The Yulin Chemical PSA hydrogen production plant was successfully commissioned

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Yulin Chemical’s PSA hydrogen production plant successfully passed acceptance testing. Author/Source: Gasification World. Date: April 12, 2023. Clicks: 20. On April 6, 2023, the final set of satisfactory analysis results for Yulin Chemical Co., Ltd. under Shaanxi Coal Group’s ownership regarding its pressure swing adsorption (PSA) hydrogen production plant were released from the analysis and testing building; this marked the successful completion of a 72-hour test period, proving that the plant – the world’s largest coal-based PSA hydrogen production facility with an output of 480,000 standard cubic meters of hydrogen per hour – had met all requirements and thus passed acceptance testing. This PSA hydrogen production unit is a supporting facility for the 1.8 million tons per year ethylene glycol production project, which is part of the Shaanxi Coal Group Yulin Chemical Company’s demonstration project on the utilization of coal in order to produce new chemical materials. Southwest Chemical Research and Design Institute Co., Ltd. (referred to as “Southwest Institute”) provided the proprietary technology and complete set of construction drawings, and was also responsible for supplying all equipment, instruments, adsorbents, programmable valves, and installation materials. Once the project is put into operation, it will further alleviate China’s high dependence on imported ethylene glycol, accelerate the process of clean and efficient conversion of coal, and promote the safe, green, and innovative development of the industry. Since its commissioning in September 2022, it has been operating steadily without interruption for over half a year, with no failures occurring during that period. This full-load test lasting 72 consecutive hours was carried out under severe conditions where the impurity levels in the feed gas entering the PSA unit were 30% higher than the design values. All technical specifications of the hydrogen produced met the design requirements, with the recovery rate of the product hydrogen exceeding the design value of 92%. The “Demonstration Project on the Utilization of Coal at Different Grades to Produce New Chemical Materials” carried out by Yulin Chemical Company of Shaanxi Coal Group is currently the largest coal chemical project under construction in the world, and it plays a crucial role in the development and future direction of China’s coal chemical industry. As an important supporting component of this project, the coal-to-hydrogen unit utilizes the large-scale PSA patented technology independently developed by the Southwest Research Institute. Compared with similar devices that use foreign technology, the hydrogen recovery rate is increased by about 3%, resulting in an additional production of approximately 16,000 cubic meters of hydrogen per hour. Based on an annual operating time of 8,000 hours, this translates to an annual increase in hydrogen production of 128 million cubic meters, a reduction in coal consumption of about 89,600 tons, and a reduction in carbon dioxide emissions of about 220,000 tons – generating economic benefits worth hundreds of millions of yuan.