【Haichuan’s Insights from Other Sources】Replacing the gas source in alkali recovery furnaces from municipal gas to industrial gas significantly reduces operating costs

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Recently, Lu’an Chemical, Taihua New Materials, and Fengxi Chemical took a crucial step in the field of energy conservation and consumption reduction by completing the conversion of the gas source for their alkali recovery furnaces from municipal gas to industrial gas. After the renovation, the operating costs of the equipment were significantly reduced. From January to April 2025, gas prices dropped by 39.45% on a year-on-year basis, resulting in savings of 1.856 million yuan in gas expenses, which provided new impetus for the high-quality development of the enterprise. Every little detail is scrutinized to cut costs. As a crucial component in the company’s production system, the alkali recovery furnace has long relied on municipal gas as its fuel source. However, with fluctuations in energy market prices and high fuel costs, these become a major obstacle preventing companies from reducing their losses. Cost pressures force technological upgrades. To tackle this challenge, the company made great efforts to reduce gas costs. It established a technical team to undertake multi-faceted efforts aimed at replacing the gas source. After a thorough assessment of safety and environmental considerations, as well as comprehensive research, analysis, and careful repeated calculations, the technical team concluded that industrial gas offers significant price advantages and higher combustion efficiency; replacing the gas source could effectively resolve cost-related issues. Precise technical upgrades yield results: After the project was launched, the company actively carried out communication and coordination to handle all aspects related to the introduction of gas supply. The design institute involved was approached to hire relevant experts to carry out adaptive optimization and modification designs for the combustion system of the alkali recovery furnace, ensuring that the industrial gas is fully compatible with the existing equipment ； Improve the process design of gas pipelines, optimize the process alarm and interlock logic, add automated emergency shut-off functions as well as flame arrestor devices to the gas pipelines, thereby ensuring the intrinsically safe nature of the gas system ； Conduct process safety HAZOP (Hazard and Operability) analyses to ensure the safe and stable operation and transmission of gas, thereby laying a solid safety foundation for subsequent gas source replacement. Meng Lingbing, head of the Production Power Division at the company, explained, “Through measures such as upgrading the combustion guns in the alkali recovery furnace, modifying the two-stage burners, and optimizing the process operating procedures, we have successfully introduced an industrial gas that is low in cost, high in calorific value, and stable in supply as the fuel source for the alkali recovery furnace, thereby replacing the previously used costly municipal gas.” Through repeated adjustments and optimizations carried out on-site by the technical team, an accurate ratio between gas flow and air flow was determined. This results in more complete combustion, more efficient steam production, and a significant increase in thermal efficiency. At the same time, it also helps to reduce gas consumption and the generation of pollutants such as carbon monoxide, achieving a win-win situation in terms of economic benefits and environmental protection. ” Accelerating energy savings and consumption reduction: In recent years, the company has adhered to a culture of cost analysis guided by lean thinking, integrating its principles into all aspects of production and operations. By driving innovation, it continues to seek ways to improve efficiency; it has made significant advancements in increasing output while reducing consumption, as well as in the comprehensive utilization of energy and in promoting green, low-carbon practices. Through quality improvement initiatives, it has addressed the \"bottleneck\" issues related to production volume, consumption levels, and product quality, resulting in an 18.6% increase in daily production ； Deepen and expand the integrated alkanol ketone transportation business with Taihua New Materials Company, to provide strong impetus for the company to reduce losses and maximize its profitability. Without taking small steps, one cannot reach a thousand miles ； Without accumulating small streams, no rivers or seas can be formed. This optimization of the gas system is a reflection of the company’s strategy to optimize its “five matrix systems”. “Next, the company will continue to focus on the entire production chain, promoting the deep integration of digital monitoring systems with energy management platforms. By using intelligent methods, it will identify areas where costs can be optimized, thereby providing more replicable ‘energy-saving models’ for a green and low-carbon transformation, and accelerating its progress in the field of energy savings. ” said Xue Bifeng, assistant to the manager of the company. From town gas to industrial gas, what changes is the type of fuel; what remains unchanged is the company’s determination to seek efficiency through management and pursue development through innovation. This “energy transformation” has not only ignited a “new engine” for the company to reduce costs and improve efficiency, but it has also outlined a “new path” for the innovative development of traditional industries.