Domestic dimethyl ether how to dream clean energy?

Since 2007, the domestic DME production capacity has soared from 2.3 million tons/year, and it has rapidly developed to the current 6.5 to 8 million tons/year. However, at the same time as the rapid expansion of production capacity, the market development of dimethyl ether has always been very unregulated, and the market order of using dimethyl ether as a civilian gas is currently confusing. Due to the so-called “corrosion”, the survival of DME in the civilian gas market has been controversial, resulting in delays in the introduction of dimethyl ether and liquefied petroleum gas blending standards, and facing stringent investigations by national governments at all levels. This not only severely restricted the healthy development of the dimethyl ether industry, but also further aggravated market confusion.

As an industry-recognized, high-quality, clean alternative fuel, why did DME "fall down" to the point where Liquefied Petroleum Gas (LPG) survived? Why can't dimethyl ether and liquefied petroleum gas blending standards be introduced? In the government's ban on dimethyl ether mixed with liquefied petroleum gas today, dimethyl ether enterprises in the passively awaited standards in the introduction of self-destruction, or in active self-help in another way to develop? A few days ago, the reporter passed interviews and heard opinions from industry experts and companies.

Production scale ranks first in the world

Most companies operating less than 20%

Dimethyl ether can be made from coal, natural gas or biomass as raw materials. At present, China mainly uses coal as raw material to make methanol, and then further converts methanol to dimethyl ether.

“In the beginning, due to the low investment in equipment, the simple process, and the encouragement of national policies, the enthusiasm of the enterprises was very high.” Ma Liang, Secretary-General of the National Committee for Alcohol Ether Fuel and Alcohol Ether Clean Cars Committee, said in an interview. Since 2006 was included in the "National Medium- and Long-term Science and Technology Development Plan", from 2006 to the first half of 2008, the expansion of dimethyl ether production capacity was "blowout" trend.

Liu Jingsheng, deputy general manager of the Jiutai Energy Group Strategic Development Center, told reporters: “Now, China has built a total capacity of 650-10,000 tons of dimethyl ether plant per year, of which 29 companies have a capacity of more than 100,000 tons of dimethyl ether. With a total production capacity of 5.71 million tons, which is mainly distributed in North China, East China and South China, China has become the world's largest and fastest-growing country in terms of dimethyl ether production capacity."

This reporter learned that in 2007 the overall operating rate of the dimethyl ether industry was about 40%. In 2008, due to the full recognition of dimethyl ether by the civilian gas market, demand has increased significantly and the operating rate has risen to a maximum of 60%. However, by 2010, the DME industry that has not yet fully recovered from the financial crisis has been hit by severe investigations across the country. In particular, at the end of June, the AQSIQ, the State Administration for Industry and Commerce, the General Administration of Safety Supervision, and the National Energy Administration After the department jointly launched a special liquefied petroleum gas (LPG) rectification operation in the country, the dimethyl ether industry was extremely depressed. The operating rate of many dimethyl ether enterprises has plummeted to less than 20%, and the market demand is still less than half of the previous years.

More than 90% of domestic dimethyl ether

Used for mixing liquefied petroleum gas

Dimethyl ether can be used as a substitute for gas and liquefied petroleum gas for civilian fuels. It can also be blended into city gas or natural gas pipeline systems as a mixture of civilian fuels or used as industrial fuels. According to reports, at present, the application of dimethyl ether in the field of blending has accounted for more than 90% of the total domestic demand.

Due to the fact that the cost of dimethyl ether is far lower than that of low-liquefied petroleum gas, the price of liquefied petroleum gas is at a high level since the introduction of dimethyl ether into the market. Dimethyl ether is sought after by the market for its superior economic benefits. In addition, the blending process is simple and easy to operate. This has become a common marketing method for the dimethyl ether industry. According to the survey, in China, Guangdong Province is the main area where liquefied gas is mixed with dimethyl ether, and it is also a key market for dimethyl ether enterprise sales in Hubei, Sichuan, Guizhou, and Hunan.

Henan Anyang Zhenyuan Group is a dimethyl ether enterprise with a capacity of 110,000 tons/year. At present, the Group's three-phase 200,000-ton/year dimethyl ether project is under construction. The reporter learned that at present, the dimethyl ether produced by the Group is even self-produced and sold for local and surrounding residents. According to the Group's dimethyl ether industry development plan, it is expected that by the end of 2012, the dimethyl ether production scale will reach 1.1 million tons/year. Zhenyuan Group stated that it will rely on its strong end-market to actively accelerate the development of dimethyl ether projects and put into production as soon as possible.

