It lasted 66 days. The cold box of the first air separation unit in the China Coal Yulin Coal Deep Processing Base project was successfully completed

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Total investment of 23.888 billion yuan! Important milestone reached in CNPC Yulin’s new project for producing 2.2 million tons of coal-based methanol and 900,000 tons of olefins 2025-05-06 On April 30, 2025, the cold box of the first air separation unit in CNPC Yulin’s advanced coal processing facility was successfully completed; it took 66 days from the start of installation to completion, which is 4 months ahead of schedule. It is reported that the cold box of the air separation unit has a total height of 66 meters, and its main structure is made of steel. Its primary function is to enclose equipment such as the distillation towers and heat exchangers in the air separation unit, which operate at -196°C; the interior of this cold box is filled with perlite insulation material to ensure the proper operation of the unit. It is one of the key components of an air separation unit. The air separation unit of this project has a production capacity of 3×85,000 Nm3/h (O2). It utilizes the complete set of technologies provided by Hangyang Group Co., Ltd., with Hualu Engineering Technology Co., Ltd. undertaking the EPC general contracting for the project. This project undertakes two research tasks: the first application of domestically produced large motors in the coal chemical air separation industry, and the research on industrial-scale air separation systems based on cryogenic energy storage. It holds significant demonstrative value for the utilization of wind and solar power, the achievement of energy savings and reduced consumption in air separation facilities, the reduction of carbon emissions, and the control of production costs. The preliminary investment estimate for the China Coal Yulin Coal Deep Processing Base project is 23.888 billion yuan. The main construction components include 2.2 million tons per year of methanol and 900,000 tons per year of polyolefins; at the same time, the existing first-phase coal chemical plant will be optimized and upgraded, with the construction of a project for the production of 250,000 tons per year of LDPE/EVA through chain extension and enhancement, along with related facilities. The main units of the project include air separation, gasification, purification, sulfur recovery, methanol synthesis, MTO, olefin separation, 3 polyolefin plants, and 1 EVA plant, among others. Commissioning and trial operation are expected by mid-2026. Once the project is put into operation, it will effectively promote local economic and social development as well as the optimization and upgrading of the industrial structure; during peak periods, it can create employment opportunities for tens of thousands of people. By then, China Coal Shaanxi Company will further enhance the new advantages of its role as the leading enterprise in the industrial chain, promote the development of coal chemistry in a direction toward higher sophistication, diversification, and lower carbon emissions, as well as foster integrated development of coal, coal-powered electricity, and new energy sources, thereby creating a robust industrial and value chain.