Site of Guizhou Hongsheng Chemical's 300,000-ton ammonia synthesis system gasification section upgrade project

Beijing, May 18 (China News Service / Reporter Sun Zifa) – Reporter learned on the 18th from the Institute of Engineering Thermophysics, Chinese Academy of Sciences (CAS), that China's first atmospheric circulating fluidized bed gasifier, applied in the ammonia synthesis field, was successfully ignited on the same day at Guizhou Hongsheng Chemical Co., Ltd., entering its hot commissioning and operation phase. This gasifier also marks China's first circulating fluidized bed gasification unit that uses anthracite as raw material.

The gasifier, which has recently commenced hot commissioning, employs circulating fluidized bed coal gasification technology developed by the Institute of Engineering Thermophysics, CAS. Wholly contracted by ZHGAS., it represents the first phase of Hongsheng Chemical's upgrade project for its 300,000-ton ammonia synthesis system's gasification section.

The first phase of this project involves the construction of a new 60,000 standard cubic meters per hour atmospheric oxygen-enriched circulating fluidized bed gasifier. This new unit will replace the company's original 24 intermittent fixed-bed gasifiers that used carbonized coal briquettes. This upgrade is expected to not only eliminate issues such as dust emissions from coal briquette preparation, phenolic wastewater discharge, and tar pollution associated with fixed-bed gasifiers, but also allow the use of local pulverized anthracite as raw material, saving the company substantial coal costs. Upon completion of the upgrade, Hongsheng Chemical's cost per ton of ammonia will be significantly reduced, with the first phase alone expected to save the company over 66 million RMB in operating costs annually. Once the entire second phase of the project is completed, the company's total production capacity will expand to 300,000 tons per year, achieving comprehensive technological transformation and upgrade, as well as energy saving and consumption reduction.

It is understood that fertilizers are a crucial guarantee for food production, and ammonia synthesis is the primary raw material for nitrogen fertilizers. Currently, the production capacity of small and medium-sized ammonia synthesis facilities in China is approximately over 30 million tons per year, still accounting for more than half of the country's total ammonia synthesis capacity. Their gasification processes predominantly utilize intermittent fixed-bed coal gasifiers, with about 3,000 units operating nationwide. These systems commonly face challenges such as high energy consumption and significant pollution. Therefore, technological transformation and upgrading have become an urgent necessity for small and medium-sized ammonia synthesis enterprises to ensure their survival and development.

Industry experts state that the circulating fluidized bed coal gasification technology and equipment developed by the Institute of Engineering Thermophysics, CAS, are compatible with the existing process equipment of small and medium-sized ammonia synthesis plants and require low initial investment. This makes them particularly suitable for the renovation and upgrading of such enterprises. The successful implementation of Hongsheng Chemical's upgrade project will provide an economical and practical solution for the technological transformation and upgrading of small and medium-sized ammonia synthesis enterprises, contributing to the improvement of environmental protection standards in China's ammonia synthesis sector.