On the other hand, the strong market demand for dimethyl ether in the liquefied petroleum gas (LPG) blended industry and the market price difference of liquefied petroleum gas (LPG) higher than dimethyl ether (DME) 1000-2,000 yuan/ton have brought huge profits to many distributors. Space, and even let them take the risk without hesitation, in the country is strictly prohibited mixed use of the case is still in the body test method. According to the financial network report, the results of the survey conducted by the Guangxi Quality Supervision Department earlier this year showed that companies suspected of blending dimethyl ether liquefied petroleum gas accounted for 45% of the companies inspected.

Although dimethyl ether has been replaced by liquefied petroleum gas (LPG) as a civilian fuel, it has been a major market. However, due to the “corrosion” of dimethyl ether, many people are deeply worried. At the same time, because the calorific value of dimethyl ether is lower than that of liquefied petroleum gas, people have questioned both their combustion performance and economical efficiency, whether it is pure combustion or blended combustion. Due to lack of scientific basis, some have not yet been conclusive.

Dimethyl ether liquefied gas corrosive bottom how much?

The main components of liquefied petroleum gas are propane and butane, and some components such as pentane that are not easily gasified and other impurities. In view of many experts, dimethyl ether is physically close to the liquefied petroleum gas phase, and its boiling point, latent heat of vaporization, saturated vapor pressure, and the like are all between propane and butane. "Dimethyl ether can be completely used for civil gas to replace the pure burning of liquefied petroleum gas," an industry expert who did not want to be named told reporters.

However, since dimethyl ether has a corrosive effect on the sealing ring of liquefied petroleum gas cylinders, most companies in the field of liquefied petroleum gas for civilian use nowadays are more likely to blend it with certain proportions of liquefied petroleum gas. Many people in the industry agree that the safe blending ratio is 20%. However, in fact, in the absence of industry standards, the proportion of DME blends actually varies, and they are all set by the companies themselves.

The relevant persons of the Zhenyuan Group told the reporter that the proportion of dimethyl ether blended in the group is determined according to the season and the quality of different liquefied gas, and sometimes even as high as 50%. This is obviously a very dangerous data for many experts.

Scientifically, dimethyl ether does have some corrosion (swelling) effect on rubber.

But in the actual application process, how much is this swelling? I am afraid even experts are hard to say. With the help of a lot of media, people are now talking about DME's change of color, and they have also put a heavy hat on them - "dangerous" and "toxic." According to Jiutai Energy's experience, the company’s staff canteen uses dimethyl ether as a fuel since its establishment, and directly connects the pipeline from the DME ball tank to the kitchen. It has been used normally for five years. In addition, a dimethyl ether enterprise in Guangdong revealed to reporters that the company's dimethyl ether canned station is about 50 bottles of dimethyl ether gas per day, and the dimethyl ether stove has been used for up to 7 years. It has not been discovered that the cooker has appeared. In the regular visit to dealers, no problems were found, and dealers never received complaints from users.

Liu Jingsheng said that from the actual use of the situation, the corrosion of dimethyl ether blended liquefied petroleum gas to seals is controllable in the short term. According to tests conducted by the North China Design and Research Institute of China Municipal Engineering, when DME is applied to the gas phase of a conventional gas system, it will have a certain influence on the seals in the pressure regulator membrane or bottle valve equipment, but it will not cause any short-term damage. Larger safety accidents.

The reporter learned that the North China Design and Research Institute of China Municipal Engineering has now developed two new sealing materials suitable for pure dimethyl ether and dimethyl ether blended liquefied petroleum gas, and some manufacturers already have forming samples. After putting into use, the safety and reliability can be further improved.

What is the change in combustion performance and calorific value before and after blending?

A few days ago, the reporter told a reporter who had used liquefied petroleum gas for a long time to understand the relevant aspects. The user bluntly stated to reporters: “If I want to say something, as a user, I only care about the combustion performance and calorific value after adding dimethyl ether. Will it be reduced? If it is reduced, then I will definitely not do it."

The above-mentioned industry experts said: "The same volume of pure dimethyl ether has a calorific value of about 70% of that of liquefied petroleum gas. But dimethyl ether can bring out the residual liquid in the liquefied petroleum gas tank, which also increases the overall liquefied petroleum gas. Calorific value. And the price of dimethyl ether is also low, there is an economical conversion problem here." According to the data provided by Xin'ao Gas, when the market price of dimethyl ether raw material methanol is 1800 yuan/ton, liquefied petroleum gas When the price is 5,000 yuan/ton or more, dimethyl ether is suitable for pure burning; when the methanol market price is 2,400 yuan/ton, and the liquefied petroleum gas price is 5,000 yuan/ton, dimethyl ether is suitable for mixing liquefied petroleum gas.

