Why are there new options for coal-to-natural gas?

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Why are there new options for coal-to-natural gas? Author/Source: Date: 2016-08-02 Clicks: 6 On July 26, the \"Technical Package for the Synthesis Gas Methanization Unit capable of producing 4 million Nm3/d of SNG, developed through the work of the Datang International Chemical Research Institute and Sinopec Luoyang Engineering Co., Ltd.\" was approved by a panel of experts organized by the China Petroleum and Chemical Industry Federation. This move means that the full methanization technology for syngas has achieved complete domestic production of catalysts and key equipment, breaking the long-standing foreign monopoly in this field. Reporters from China Chemical Industry News learned that the evaluation panel led by Academician Yang Qiyeh of the Chinese Academy of Engineering unanimously agreed that the core of this process package – the High-Temperature Regenerative Methanation (HTREM) complete methanization technology – features a rational process flow and control scheme, as well as reliable equipment selection. It boasts advantages such as safety, energy efficiency, water conservation, and environmental protection, and is capable of meeting the requirements for building large-scale methanization plants; therefore, they recommended further efforts to promote its application. Li Chunqi, director of the Chemical Research Institute, said in an exclusive interview with reporters: “The development of this technology package is based on the DTC-M1 methanation catalyst and the HTREM complete methanation process technology independently developed by the Chemical Research Institute.” At present, all existing coal-to-natural gas projects in China utilize the methanation technology developed by British company David and Danish company Topsoe; there is no industrial application of domestically developed methanation technology yet. The HTREM complete methanization process technology enables the localization of key equipment such as methanization catalysts, reactors, waste heat boilers, and compressors. ” It is understood that, in order to verify the industrial applicability of the process and catalysts, the Chemical Research Institute spent 8 years constructing a 3,000 Nm3/d SNG syngas complete methanation plant on-site at Shanxi Lu’an Coal-based Synthetic Oil Company, in accordance with the standards for industrial-scale facilities. The device has operated for a total of 6,000 hours, of which 4,000 hours were spent in continuous stable operation at full load. The product gas contains 97.63% methane, 1.39% hydrogen, 0.66% carbon dioxide, and 0.32% nitrogen. The test results show that this pre-reduced methanation catalyst exhibits high activity, good hydrothermal stability, high mechanical strength, and a wide operating temperature range, enabling it to effectively reduce startup time and minimize startup risks. During the research and development of this project, the Chemical Research Institute obtained **17 authorized patents** in areas such as methanation processes, catalysts, equipment, instrumentation and control, and materials, thereby developing a methanation process and catalyst technology system with complete independent intellectual property rights. Compared with similar domestic technologies, the HTREM methanation technology utilizes a four-stage fully series-parallel methanation process unit as well as the DTC-M1 methanation catalyst developed independently by the Chemical Research Institute. The catalyst can be put into use without prior reduction at the start of operation, which saves more than 5 million yuan in equipment investment and reduces the time required for the initial commissioning of the unit by over 20 days. The HTREM methanization technology features flexible operation, high temperature of the recycle gas, strong resistance to carbon deposition, and safe, stable, and reliable plant operation; it enables the production of synthetic natural gas with a methane content of 90% to 98%, depending on the actual conditions. Industry experts say that during the 13th Five-Year Plan period, China’s coal-to-natural gas projects were planned to have a production capacity of nearly 100 billion cubic meters, and recently three more projects have received approval for environmental impact assessments. Therefore, the technology for syngas methanation of 4 million Nm3/d of SNG will provide new technical options for future coal-to-natural gas projects in our country. Links: 3 coal-to-natural gas projects that have recently received environmental approval 1) Suxin New Energy and Feng Co., Ltd.’s coal-to-natural gas project with an output of 4 billion standard cubic meters per year 2) Inner Mongolia Beikong Jingtai Energy Development Co., Ltd.’s coal-to-natural gas project with an output of 4 billion cubic meters per year 3) China National Offshore Oil Corporation’s demonstration project for the clean utilization of low-grade bituminous coal in Datong, Shanxi