Recently, an accident occurred in the air separation unit of a large company

I also want to know what caused it

It was a failure in the compressor of Tianjin’s green coal-fired power plant, supplied by Kaifeng Air Separation

What’s the issue and how was it resolved? Could you share that?

An explosion suspected to have occurred at Huaneng Tianjin IGCC Power Plant; construction costs rise further. On January 10, sources familiar with the matter told our newspaper that an explosion took place during the commissioning phase of Huaneng Group’s IGCC (Integrated Gasification Combined Cycle) power plant demonstration project in Tianjin in December 2011, but no one was injured in the incident. 　　Although witnesses claimed that the explosion was deafening and that parts inside the power plant were thrown out of the building as a result of it, officials from Huaneng Tianjin IGCC Power Plant said in interviews with our newspaper that they were unaware of this incident. Costs rise further. In fact, although air separation technology is mature and widely used in industrial production, the air separation compressors used in IGCC are of large scale. Its air compressors and boosters are electrically driven, with motor powers of 22.5 megawatts and 19 megawatts respectively, which places high demands on ensuring the safe operation of the equipment. 　　Industry experts told our reporter that such accidents should not occur in air separation units under normal circumstances. There are usually two possible reasons for explosions: air separation units go through a high-pressure compression process, and if the software or hardware used in the compressors is of poor quality, it may lead to an explosion when faced with sudden high pressures ； If hazardous gases leak during the separation of gases, it can lead to combustion and explosions. 　　“The compressor has its own safety limits and cannot exceed a certain pressure range. ”An industry insider told our reporter, “If problems such as pipe blockages or malfunctioning instruments occur, causing the compressor to operate beyond its safe limits, this can lead to the compressor exploding, and the pressure released as a result can cause significant damage to the surrounding area.” ” 　　He said that the accident could be due to a problem with the equipment, or it might be that the equipment manufacturer produced the equipment according to the power plant’s requirements, but there were issues with the process design itself. 　　The Huaneng Tianjin IGCC Power Plant demonstration project is the first green coal power project in China to possess independent intellectual property rights. Cao Peixi, General Manager of Huaneng Group, has said that green coal power represents the direction for the clean utilization of coal power in the future, and as a state-owned enterprise, it should take the lead in terms of technology. The project is located in the Lingang Industrial Zone of Tianjin Binhai New Area, and construction officially began in early July 2009. The first phase involves constructing a 250,000-kilowatt IGCC power generation unit, which was originally scheduled to be completed and put into operation in 2011. 　　The aforementioned official from Huaneng Group said that as a result of this accident, the air separation unit at Huaneng Tianjin IGCC power plant demonstration project has been shut down, causing a delay in the project’s progress. To minimize the impact of accidents on the project timeline, the power plant will purchase oxygen in the future to facilitate the trial operation of subsequent equipment. 　　Industry experts say that purchasing large quantities of oxygen will further increase the construction costs of this project. (21st Century Business Herald) A representative from Huaneng Group told our reporter that the accident was caused by quality issues with the compressors in the air separation unit (hereinafter referred to as “ASU”) within the IGCC power plant, and not by a malfunction in the plant’s core equipment, namely the gasification furnace. 　　According to him, the progress of Huaneng Tianjin IGCC Power Plant demonstration project will be delayed due to this accident; as the air separation unit has been damaged, the plant plans to purchase oxygen to support the commissioning of the gasifier that is to take place in the near future. 　　The problem stems from the compressor. “Air separation compressors are auxiliary equipment in IGCC power plants; it’s not some major accident.” ”The aforementioned official from Huaneng Group told our reporter, “It might have exploded due to quality issues.” ” 　　Data shows that IGCC technology combines an efficient gas-steam combined cycle power generation system with clean coal gasification technology, offering both high power generation efficiency and excellent environmental performance; it is a promising clean coal power generation technology. However, it has not yet been put into commercial construction due to economic disadvantages. 　　An IGCC power plant is mainly composed of two sections: the coal gasification section and the gas turbine power generation section. The air separation unit is located in the coal gasification section, serving to supply oxygen for the coal gasification process. 　　Several industry insiders told our reporter that air separation technology is a mature technology, and it is not the core technology that determines the viability of IGCC technology. However, in IGCC power plants, the air separation unit is undoubtedly one of the core units. Li Liangshi, deputy general manager of Huaneng IGCC Tianjin Demonstration Project, once said that there are four core units in the Huaneng IGCC demonstration power plant: the gas-steam cycle power generation unit, the air separation unit, the gasification unit, and the purification unit. “IGCC power plants have many compressors, and one of them has now broken down. ”The aforementioned person told our newspaper reporter. ““The air separation unit was already tuned up and there were no issues with it,” he said. Last August, the air separation unit of this demonstration project underwent its first trial operation, marking the first time that an entire set of equipment in the project was tested in operation. Huaneng Group stated at the time that the process flow of air separation units involves liquid oxygen, liquid nitrogen, liquid argon, cryogenic equipment, and pressure vessels, posing a high risk of accidents such as explosions, frostbite, and suffocation. The aforementioned individuals stated that the compressor is equipment purchased by Huaneng Group and manufactured by Kaifeng Air Compressor Factory.

How can the air separation unit in IGCC be driven by motors? How can this reflect the advantages of IGCC? Abroad, IGCC is largely rejected, while in China there is a rush to adopt it; the benefits after it goes into operation are not very good.

Whose compressor is it driving? Is it a booster? What is the pressure level? How much space is needed?

Which company’s air separation equipment is being used, may I ask?

It’s a compression molding machine from Hangyang, in Kaifeng.

I’d like to know, what’s the size of the vacuum space?

Reply to 9# 196408: Compressors from Kaifeng? What size compressor does Hangyang Air Use have for air distribution? Still unopened? Fresh! There is blind expansion across different industries; although IGCC doesn’t fall into this category, the chemical processing units involved represent a challenge. With an approach typical of power companies, problems are inevitable if management and staffing are inadequate. One power company has been trying to operate coal chemical facilities for several years without success.