【Translation】30 Years of Progress in New Coal Gasification Technologies
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On April 11, 2023, China’s first water-coal slurry pressurized gasification unit celebrated its 30th anniversary at Lunan Chemical Company of Shandong Energy Group. Through 30 years of introduction, adaptation, and innovation, China’s new coal gasification technology has reached international leading levels, paving the way for the clean and efficient utilization of coal in the country. Coal gasification is a key technology for the clean and efficient utilization of coal, and it is widely applied in various process industries such as coal chemical manufacturing, power generation, hydrogen production, and large-scale refining. The industrialization of Texaco’s water-coal slurry pressurized gasification technology in the 1970s **spurred the development of large-scale coal gasification technologies. At that time, the fixed-bed gas generation technology was widely used in China’s coal chemical industry; it was an outdated method that was inefficient and caused environmental pollution. In 1983, with the approval of the former Ministry of Chemical Industry and the **Planning Commission, Shandong Lunan Fertilizer Factory, the predecessor of Shandong Energy Group’s Lunan Chemical Industry, began to introduce the world’s fifth and China’s first Texaco water-coal slurry gasification furnace technology. Construction of the facility started in 1990, and it was completed on April 11, 1993, with a successful trial run on its first attempt, thus marking the beginning of the development of modern coal chemical industry in China.
Although gasification technology was introduced, ownership of this technology remains in the hands of foreign industrial giants. According to incomplete statistics, from the 1980s to the beginning of this century, the patent licensing fees alone for foreign gasification technologies introduced across China amounted to over 300 million dollars. Moreover, for many innovations developed based on these imported technologies, the inventors only have the right to use them, while the patent rights remain with the owners of those technologies, which severely hinders the development of domestic technologies. To break down monopoly barriers, during the Ninth Five-Year Plan period, the former Yankuang Group and East China University of Science and Technology began to work together on the development of gasification technology with independent intellectual property rights. Through laboratory tests and cold-model experiments, the technical theoretical framework as well as the flow field model for the gasifier were initially established ； In 2000, the former Yankuang Group, East China University of Science and Technology, and China Tianchen Company jointly carried out an industrial pilot study on the multi-nozzle opposed water-coal slurry gasification technology, achieving satisfactory results ； On July 21, 2005, the first feeding operation of the industrial demonstration plant for the new multi-nozzle opposed water-coal slurry gasification technology, which is part of the \"10th Five-Year Plan\" and \"863 Program\" research projects, was successful; this industrial demonstration plant represented a 55-fold scale-up based on the pilot-scale version ； At the acceptance meeting for the \"863\" project organized by the Ministry of Science and Technology on May 31, 2006, the members of the acceptance panel unanimously agreed that the successful industrialization of multi-nozzle water-coal slurry gasification marked the first time that China possessed large-scale coal gasification technology with independent intellectual property rights, breaking the foreign technological monopoly and representing an important milestone in the history of coal gasification development in China.
With the support of scientific and technological programs such as “973” and “863”, shock-cooling multi-nozzle opposed water-coal slurry gasification technologies capable of processing 2,000 tons, 3,000 tons, and 4,000 tons of coal per day per furnace have successively completed industrial demonstrations and been put into commercial use. These technologies have overcome key technical barriers related to the large-scale operation, high efficiency, and long-term stable performance of water-coal slurry gasification systems. On September 27, 2021, the China Petroleum and Chemical Industry Federation organized an evaluation meeting on the scientific and technological achievements related to the development and industrial demonstration of ultra-large-scale water-coal slurry gasification technologies capable of processing 4,000 tons of coal per day per furnace. The experts present agreed that this technology has resulted in the creation of the world’s largest industrial water-coal slurry gasification facility of its kind, with its main technical parameters reaching international leading levels. In order to facilitate its industrial application both domestically and internationally, Shandong Yankuang Guotuo Technology Co., Ltd., which is part of Shandong Energy Group, joined forces with the Clean Coal Research Institute at East China University of Science and Technology to continuously improve multi-nozzle gasification technology. As a result, they developed a multi-nozzle opposed semi-waste-boiler quenching process technology as well as a multi-nozzle opposed dry coal powder gasification technology ； Design packages for gasification technologies suitable for various feedstocks, such as petroleum coke and residue oil, have been developed; this expands the range of feedstocks that can be used in gasification systems, transforms these by-products into valuable resources, and enhances their utility ； By coupling gasification technology with petroleum refining projects, a stable and low-cost source of hydrogen is provided for these projects, thereby expanding the application areas of gasification technology.
To date, the multi-nozzle opposed pressurized water-coal slurry gasification technology, independently developed by Shandong Energy Group Co., Ltd. in collaboration with East China University of Science and Technology, has been installed in 204 units both domestically and internationally; it has also been exported to the United States, which was the country where it was first introduced. It has been successfully applied by companies such as CNOOC, Shenhua Group, Dalian Hengli, Wanhua Chemical, Henan Xinlianxin, and Hualu Hengsheng. Its global share accounts for approximately 35%, while the total amount of coal used in its processes represents about 45% of the global gasification technology market. Through technical licensing and process software package design contracts signed with U.S.-based Valero Energy, it has been possible to export more advanced technologies with complete independent intellectual property rights to the countries that originally introduced such technologies. The successful industrialization of the new water-coal slurry gasifier witnesses the \"journey to realize a dream\" of China’s independent coal gasification technology. Thanks to technological innovation, as well as unwavering courage and determination, China’s coal chemical industry professionals have broken through foreign technical barriers and overcome the constraints imposed by technological monopolies, thus realizing the dream of having their own technologies that has persisted for several generations of entrepreneurs in this field. This innovative technology represents a true symbol of independent innovation, serving as a vital asset that strengthens the backbone of the national industry! After 30 years of relentless effort and progress, the \"advanced, reliable, and mature; energy-saving, environmentally friendly, and capable of enhancing industrial value\" new type of multi-nozzle opposed gasification technology has helped to create domestic brands. It continues to support the development of China’s modern coal chemical industry as well as energy security. For these reasons, Shandong Energy Group’s Lunan Chemical Company is regarded as the cradle of China’s coal chemical industry and a pioneer in modern coal chemical technologies.