China's methanol industry has historically relied on small-scale production facilities. Until recently, only a handful of plants operated at capacities exceeding 200,000 tons per year. In July of last year, the National Development and Reform Commission issued a policy that set the ideal scale for methanol production at one million tons annually. This shift toward large-scale operations has driven the need for more advanced and efficient equipment.
In recent years, several Chinese institutions have made significant strides in developing large-scale methanol synthesis technology. East China University of Science and Technology, Hangzhou Linda Chemical Technology Engineering Co., Ltd., and Nanjing Guochang Chemical Technology Co., Ltd. have all contributed to the advancement of methanol synthesis towers. As a result, China has developed its own large-scale, low-pressure methanol synthesis technology, which is now more refined and reliable than ever before.
On May 12th this year, Zeyi Industrial Group signed a cooperation agreement with Hangzhou Linda, selecting their independently developed large-scale horizontal water-cooled methanol synthesis reactor. The technology will be used to build a 1 million tons/year coal-based methanol project in Inner Mongolia. This marks a major milestone, as it shows that China is now capable of supplying cutting-edge, large-scale methanol synthesis technology for domestic chemical industries.
Linda’s technology aims to meet specific requirements: equal temperature, high efficiency, energy savings, reliability, low investment, and large-scale operation. Their one-million-ton methanol synthesis tower will increase synthesis pressure while reducing the cycle ratio, boosting the synthesis rate, and minimizing the size of equipment and pipelines. This innovation also focuses on solving heat transfer challenges under high reaction rates and intense heat generation.
Hangzhou Linda has developed multiple large-scale methanol synthesis technologies, including air-cooled, axial water-cooled, radial water-cooled, and hybrid systems. Among these, the air-cooled isothermal reactor has been widely applied in industrial settings and is now considered a mature design. It offers advantages such as high catalyst loading, excellent production intensity, minimal temperature differences across the catalyst layer, and low pressure drop—making it ideal for large-scale methanol plants.
Linda’s isothermal methanol synthesis technology has already been successfully implemented in ten methanol plants. The largest unit currently in operation features a 3-meter-diameter synthesis tower, serving two 200,000-ton/year methanol plants in Inner Mongolia and Shaanxi. Additionally, there are nine other units in various stages of implementation, including a 3.2-meter-diameter tower for a 300,000-ton/year plant. These projects demonstrate the competitive performance of Chinese technology, offering high CO conversion rates, low raw material consumption, and reduced capital investment.
As a national high-tech enterprise, Hangzhou Linda specializes in the design, development, and manufacturing of methanol and ammonia synthesis technologies. It holds 16 domestic and international patents, making it the leading patent holder in China for methanol synthesis technology and reactors. Its large-scale low-pressure, isothermal methanol synthesis tower is the first of its kind globally, with full independent intellectual property rights. This technology can replace imported systems and even be exported internationally, giving it strong global competitiveness.
In addition to Linda’s innovations, other notable technologies include the outer-tube cold-adiabatic complex methanol synthesis tower from East China University of Science and Technology and the GC-axis radial methanol synthesis tower from Nanjing Guochang. These technologies have also achieved international recognition, providing critical support for China’s large-scale methanol industry.
East China University of Science and Technology has developed comprehensive design packages for methanol synthesis towers ranging from 100,000 to 1 million tons per year. Meanwhile, Nanjing Guochang has introduced the GC-type shaft radial synthesis tower, which fills a gap in China’s low-pressure methanol synthesis market. With diameters ranging from 800mm to 3600mm, these towers are now being used in numerous projects across the country.
Overall, China’s methanol industry is rapidly evolving, driven by technological advancements and a growing focus on large-scale, efficient production. With continued innovation and strong domestic capabilities, the future of China’s methanol sector looks promising.
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