What are the three devices in the reaction and regeneration system of the Huating FMTP Technology Demonstration Project? ? ?

FMTP is almost a failed process route; even pilot plants have given up on it, despite its established advantages, and yet there are still entities willing to invest large sums of money in it.

FMTP refers to the fluidized bed methanol-to-propylene conversion technology. 　　FMTP uses coal as a substitute for oil to produce propylene, addressing the issue of abundant coal and scarce oil in our country. The industrial test unit for the “Fluidized Bed Methanol to Propylene (FMTP) Industrial Technology Development Project,” which was developed by a new-generation strategic alliance for technological innovation in the coal (energy) chemical industry and undertaken through joint efforts by Sinopec Engineering Group, Tsinghua University, and Anhui Huaihua Group, was successfully commissioned in Huainan, Anhui. After operating at full capacity for 470 hours, the unit achieved the expected results. 　　FMTP industrial technology is one of the important technologies tailored to the conditions of China’s coal chemical industry. Its successful development will play a vital role in the efficient and clean utilization of coal resources, alleviating the overcapacity issue in methanol production, extending the coal chemical industry chain, and promoting the sustainable and healthy development of this industry. “The \"New Generation Coal (Energy) Chemical Industry Technology Innovation Strategic Alliance\" is one of the pilot strategic alliances for industrial technology innovation, established under the joint initiative of six ministries and commissions including the Ministry of Science and Technology, the Ministry of Finance, the Ministry of Education, the State-owned Assets Supervision and Administration Commission of the State Council, the All-China Federation of Trade Unions, and the **Development Bank, with a group company taking the lead in its formation. The successful development of the fluidized-bed methanol-to-propylene industrial technology has not only yielded a new coal chemical technology that is at the world’s leading level and possesses independent intellectual property rights, thereby strongly supporting the revitalization and structural adjustment of the coal chemical industry, but it also represents a successful example of industrial technology innovation carried out through an alliance platform.

I’m afraid the so-called “successful development” of the fluidized-bed methanol-to-propylene industrial technology is merely lip service; all these years have passed yet it has not been put into practical use on an industrial scale. The ideals and goals are lofty, but reality is quite harsh.

Take a look at how this project is doing – are there any improvements needed?

The predecessor of Sinopec Zhong’an Coal Chemical Project – the Huaihua 1.7 million-ton dimethyl ether project in Northern Anhui – adopted the FMTP technology; this approach enabled progress where previous techniques had failed to make headway, as those techniques involved complicated process routes, high costs, and made it impossible for the project to be profitable. After Sinopec took over the project, it made a decisive decision to change the technical approach following a technical and economic assessment, opting for the Dongfang furnace gasification and SMTO technologies, and ultimately built and put into operation an olefin production facility capable of producing 1.8 million tons of methanol per year.

So, how is this technology? ? ? China Petrochemical achieves a major breakthrough in producing ethylene through direct steam cracking of crude oil https://bbs.hcbbs.com/thread-3271512-1-1.html (Source: Haichuan Chemical Industry Forum)

It is of great significance, as it can address the shortage of raw materials such as naphtha, ethane, and light hydrocarbons. It mainly depends on whether the adopted techniques for suppressing cracking and coking can truly address the problem of coking that occurs during the long-term operation of cracking furnaces. 33 days of stable operation in tests is still too short; it would be better to achieve a period of more than half a year. Furthermore, anti-coking measures for tower systems and similar components in the post-treatment separation process must not be neglected either.

The FMTP pilot project was successfully tested in 2009, on a scale of 30,000 tons. The Huating FMTP technology demonstration project began construction in 2014, with its production capacity increasing directly from 30,000 tons to 600,000 tons. Over the years, improvements have surely been made; it is hoped that things will continue to improve over time.

Scaling up directly from 30,000 tons to 600,000 tons shows courage

And wasn’t the pilot project at FMTA also claimed to have been successfully tested long ago? It seemed to be on a scale of 30,000 tons as well; yet all these years later, an industrial-scale facility remains just a dream. It seems that neither the FMTP nor the FMTA teams were suited to undertake the industrialization of large-scale fluidized bed technology; it was necessary for experienced teams like those from Sinopec and CNPC to take over in order to achieve successful industrialization.