their Christmas holidays to stay at the site. The dedication of these German experts is admirable. In addition, the on-site representative of Beijing Jiesifike Gasification Technology Co., Ltd., which is a patent holder for gasification technology, also performed excellently in terms of communication, coordination, and service provision. 　　Question: Please talk about the achievements of the coal-to-olefins project, as well as your suggestions and expectations for future improvements to Siemens’ GSP pulverized coal gasification technology 　　Yang Jiayi: It can be said that the successful commissioning of Siemens’ gasification technology in the olefin project is the result of our joint efforts. Shenhua Ningmei Group has invested a great deal of human and material resources in this project, and it has also developed a professional team specializing in gasification operations, thereby accumulating extensive experience in gasification technology for future projects. 　　At present, China is an important market for the coal chemical industry. It is hoped that Siemens will leverage its presence in this market to further increase the proportion of equipment it produces in China, optimize production processes and supporting equipment, and reduce costs. Make full use of the valuable experience accumulated in Shenhua Ningmei Group’s coal-to-olefins project, so as to make the implementation of subsequent projects more user-friendly and better suited to China’s national conditions, serving Chinese owners as well as the local economic development. 　

Isn’t it said that there’s a water-cooled wall drum for the GSP? It’s better to use a space furnace

Reply to 3# wildhalf: It’s just a rumor; it’s working fine at the moment, with the load on the space furnace being relatively low. If the capacity is increased to 2000 tons, many problems might arise. But I still sincerely hope that the space furnace will improve, after all, it can be made domestically.

Both the space furnace and GSP have single burners mounted at the top, right? If there are problems when scaling up the space furnace to 2000 tons, then there should also be problems with the GSP

How long has the single furnace been operating in connected mode? What is the coal feeding rate, and what are the gas composition details?