In 2005, the New Austrian Group conducted tests and tests on 15-25% DME/LPG with different blending and blending ratios. The results were tested by the National Gas Appliance Quality Supervision and Inspection Center and the Xuzhou Product Quality Inspection Institute. Conduct inspections and analysis and obtain qualified inspection reports. It shows that the combustion performance of dimethyl ether blended liquefied gas is similar to that of liquefied petroleum gas, but the flame state is obviously better than that of liquefied petroleum gas. Ninety-one percent of trial users responded with a bluer flame (more full combustion) and a harder (stronger fire). In terms of calorific value, dimethyl ether liquefied gas was basically the same as liquefied petroleum gas. 75% of users reported no difference between the two, 21% of users reported that DME/LPG was slightly higher than LPG, and only 4% of users reported that DME/LPG was not as good as LPG's caloric value, but it did not feel obvious. 37 users of water heater trials all reflected that there was no difference between the water temperature and the heating time. All users reported no odor in the combustion process, nor did they have abnormal phenomena such as tempering or weakened fire. The ignition rate satisfies the national stove inspection standard, and all cylinder rubber parts are not deformed. According to the statistics of Xinao Gas's satisfaction with the registration of 100 users, 97% of users expressed satisfaction.

Mixed standard was shelved

Controversy or interest dispute behind

On September 21, the People's Republic of China's National Standards Approved Announcement No. 4 (Total No. 159) was officially issued in 2010, of which GB25035-2010 “DME for Town Gas” will be officially implemented on July 1 next year.

The National Standard for Dimethyl Ether from Town Gas clearly stipulates that dimethyl ether can only be burned as a gas for towns and cities, and it is required to be used exclusively for special bottles. The above-mentioned industry experts said that because the current industry's safe blending ratio of dimethyl ether has not yet reached a conclusion, 20% is only an empirical data, and there is no scientific basis. As one of the participants in this standard, the idea of ​​the Chinese City Gas Association writing standards for DME blending can only be put on hold for the time being.

As the largest consumer of domestic dimethyl ether, Guangdong Provincial Quality Inspection Bureau concluded the Guangdong Provincial Local Standard “Liquefied Petroleum Gas Dimethyl Ether Compound Fuel” in early September. It has been reported that it has not received approval as expected. . In an interview, the reporter learned that in addition to the controversy over the blending ratio of dimethyl ether and the calorific value before and after blending, there are great interest disputes between the industries. In an interview with a reporter from the China Energy News, industry sources pointed out that if dimethyl ether blending becomes lawful, it will affect the market supply of LPG companies. On the one hand, because dimethyl ether can bring out most of the residual liquid in the LPG cylinders, the capacity of the cylinders will increase, and the price will be lower than before; on the other hand, due to the legal status of dimethyl ether, it will directly affect the liquefied petroleum gas. The total supply of business. In this way, regardless of the supply of liquefied petroleum gas or the economic benefits of liquefied petroleum gas enterprises, the liquefied petroleum gas business will be affected. “However, for dimethyl ether manufacturers, the introduction of standards will undoubtedly promote the regulation of the dimethyl ether market. This is what we hope to see.” The relevant personage said.

"In addition to formulating standards for mixed admixture, relevant standards for cylinders should also be established. Both should be carried out simultaneously," Ma Liang said. In Shandong, Guizhou, Chongqing and other places, in the absence of national standards and industry standards, in order to meet the requirements for the safe application of dimethyl ether and regulate the market, local standards have been established in succession. The Ministry of Construction issued the “Dimethyl Ether Industry Standard for Town Gas” on August 21, 2007. However, the introduction of these standards did not play a huge role in imagination because they did not require special bottles. It can be said that there is no special bottle dedicated to the development of dimethyl ether fuel is one of the key factors.

It is gratifying that the reporter learned from the China City Gas Association that the association is drafting standards for special cylinders for dimethyl ether, which will make provisions for the cylinder angle valve, the material of the seal ring, and the service life of the cylinder. The drafting of the current standard is nearing completion.

As for the dimethyl ether blending standards, people familiar with the matter said that they did not know when to wait.

Dimethyl ether enterprise: Is it self-help?

Still waiting to die?

Dimethyl ether manufacturers such as Jiutai Energy are also beginning to awaken. "DME enterprises should actively join hands and work together with relevant departments to promote the development of dimethyl ether-related industry standards," said Liu Jingsheng. However, in the absence of standards, the development of dimethyl ether will be difficult even if dimethyl ether is still heavily dependent on liquefied petroleum gas. Dimethyl ether companies want to develop is really as reported in the "need to re-shuffle", to create a new way? In addition to being used as civilian gas, is there any other more economical and easier to use dimethyl ether?

