Discover advanced RTO (Regenerative Thermal Oxidizer) systems for efficient VOCs waste gas treatment in the coal chemical industry. Our solutions reduce emissions, comply with environmental regulations, and enhance operational efficiency. Learn how our RTO technology can help your business achieve sustainable growth.
Coal gasification is the core technology of modern coal chemical industry.
Coal gasification: refers to an incomplete reaction between various types of coal (coke) and oxygen carrying gasifying agents (H2O, O2, CO2) in a gasifier. Under high temperature and certain pressure, it ultimately produces crude coal gas composed of H2, CH4, CO, CO2, N2, trace amounts of H2S, COS, etc.
Classification of Coal Gasification Processes:
Low temperature methanol washing process: using cold methanol as the absorption solvent, utilizing the high solubility of methanol in acidic gases at low temperatures, to remove acidic gases from the feed gas, mainly CO2 and H2S.
Low temperature methanol washing is a method jointly developed by Linde and Lurgi in the early 1950s to remove acidic gases from raw material gases. In 1954, it was first used for gas purification in the coal pressurized gasification industry in South Africa.
Characteristics of low-temperature methanol washing exhaust gas:
Due to the fact that the exhaust gas contains almost no oxygen, it is necessary to supplement the exhaust gas with air to meet the oxygen requirement for complete oxidation of the exhaust gas.
Principle for determining the amount of supplementary air:
1) Safety considerations: explosion hazard analysis
According to the Technical Specification for Industrial Organic Waste Gas Treatment by Thermal Storage Combustion Method, the concentration of organic matter entering the RTO device should be below 25% of the lower explosive limit. Calculate the lower explosive limit of complex combustible gas mixtures using the Le Chatlier formula, and then compare the concentration of combustible components in exhaust gas with the size of 25% LEL to determine the safety of the concentration of combustible components in exhaust gas.
2) Purification rate considerations: “3T1O”
Usually designed without considering the influence of inert gases, the lower explosive limit of exhaust gas is calculated, and the air dilution ratio is determined based on the relationship between exhaust gas concentration and 25% LEL. This calculation can ensure intrinsic safety, but the exhaust gas volume is relatively large.
Due to the presence of a large amount of inert gas CO2 in the low-temperature methanol washing exhaust gas N2, A small amount of combustible components,
According to the calculation method for a mixture containing n flammable gases and p inert gases, it can be determined that the low-grade mixed exhaust gas of flammable and inert gases is non flammable and non explosive.
Therefore, the exhaust gas from low-temperature methanol washing has no upper or lower explosive limits.
The amount of air replenishment for low-temperature methanol washing waste gas can be determined based on the oxygen content of the flue gas after complete oxidation being greater than 3%.
The mixed exhaust gas is designed for oxygen supplementation based on material balance, with an oxygen content of around 5% in the flue gas
Comparison between the concentration of combustible components in exhaust gas after oxygen supplementation and the lower explosive limit of exhaust gas (excluding inert gases)
1) Low exhaust gas volume
2) Oxygen supplementation air volume
Xinye Energy Chemical’s 525,000 tons/year methanol unit uses crushed coal pressurized gasification technology. In addition to the main components CO2 and N2, the low-temperature methanol washing exhaust gas also contains methane, non-methane total hydrocarbons, CO, methanol, etc. This exhaust gas is currently discharged through the boiler chimney. According to environmental protection requirements, VOCs removal treatment is required. In addition, the polyoxymethylene unit also has three exhaust gases that need to be treated.
Based on the characteristics of combustible components in exhaust gas, our engineers have decided to adopt the treatment technology route of “RTO purification+medium pressure steam waste heat boiler for heat recovery”; According to our company’s unique “Le Chater&Inert Gas Correction Theory Safety Air Distribution Algorithm”, we have decided to select a 270000 air volume rotary valve RTO, with an oxygen content of 5% in the exhaust gas after incineration; Simultaneously select a 5.1MPa/46T steam boiler with a 120 meter end chimney design to reduce the impact of exhaust emissions on the factory environment;
The main device adopts a single 270,000 air volume rotary valve RTO, square layout, equipped with 3 rotary air distribution valves and 36 heat storage chambers
| Calculation of explosion limits of the combustible part of a mixture | |
| Richard Chateli formula: Lf=100/(V1/L1+V2/L2+……+Vn/Ln) | |
| Mixed gas explosion limit Lf, % | 4.26 |
| 25%LEL | 1.065 |
| Total concentration of combustible components | 2.777 |
Conventional air distribution: The concentration of combustible components is reduced to <1.065, which means that the air distribution needs to be 2.6 times, and the total air volume reaches 330,000.
Considering only the oxygen supply, the air supply is 100,000, and the total air volume is 220,000
1. Air background, the lower explosion limit at 900℃ is 25%LEL;
2. Inert background, non-flammable and non-explosive at room temperature, but at high temperature?
| Performance parameters | Rotary valve RTO | Lift valve RTO |
| Air volume | 300,000 Nm³/h | 300,000 Nm³/h |
| Directional valve structure | Rotary valve | Lift valve |
| Number of reversing valves | 3 | 27 |
| Frequency of reversing valve switching shock | Continuous operation without shock | 6.48 million times/year |
| Number of heat storage beds | 36 | 9 |
| Air volume per chamber | 20000 Nm³/h | 75000 Nm³/h |
| Cross-sectional area of single heat storage chamber | 3㎡ | 14㎡ |
| Filling weight of single-chamber heat storage ceramic | 3300kg | 15600kg |
| Number of burners (pieces) | 3 | 5 |
| Occupancy (length*width) | 26m×8m | 48m×5m |
√ Main environmental protection technical indicators
| Parameter name | Data |
| Low-methane exhaust gas/10,000 m³/h | 10.8-12.5 |
| Oxygen supplement air/10,000 m³/h | 10.5-11.5 |
| Low-temperature flue gas oxygen content% | 5 |
| Furnace temperature℃ | 960-990 |
| Exhaust nitrogen oxides mg/m³ | 4.5-10 |
| Exhaust non-methane total hydrocarbons mg/m³ | 40-60 |
√ Main economic indicators
| Parameter name | Data |
| Installed power distribution power | 1200KW/h |
| Electricity cost | 4.8 million yuan/year |
| Waste heat boiler steam output | 45t/h |
| Steam parameters | 4.9MPa, 420℃ |
| Steam price | 120 yuan/t |
| Direct economic benefits | 43.2 million yuan/year |
| Reduction in raw coal consumption | 50,000 tons/year |
| Carbon emission reduction | 860,000 tons/year |