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Coal-to-natural gas production still requires Gasification Technology 2.0 Author/Source: Date: 11-18-2015 Clicks: 29 The companies engaged in coal-to-gas, coal-to-methanol, coal-to-oil, and other coal-based natural gas production processes, which were very active in the previous two years, now face challenges related to high costs and low profitability; these obstacles significantly hinder the development of this emerging industry. As a focus of attention in the coal chemical industry in recent years, the core coal-to-natural gas technology has yet to overcome its weaknesses such as high operating costs and low yields, thus remaining a challenge that hinders the development of this industry. Recently, officials from various coal-to-natural gas companies said in interviews with reporters from China Chemical Industry News that whether these companies can achieve breakthroughs through new coal-to-natural gas technologies has become a key factor in the development of this industry. It is understood that new progress has been made regarding the operation of the second phase of the highly anticipated demonstration project of Datang Keqi Coal-to-Natural Gas Company, which has an annual production capacity of 4 billion cubic meters of coal-to-natural gas; this phase is scheduled to come online in the second half of 2016, at which time the annual production capacity is expected to exceed 2.6 billion cubic meters. At the same time, the three coal-to-natural gas projects in Ordos, Inner Mongolia, with an annual production capacity of 12 billion cubic meters each and whose construction was delayed due to procedural and financial issues, will also begin operations one after another. As representatives of the coal-to-natural gas sector, the large-scale launch of these projects indicates that the industry is likely to encounter new opportunities for development. “However, fundamentally, whether coal-to-natural gas companies can achieve rapid development depends on whether significant breakthroughs can be made in the industry’s key equipment and technologies. The core equipment and supporting technologies in the coal-to-natural gas industry are the main innovative means to achieve energy savings and reduced consumption. To achieve cleanliness and environmental protection as well as long-term stable operation, companies must continuously increase investment and innovation in these key areas. This is also the hope for coal-to-natural gas companies in a sluggish market environment; perhaps, for these companies, spring is not far away during the 13th Five-Year Plan period. ”Zong Haijun, general manager of Inner Mongolia Beikong Jingtai Energy Development Co., Ltd., said as much. “The industry often says that technology is productivity, and breakthroughs in new technologies can transform an entire industry. This is also an important task for us this year. We hope to achieve development by leveraging technological breakthroughs to upgrade the capacity and technology of Lurgi gasifiers, thereby reducing costs and increasing efficiency. ”Guo Huaming, Party secretary of Yima Gasification Plant of Henan Coal and Chemical Group, said. Shen Zhongzuan, head of the Technology Department at Datang Keqi Coal-to-Natural Gas Company, said that the Lurgi reactors currently used by some domestic coal-to-natural gas companies have a design capacity of 38,756 standard cubic meters per hour, with a maximum capacity of 420 million standard cubic meters per year; the operating pressure is 4.0 MPa. Results from actual operation show that maintaining the actual pressure at around 3.5 MPa is more economical and safer; however, it requires high-quality pulverized coal to be fed into the furnace, which increases costs. Developing gasifiers that require low emissions, low energy consumption, and less stringent coal specifications can play a significant role in helping coal-to-natural gas companies reduce their investments and improve efficiency. It is understood that in order to achieve energy savings and reduced consumption, coal-to-natural gas companies are currently making efforts in terms of technological innovation and breakthroughs. Guo Huaming said that this year, the Yima Gasification Plant and Saiding Engineering Company jointly launched a **high-tech research and development program project (“863” project), which involves technical solutions for the utility systems supporting large-scale coal pulverization pressurized gasification technologies and demonstration projects. Addressing the key technical challenges associated with the production of clean gas from coal, this project focuses on the development and engineering demonstration of a new generation of large-scale coal gasification technologies that feature low pollution, low emissions, low energy consumption, and low oxygen consumption, thereby creating a complete set of industrializable technologies. “The project is led by Saiding Company in terms of research and development, while the Coal-to-Natural Gas Company is responsible for the construction of the demonstration unit and the carrying out of commissioning tests. The implementation period is 3 years, and once the unit is completed and put into operation, it will become **the first coal gasification furnace with a diameter of Φ5m, operating at 6.0 MPa and with a production capacity of 120 kilograms per hour**. The project is now in the implementation phase. The project feasibility study report and project registration have been completed successfully, and equipment design is currently in progress. Upon completion, the project will serve as a demonstration site for large-scale coal pulverization pressurized gasification technology, to be widely adopted by domestic coal-to-natural gas companies. ”Guo Huaming said confidently. According to the head of the Engineering Technology Research Center at Henan Coal-to-Natural Gas Company, the gasification temperature in the industrial demonstration unit for this large-scale coal crushing and pressurized gasification technology is ≥950°C, with a coal feeding rate per furnace of ≥1,500 tons per day. Once operational, this facility will become the first large-scale coal crushing and pressurized gasification unit of its kind, featuring high operational efficiency; it will consume 784,000 tons of coal per year and produce 880 million standard cubic meters of gas per year. It plays a significant role in promoting the transformation and upgrading of domestic coal-to-natural gas enterprises in terms of environmental sustainability and cost savings. Shen Zhongzuan believes that while coal-to-natural gas companies achieve breakthroughs in their core technologies, the related supporting technologies must also keep up in order to enable a combination of these technologies for sustainable operation, thereby achieving overall cost reduction and efficiency improvement. It is understood that the raw gas exiting the gasifier currently contains 24% to 36% carbon dioxide; typically, about 70% to 80% of this carbon dioxide is released directly into the atmosphere without being utilized properly. This is undoubtedly a huge waste of resources and also causes environmental pollution. How to recycle this valuable carbon dioxide has become an urgent issue that needs to be addressed. Currently, some coal-to-natural gas companies are carrying out technological upgrades to their gasification units. These upgrades not only improve the effective utilization of carbon in the gasification process, reduce the consumption of high-pressure steam and thus save a significant amount of energy, as well as decrease wastewater generation, but they also generate direct economic benefits. The coal-to-natural gas projects that have been put into operation have faced numerous criticisms. Zhang Qinggeng, chairman of Saiding Engineering Company, believes that objectively speaking, there are indeed problems with the development of coal-to-gas technology, but it is still a long way from failure. Now, both the Datang project and the Qinghua project are operating normally – how can they be considered failures? Currently, there are no fundamental issues with the main process for producing gas from coal, but improvements are still needed in the details. It now seems that such coal chemical plants were originally of smaller scale; when they were expanded to the large-scale industrial level we see today, the impacts resulting from this were underestimated by everyone. Previously, hydrogen sulfide was released during the operation of some chemical plants, but due to the small volume involved, it had little impact on the surrounding area. These days, the volume of coal-derived gas produced is in the order of several billion cubic meters. Although it meets emission standards, the total amount of hydrogen sulfide generated during the gasification process increases, and its odor can spread over long distances. Another source of odor is naphthalene present in coal tar at the later stages; this substance is volatile and also produces an odor. Odor problems are the latest issue encountered in coal-to-gas production, and new plants must consider measures to address them. If it is not collected and processed, it will cause environmental and social problems http://www.nmtech.com.cn/*nwen_hyyw_xx.asp?path=47&id=173296.