Even if dimethyl ether is burned legally in the future, the market demand for blending is limited. Zhuang Rongjin, director of the gas division of the Guangdong Oil and Gas Association, told reporters: “The current annual demand for liquefied gas in the Chinese domestic market is about 22 million tons per year. If blended by 20%, only 4 million tons will be needed.” And many dimethyl ethers are not considered. The company's ongoing expansion plans, according to the current dimethyl ether 600-800 tons / year capacity, but also have enough surplus. Of course, in the opinion of some experts, once dimethyl ether can be used for pure burning, this market is difficult to estimate. However, at present, there is still no condition. "If dimethyl ether is used as a civilian fuel alone, special dimethyl ether cylinders and dimethyl ether stoves will be required. However, if a certain percentage of blends are used, only special cylinders are required. The stoves do not need to be modified. The replacement cost of dimethyl ether is relatively high, and economically, the enthusiasm of LPG companies is limited.” Zhuang Rongjin said.

Industrial fuel market

Zhuang Rongjin pointed out that if dimethyl ether alone is used, it now appears to be still used in industrial fuels. Today, there are already examples of this. Therefore, companies may consider opening up the industrial fuel market. However, Ma Liang said that the industrial users of dimethyl ether are also limited, and the replacement cost of industrial users is higher, and as far as the current situation is concerned, the price of dimethyl ether is not economic compared with the price of natural gas. It can only be used in some new installations and Natural gas pipelines cannot be popularized in remote areas.

Vehicle fuel market

Dimethyl ether companies are more optimistic about the dimethyl ether vehicle market. Because dimethyl ether has higher cetane number than diesel, it can be used as an alternative fuel for diesel engines. According to Chen Weiguo, deputy director of the DME Committee of the China City Gas Association, at present, domestic companies such as Shanghai Jiaotong University and Xi'an Jiaotong University, and foreign countries such as Japan have completed the test of using dimethyl ether as a vehicle fuel. The results show that the use of dimethyl ether as an automotive fuel has the advantages of high efficiency, low emissions, and low noise. According to the national test results, dimethyl ether fuel is used on the CA498A high-speed diesel engine, and the emission level after catalytic oxidation treatment can reach Euro 3 standard. According to information from Asian Chemicals, the Ministry of Industry and Information Technology has clearly listed DME cars in the category of new energy vehicles in its “Regulations on the Management of New Energy Vehicle Production Enterprises and Product Access”.

This reporter learned that at present, SAIC, China Automotive Technology Center and other units have jointly prepared three dimethyl ether vehicle industry standards, and approved by the Ministry of Industry and Information on April 1, 2010 to implement. This is the first batch of dimethyl ether vehicle standards in China. The three standards have made corresponding stipulations on the technology and installation of the DME vehicle-specific devices and the DME car filling port, and have standardized and promoted dimethyl ether. The development and application of automobiles have important guiding significance.

The reporter learned that Jiutai Energy dimethyl ether refueling station was formally put into use in May 2007, and the data shows that the current dimethyl ether employee shuttle used by Jiutai Energy has now accumulated 24,000 kg of dimethyl ether fuel. "The basic conditions for large-scale promotion have been met, but the relevant approval procedures need to be complete." Liu Jingsheng introduced. However, DME cars are still in their infancy. It has been reported that the DME car had been tried on the Shanghai 147 bus for some time and was not recognized. According to Ma Liang, due to the problem of filling stations and the relatively high cost of replacement, the promotion of DME buses has been shelved by Shanghai Bus Company for economic reasons. Liu Jingsheng pointed out that due to the limited construction of gas filling stations, in the future, DME fuel vehicles will be promoted on city buses. It is more feasible to use dual-fuel city taxis. However, "regardless of the form used, it is inseparable from the guidance and support of national policies," he said.

International Trade Market

Experts also suggest that, at the moment, DME can also get out of trouble by taking the international trade route.

At present, the raw material of dimethyl ether, domestic methanol price is about 2,000 yuan / ton, the foreign price is only 147 US dollars / ton (about *** 984 yuan / ton). Because of the advantages of foreign methanol prices, many domestic dimethyl ether companies currently import methanol from abroad. In Ma Liang's view, the export of dimethyl ether is tantamount to taking the old road of “two ends out” in the domestic photovoltaic industry.

Chemical market

Of course, dimethyl ether enterprises can also open up the chemical market. As an important fine chemical product, dimethyl ether can also be used as a chemical raw material for insecticides, self-spraying paints, foam sealants and other propellants. The reporter learned from the China City Gas Association that, currently abroad, dimethyl ether is an essential alternative to chlorofluorocarbons in civilian aerosol products. Many countries are also developing new processes for the replacement of chlorofluorocarbons as refrigerants with dimethyl ether. The synthesis of light olefins from dimethyl ether is also one of the research hotspots of domestic and foreign scholars, and has made great progress, and is being promoted by industrialization.

In addition, replacing acetylene as cutting fuel can save more than 60% of the cost, and can reduce the production of calcium carbide, a highly polluting and energy-consuming acetylene raw material, which is conducive to energy conservation and environmental protection. “The market share of dimethyl ether in these areas has increased. It's very big." The above respondents all said.