Ignition of the gasifier in Ningxia’s 4 million tons per year coal-to-oil project

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Ignition of the gasifier in Ningxia’s 4 million tons per year coal-to-oil project Author/Source: Date: 10-24-2016 Clicks: 7 At 19:19 on October 19, the ignition nozzle of the first gasifier in Shenhua Ningxia’s 4 million tons per year coal indirect liquefaction demonstration project – namely Gasifier No. 2 – was successfully ignited; this marked the ignition of the first of the 28 gasifiers. The gasifier for Ningxia’s 4 million tons per year coal-to-oil project was ignited. Before lighting the burner of the gasifier, all necessary conditions were met: thorough inspections and adjustments, pipeline flushing, aeration to ensure airtightness, interlock system testing, coal powder calibration, tests on coal powder circulation, adjustment of the calorific value of LPG, establishment of a circulation system in the system, oxygen introduction for displacement, and verification of valves and blind flanges. All test crew members ultimately completed the pre-ignition condition verification successfully. The burner for igniting the second coal-to-oil gasifier – Gasifier No. 4 – was also successfully ignited at 00:07 on October 20. The two gasification furnaces are currently under pressure elevation and undergoing subsequent testing. The gasifiers of Ningxia’s 4 million-ton coal-to-oil project were ignited. The successful ignition of these two gasifiers prepares the way for subsequent feeding and commissioning tests, and it also lays a foundation for the smooth ignition and operation of the remaining 26 gasifiers. Shenning Group’s 4 million tons per year coal indirect liquefaction demonstration project is the second **coal deep processing demonstration project** following the success of Shenhua Group’s direct coal liquefaction project in Ordos. It is also the largest coal-to-oil project in the world in terms of the scale of its single processing unit. The project plans to start commissioning the methanol production line in October, to begin commissioning Line A for oil production on November 15 and complete the entire production process, with qualified oil products being produced by the end of 2016. On September 15, the 4 million tons per year coal-to-oil synthesis unit at Shenhua Ningmei successfully completed commissioning. On August 27, Unit 3 of the project began producing qualified oxygen and nitrogen products, reportedly 2 days earlier than scheduled. The Shenhua Ningxia Coal 4 million tons of coal indirect liquefaction demonstration project commenced construction in September 2013, with a total investment of 60 billion yuan. Gasification employs Siemens GSP and Ningmei’s dry coal powder pressurized gasification technology, while the oil synthesis unit uses Zhongke Synthoil’s medium-temperature slurry bed Fischer-Tropsch synthesis technology. Upon completion, the project will produce 4.05 million tons of petroleum products and 1 million tons of methanol per year; its main products will include 2.733 million tons of blended diesel, 983,000 tons of naphtha, and 333,000 tons of liquefied petroleum gas ； 200,000 tons of sulfur, 75,000 tons of mixed alcohols, and 107,000 tons of sulfuric acid were produced as by-products. In January 2004, the **National Development and Reform Commission selected the Shenhua Ningxia Coal Industry Group to build a coal-to-oil demonstration project through a bidding process**. To introduce foreign technology, Shenhua Ningxia Coal Industry Group plans to form a joint venture with South African Sasol Synthetic Fuels International Ltd., and has decided to build a coal indirect liquefaction project with an annual production capacity of 4 million tons of oil products within the Ningdong Coal Chemical Industry Base. South African company Sasol Synthetic Fuels International Ltd. withdrew later. The project’s environmental impact assessment was approved by the Ministry of Environmental Protection in April 2011 through the document titled \"Approval on the Environmental Impact Report for the Ningxia Shasuo Coal Indirect Liquefaction Project\" (Document No. Huan Shen 88). In September 2013, the **National Development and Reform Commission approved the project via the “Reply of the **National Development and Reform Commission on the Approval of the 4-million-ton-per-year Indirect Coal Liquefaction Demonstration Project by Shenhua Ningxia Coal Industry” (Document No. FGNY [2013] 1837).