The Jinnan Tianqing Coal Chemicals coal-to-natural gas project is set to go into operation soon

Thread Content

The coal-to-natural gas project of Jinnan Tianqing Coal Chemical Industry is set to go into operation. Author/Source: Date: 2016-07-25 Clicks: 9 It is reported that the LNG facility owned by Henan Jinnan Tianqing Coal Chemical Industry Co., Ltd. (hereinafter referred to as Jinnan Tianqing) has been fully constructed and the commissioning process was successful; it is planned to begin operations officially at the end of this month. This project will be able to liquefy 1 million cubic meters of natural gas per day, producing 700 tons of LNG. Jinmei Tianqing is a wholly-owned subsidiary of Shanxi Jincheng Anthracite Coal Industry Group Co., Ltd. (referred to as Jinmei Group). Located in the Qinbei Industrial Park of Qinyang City, Henan Province, it is a new-type coal chemical enterprise that produces clean energy sources and chemicals as its main products. It is reported that the LNG production facility put into operation by Jinmei Tianqing uses the abundant 15# coal available from the Jinmei Group as raw material; the coal is crushed and then reacted with a gasifying agent under high temperature and pressure to produce crude gas. After purification, this gas undergoes five stages of methanation to be converted into methane, which is then sent to a cryogenic tank where it is further cooled to liquefy into LNG. Previously, the coal-to-gas projects put into operation in China were mainly located in Inner Mongolia and Xinjiang. The coal-to-gas project launched by Jinmei Tianqing is the first such facility in China’s eastern region, and it holds great significance for increasing the diversity of natural gas supplies in central China as well as promoting diversified uses of coal. As is well known, our country is a typical country rich in coal but poor in oil and gas. Coal resources play a dominant role in China’s primary energy consumption. However, in recent years, with the gradual push for industrial structure adjustment and the protection of the ecological environment, there has been a focus on reducing coal use and increasing the share of natural gas in the energy consumption structure. At first glance, coal-to-natural gas does indeed seem to be a solution that can perfectly address the aforementioned problems. The advantages of this approach lie in its ability to provide a new way for producing clean energy, to optimize the industrial structure related to the deep processing of coal, and to feature high energy efficiency. It is in line with the trends in coal processing and utilization both domestically and internationally. It holds great significance for alleviating the domestic shortage of natural gas and ensuring China’s energy security. However, reality does not always meet our expectations. Taking Inner Mongolia as an example, there are already dozens of factories that produce gas from coal. The process of converting coal into gas inevitably results in the emission of large amounts of dust and carbon, and it also requires a significant amount of water. In the water-scarce regions of the northwest, this has a disproportionately severe impact on the environment. Moreover, these gas production companies face a range of technical challenges, and debates within the industry regarding the maturity and environmental friendliness of coal-based gas production techniques continue unabated. At present, the gap in domestic natural gas supply remains significant; in addition to seeking more import sources, efforts are also being intensified to develop various types of unconventional natural gas. With the acceleration of the marketization of natural gas and the delegation of approval powers, the issue of bargaining power in coal-to-gas production has been gradually resolved. If, as technology matures and companies increase their investment in environmental protection, coal-to-gas production facilities can no longer face issues related to carbon emissions and wastewater treatment, then it is not an unattainable dream to enable coal-to-gas production to develop in a healthy manner through the joint efforts of governments, enterprises, and society.