Yangtze Coal-to-Gas Advanced Technology Wins First Prize for Scientific and Technological Progress at Sinopec

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Yangzi’s advanced coal-to-gas technology wins first prize for scientific and technological progress at Sinopec Author/Source: Date: 2016-07-06 Clicks: 61. Recently, reporters learned from the Science and Technology Innovation Conference held by Sinopec Group on June 17 that the project \"Development and industrial application of single-nozzle cold-wall pressurized coal gasification (SE) technology,\" led by Yangzi Petrochemical, Ningbo Engineering Company, and East China University of Science and Technology, won the first prize for scientific and technological progress at Sinopec. This is another honor for the project, following its receipt of the Shanghai Special Prize for Technical Invention on April 18. The development and application of this technology have provided technical support for China’s development of the clean coal chemical industry, and have helped Sinopec gain a position and reputation in the field of gasification technology. Coal gasification is the key technology for the clean and efficient conversion of coal. However, the coal gasification methods currently in widespread use, although they have effectively addressed the issue of utilizing high-quality coal, tend to be avoided when it comes to China’s abundant reserves of low-quality coal. The gasifier developed using the technology of \"Development and Application of Key Equipment for Single-Nozzle Cold-Wall Pulverized Coal Pressurized Gasification\" (hereinafter referred to as the \"SE gasification unit\") is not only capable of processing low-quality coal but also enables its clean and efficient utilization. This further promotes the industrial application of China’s \"green coal\" strategy, providing essential core equipment support for **energy strategic security and the sustainable development of the modern coal chemical industry. It is reported that the key to this technology lies in the SE “Dongfang Furnace” – a core device with independent intellectual property rights owned jointly by Sinopec and East China University of Science and Technology. This furnace enables continuous feeding of raw coal under pressure as well as high-temperature liquid slag discharge. It has a wide range of coal compatibility, features high gasification pressure and efficiency, low oxygen and coal consumption, large production capacity per unit, and minimal environmental impact. The carbon conversion rate reaches 99%, while the yield of useful gases is over 90%, making it comparable to the world’s most advanced pulverized coal gasification systems. Moreover, its process is simpler, investment requirements are lower, and operation and maintenance are more convenient ； Its consumption is even lower than that of the water-coal slurry method; it represents a high-tech advancement in the fields of energy and chemicals, and is at the world’s leading level. The coal-to-gas facility at Yangzi Petrochemical is the first domestic demonstration plant to utilize this technology. On January 23, 2014, the first feeding of the device was successful, and qualified hydrogen was produced on January 28 ； In October of the same year, a 72-hour continuous test of the entire system under 100% load was completed along with calibration, and a test at 110% load was also successfully carried out. The coal-to-gas facility at Yangzi Petrochemical takes full account of resource recycling, comprehensive utilization, and environmental friendliness. The main by-product of this facility is carbon dioxide, which is used instead of nitrogen as a carrier for transporting the pulverized coal used as raw material, thereby enabling internal recycling of resources within the facility ； Sulfur in coal is first converted into hydrogen sulfide gas, and then sulfur is produced through desulfurization ； Pure oxygen is used in the production process, resulting in zero emissions of nitrogen oxides. Of the energy contained in the raw coal, approximately 80–83% is recovered in the form of syngas, while 14%–16% is recovered as steam. “The emissions of the three types of waste are all kept within **the latest standards**, and the ash is utilized as a resource; this represents the cleanest method of coal utilization at present. It is understood that the gasifier in Yangzi Petrochemical’s coal-to-gas facility has notable features. Firstly, coal types have broad adaptability, and they can “process” low-quality coals such as those with high ash fusion points and coals characterized by high sulfur, high ash, and high carbon content. Secondly, the device has high reliability. Building on the company’s first-class management philosophy and operational support systems, it has set multiple records for domestic gasification demonstration units in terms of operation: the shortest time required to produce qualified products, the shortest time needed to complete the entire process, the longest continuous operating time after a single successful feed, as well as operation reliability and online availability at levels comparable to those of mature facilities ； The first burner of the gasification furnace operated for a total of 153 days, setting a record for the longest service life of a burner. At present, this facility has become a testing base for various coal types in the country. Through testing and experimentation, it continuously optimizes the gasification parameter settings for new coal types in order to meet the needs of different coal types and users. In 2015, this facility conducted trial burns using coal from Guizhou and Shanxi; in the first half of this year, it carried out further trial burns with coal from Gaoping and Zhong’an, providing advanced technical options for the development of an efficient and clean coal chemical industry in China.