【Major Equipment in the Chemical Equipment Industry】112 – Domestic production of H2/CO cryogenic separation units for coal-based ethylene glycol production

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The past decade has been a period of rapid development for China’s chemical industry, marked by the emergence of many new processes, products, and equipment. There has also been significant progress in China’s chemical processing equipment, which has contributed to the swift advancement of the petrochemical sector. Here, we have compiled some of the achievements and breakthroughs made by Chinese equipment manufacturers in terms of larger-scale production and greater use of domestic equipment. We invite everyone to share their insights and discuss these topics together; let’s cheer for Made in China and support the development of chemical processing equipment! *********************************** The CO-H2 cryogenic separation unit for China’s first coal-based ethylene glycol production project was put into operation for commissioning on August 1, 2015. It includes a molecular sieve pre-purification system, a CO-H2 separation cryogenic tank, a CO compressor, etc. The purity of the CO product is required to be above 98.5%, while the hydrogen content must be below 100 ppm. This is the first domestically produced CO-H2 cryogenic separation unit to be successfully commissioned in China, marking the achievement of domestic production for such units. On August 2, Kaifeng Air Separation Group Co., Ltd. produced qualified products such as CO and hydrogen-rich gas for the CO/H2 cryogenic separation unit used in the 220,000-ton ethylene glycol production facility of Yangquan Coal Group in Shenzhou; the quality of all these products met or exceeded the design specifications. In 2013, Kaifeng Air Separation signed a contract for a set of 40,000 capacity air separation units as well as hydrocarbon separation cryogenic tanks with Yangmei Group Shenzhou Chemical Co., Ltd. Among them, the 40,000-unit air separation unit was successfully started up once in July ； The hydrocarbon separation cryogenic tank is the first of its kind produced in China; it represented a gap in the domestic low-temperature industry, with foreign manufacturers holding a monopoly over this technology for a long time, forcing users to bear high economic costs as a result. Through close cooperation and active coordination among the relevant departments of Kaifeng Air Separation Group, and by overcoming numerous difficulties, they successfully developed a CO-H2 cryogenic separation unit on their own and brought it into operation. This move broke foreign monopolies and filled a gap in the domestic market. The localization of CO-H2 cryogenic separation units has enhanced the competitiveness of Kaifeng Air Separation Group in both domestic and international markets, and it has also made a significant contribution to the development of the national industry. It is reported that the Yangmei Shenzhou ethylene glycol project has a total investment of 10 billion yuan, with 3.4 billion yuan allocated to the first phase; once completed, it will be able to produce 220,000 tons of ethylene glycol per year. The project utilizes first-class domestic and international processes and equipment, with an automation level that ranks among the highest in China