May 30 2008
After a production period of only 18 months Siemens Energy is to deliver the first two of five coal gasifiers to Shenhua Ningxia Coal Industry Group Co. Ltd. (SNCG) in China. The coal gasifiers, each with a thermal capacity of 500 megawatts, are destined for the Ningxia coal-to-polypropylene (NCPP) plant in Ningxia Province in northwest China. After completion in early 2010, the plant with its five gasifiers will have an hourly production capacity of approximately 540,000 cubic meters of syngas, which will then be converted in downstream processes to polypropylene plastic.
The Siemens coal gasifiers, which are 18 meters long with an inside diameter of 3 meters and weigh 220 tonnes, are among the world’s largest and most powerful. They are capable of gasifying up to 2000 tonnes of coal daily. In the gasification process hard coal, lignite and other substances such as biomass, petcoke and refinery residues will be converted to syngas, and environmental pollutants such as sulfur and carbon dioxide subsequently removed. The syngas can then be used for eco-friendly power generation in integrated gasification combined cycle (IGCC) plants or as a raw material in the chemical industry, for example in the production of synthetic fuels.
The Siemens 500-MW coal gasifier is characterized by its straightforward design, high availability level, low servicing requirements, and fast startup and shutdown. Work is already in progress on gasifiers in the next higher capacity class.
In 2006, Siemens acquired the technology for the gasification of fossil raw materials and the 50-percent stake in the Chinese joint venture with Shenhua Ninxia Coal Industry Group from the Swiss company Sustec Holding AG.