Erection of the methyl acetate hydrogenation reactor at Yulin Kaiyue Coal Chemicals, Yanchang Petroleum
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Recently, significant progress was made on the 500,000 tons per year methanol-to-ethanol project owned by Shaanxi Yanchang Petroleum Yulin Kaiyue Coal Chemical Co., Ltd., a project that is under the general contracting of Beijing Petrochemical Engineering Co., Ltd. (referred to as “Beiyou Engineering”). The first key piece of equipment – the methyl acetate hydrogenation reactor – was successfully installed in place. At the lifting ceremony, Yin Changbing, deputy general manager of Beiyou Engineering Company, said in his speech that the 500,000 tons per year methanol-to-ethanol project at Kaiyue Coal Chemical is another significant collaboration between Beiyou Engineering and Yanchang Group in the field of ethanol. The company will pursue subsequent construction tasks with high standards and strict requirements to ensure the smooth completion of equipment lifting and installation work. At the same time, it will strengthen project management and construction planning to guarantee the quality and safety of the project. The methyl acetate hydrogenation reactor is the core equipment of the ethanol plant in this project, with a maximum diameter of 5.7 meters and a weight of 621 tons. This device performs the core function in ethanol production, playing a vital role in controlling reaction conditions, increasing ethanol productivity, and optimizing process economics. To date, 91.09% of the overall design for the project’s ethanol production facility has been completed, while the procurement progress stands at 41.67%. The installation of key equipment has begun, and several critical milestones in the civil engineering work have also been successfully achieved. Next, the project team will seize the \"golden period\" for project construction and installation, and advance all tasks with high quality and high standards to ensure that the project’s established goals are achieved on schedule.
The 500,000 tons per year methanol-to-ethanol project is a sub-project of the Yuheng methanol and acetic acid deep processing project, which is part of Yulin Coal Chemical Company’s efforts to build a \"high-end, sophisticated coal chemical new materials demonstration base\" by building on the existing methanol and acetic acid products in the Yuheng Industrial Park. This project utilizes the DMTE methanol-to-ethanol process technology developed by the Dalian Institute of Chemical Physics, Chinese Academy of Sciences. Lanshi Heavy Equipment has been tasked with manufacturing four units as part of this project: the carbonylation reactor for ethanol production, the methyl acetate hydrogenation reactor, and the dimethyl ether reactor. These units have a maximum diameter of 5.7 meters, a length of around 24 meters, and a weight of approximately 620 tons each; they are large in size and require high technical standards for their construction. Among them, the methyl acetate hydrogenation reactor is the key equipment for synthesizing ethanol from methanol and hydrogen; it uses a copper-based catalyst, and precise temperature control is employed to slow down the decline in catalyst activity, thereby ensuring stability for the subsequent processes of crude alcohol separation and distillation.
The site for Shaanxi Yanchang Petroleum Yulin Kaiyue Coal Chemical Co., Ltd.’s 500,000 tons per year methanol-to-ethanol project is located on the industrial land reserved within Kaiyue Coal Chemical’s existing facility, with no additional land required. The project utilizes the DMTE methanol-to-ethanol process technology developed by the Dalian Institute of Chemical Physics, Chinese Academy of Sciences, which holds independent intellectual property rights. It involves upgrading the existing shift and purification units, and expanding the facility by using the excess syngas and methanol available from those units. The main components of the project construction include: a raw material separation unit, a dimethyl ether synthesis unit, a carbonylation unit, a hydrogenation and product separation unit, tank areas and loading/unloading areas, as well as auxiliary and utility systems. In addition, sulfur warehouses, hazardous waste temporary storage facilities, and chemical storage areas will also be relocated and rebuilt. Once completed and put into operation, this project will operate in conjunction with the existing 600,000 tons per year coal-to-methanol plant; the combined annual energy consumption of both projects will not exceed 1.219 million tons of standard coal (including the energy used by Liquefied Air Yulin Company). The annual energy consumption of the ethanol production plant (including the energy required for raw materials) is equivalent to 711,000 tons of standard coal, with an energy consumption per ton of ethanol product of 386.14 kilograms of standard coal/ton – a figure that is at the advanced level for this industry. This will greatly increase the added value of the products, and it holds significant importance for Yulin Coal Chemical Company’s pursuit of high-quality development. The ethanol and acetic acid downstream products project of Shaanxi Yanchang Petroleum Yulin Coal Chemical Co., Ltd. is a key construction project aimed at implementing Yanchang Petroleum Group’s strategy of \"stabilizing oil production and expanding chemical production,\" further extending the industrial chain of Kaiyue Coal Chemical Company, and achieving product upgrades. It is also a key project in Yulin City, Shaanxi Province. This project is in line with the industrial policies that restrict the use of grain for ethanol production; it helps to enable the development of ethanol industries to avoid competition with food production, thus achieving a balance between economic and social benefits ； At the same time, as a project aimed at strengthening and optimizing Kaiyue Coal Chemical’s operations for sustainable development, it has diversified the company’s product portfolio, increased the added value of its products, and enhanced the company’s economic performance; it holds great significance for promoting high-quality economic development in the region.