News & Media
2025/10/30
320
Recently, the optimized retrofit project of a pressure swing adsorption carbon monoxide (PSA-CO) unit for a chemical enterprise in Shandong, implemented by Beijing Peking University Pioneer Technology Co., Ltd. (hereinafter referred to as "PKU Pioneer"), has been successfully put into operation. The retrofitted PSA-CO unit operates stably with significantly improved purity of CO product gas, successfully helping the enterprise resume efficient production of its butanol-octanol production line and expected to create substantial economic benefits for the customer annually.
Retrofit Imperative, Precision in Solution Design
Since the commissioning of the PSA-CO unit supporting the enterprise's 100,000-ton/year butanol-octanol production line, it has failed to reach the designed capacity due to the poor quality of the previously selected CO adsorbent. Additionally, the high impurity content in the produced CO gas has severely affected the stable operation and production costs of the subsequent butanol-octanol synthesis section. The enterprise attempted to replace the adsorbent during this period, but the separation effect still did not improve. To thoroughly resolve this production bottleneck, enhance the quality of CO product gas, and reduce long-term operational losses, the enterprise decided to launch the PSA-CO unit technical retrofit in August 2025. Eventually, it selected PKU Pioneer—with a wealth of successful project experience and expertise in solving CO separation challenges under complex operating conditions—to undertake this retrofit task.
The goal of this retrofit was to obtain CO product gas with a purity of over 95% and a treatment capacity of 4,450 Nm³/h. The enterprise placed particular emphasis on the stability of the CO product gas and required the CO₂ impurity content to be controlled below 0.02%. After conducting in-depth on-site investigations and fully understanding the unit's current status and feed gas conditions, PKU Pioneer's technical team developed a customized retrofit solution for the user. Through precise simulation calculations, the project team proposed two operating condition schemes for CO product gas with different recovery rates and impurity control levels. After in-depth discussions with the user, the scheme with the optimal overall economic efficiency was finally selected. The specific optimization measures include:
Process optimization: Retrofit of some equipment and pipelines to optimize the process flow, effectively improving the recovery rate of CO products.
Control system upgrade: Address issues in the original control system by reconfiguring programming and upgrading core control programs to enhance the unit's automation level and operational stability.
Equipment improvement: Optimization of program-controlled valves and addition of throttling mufflers to improve the operating environment.
Overcoming Challenges, Project Completed Ahead of Schedule
After the official contract signing, the enterprise provided efficient cooperation in terms of personnel and equipment, quickly completing preliminary preparations such as the removal of old adsorbents and system cleaning. PKU Pioneer's project team overcame challenges including high temperatures in summer, lack of technical data from original suppliers, and poor cooperation. Through meticulous on-site investigations and tests, they completed the control program upgrade in a short period. With close collaboration between the two parties and rational adjustment of the construction schedule, the project progressed rapidly. The adsorbent loading and reduction work were successfully completed, and the unit achieved a successful one-time start-up on September 4, 2025.
Significant Economic Benefits, Empowering Production Upgrades
Since its commissioning, the unit has operated stably and reliably, with all indicators of CO product gas fully meeting or exceeding the requirements of the technical agreement. The high-purity, high-quality, and high-recovery CO product has effectively ensured the smooth progress of the downstream butanol-octanol synthesis reaction, significantly reducing raw material consumption and production costs during the synthesis process. It is estimated that after the retrofit, the butanol-octanol output has increased by 20-25%. Based on current market prices, the annual additional revenue is expected to reach over 100 million yuan. Leveraging its leading PSA-CO separation technology, PKU Pioneer has helped the customer build an advantage in product quality, achieved cost reduction and quality improvement, and enhanced the enterprise's core market competitiveness.
The success of this retrofit project has resolved the long-standing production challenges of the chemical enterprise. The stable production of carbon monoxide marks the consolidation and upgrading of the "source power" for the butanol-octanol production line, enabling the enterprise to achieve a leapfrog improvement in ensuring production efficiency and economic benefits from the raw material end.
