1. The Implementation Guidelines set clear goals for energy conservation and carbon reduction in the calcium carbide industry
Industrial kiln
Calcium carbide is an important basic chemical product and a key raw material for producing products such as polyvinyl chloride, 1,4-butanediol, vinyl acetate, calcium cyanamide, chloroprene rubber, etc. The calcium carbide industry has a strong dependence on energy and resource products such as electricity, carbon materials, and limestone, and has a high intensity of carbon dioxide emissions. It is a key focus of energy conservation and carbon reduction in the chemical industry. In order to implement the Several Opinions on Strictly Constraining Energy Efficiency and Promoting Energy Conservation and Carbon Reduction in Key Fields, as well as the Energy Efficiency Benchmark and Benchmark Levels in Key Fields of High Energy Consumption Industries (2021 Edition), and promote the energy-saving and carbon reduction transformation and upgrading work of the calcium carbide industry, the National Development and Reform Commission has organized the China Calcium Carbide Industry Association and other units to prepare the Implementation Guidelines for Energy Conservation and Carbon Reduction Transformation and Upgrading in the Calcium Carbide Industry (2021 Edition) (hereinafter referred to as the Implementation Guidelines).
The energy consumption in the production process of calcium carbide mainly includes the consumption of carbon materials (coke, blue coke, etc.) and electricity consumption. Based on the actual production of calcium carbide in China and the development trend of the industry, the benchmark level and benchmark level of energy efficiency in key areas of high energy consuming industries (2021 version) have determined that the energy efficiency benchmark level of calcium carbide unit products is 805 kilograms of standard coal per ton, and the benchmark level is 940 kilograms of standard coal per ton. According to the association's statistics, as of the end of 2020, China's calcium carbide production capacity was 40 million tons, of which 1.33 million tons had better energy efficiency than benchmark levels, accounting for 3.3% of the total production capacity; The production capacity with energy efficiency below the benchmark level is about 10 million tons, accounting for 25% of the total production capacity; The energy efficiency level of the remaining production capacity is between the benchmark level and the benchmark level.
The Implementation Guidelines point out that the current energy consumption in the calcium carbide industry mainly faces problems such as high usage of carbon materials, high electricity consumption of calcium carbide furnaces, low comprehensive utilization of resources, and insufficient utilization of waste heat. There is great potential for the entire industry to carry out energy-saving and carbon reduction transformation and upgrading. The Implementation Guidelines require that by 2025, through transformation and upgrading, the proportion of production capacity in the calcium carbide industry with energy efficiency better than the benchmark level should reach 30%, and production capacity below the benchmark level should be basically cleared, significantly enhancing the industry's green and low-carbon development capabilities.
2. The Implementation Guidelines point out the direction for the transformation and upgrading of the calcium carbide industry
One is to strengthen the development and application of cutting-edge technologies and cultivate benchmark demonstration enterprises. At present, the domestic production of calcium carbide adopts the electric smelting process. In order to reduce the process electricity consumption and comprehensive energy consumption of calcium carbide unit products, promote the diversification of calcium carbide production process routes, the Implementation Guidelines propose to strengthen the research and development of new technologies and processes such as oxygen heating and electromagnetic methods, and timely construct pilot and industrial facilities. At the same time, it is necessary to strengthen the research and development, promotion and application of calcium carbide sensible heat recovery and efficient utilization technology, and reduce comprehensive energy consumption.
The second is to accelerate the popularization and promotion of mature processes, and orderly promote transformation and upgrading. The Implementation Guidelines propose to promote the promotion and application of new pyrolysis pellet processes, and reduce the process power consumption and comprehensive energy consumption per unit product of calcium carbide. Promote the use of high-efficiency insulation materials in calcium carbide furnaces, effectively reducing heat loss of the furnace body and reducing electricity consumption.
The third is to improve the utilization level of resources such as furnace gas. Calcium carbide furnace gas is rich in carbon monoxide and is a high-quality chemical raw material, but currently it is mainly used for direct combustion of lime kiln fuel. The Implementation Guidelines propose to promote the comprehensive utilization and transformation of carbide furnace gas resources, using technologies such as biological fermentation for ethanol and chemical synthesis for ethylene glycol, dimethyl ether, methanol, etc., to promote the utilization of carbide furnace gas as a chemical raw material and reduce carbon dioxide emissions.
The fourth is to strengthen the recovery and utilization of waste heat and pressure. The Implementation Guidelines point out the need to promote advanced waste heat recovery technology, use heat pipe technology to recover waste heat from carbide furnace gas for power generation and other purposes, and improve the level of waste heat utilization. Strengthen the recovery and utilization of waste heat from lime kiln exhaust gas and purified ash from calcium carbide furnace, as supplementary heat sources for carbon drying equipment, and reduce energy consumption throughout the entire calcium carbide production process.
The fifth is to eliminate outdated and inefficient production capacity. The Implementation Guidelines require strict implementation of relevant laws and regulations on energy conservation, environmental protection, quality, safety and technology, as well as policies such as the Industrial Structure Adjustment Guidance Catalog, to phase out internal combustion calcium carbide furnaces, and guide invalid calcium carbide production capacity that has been shut down for a long time to voluntarily exit. Production devices with energy efficiency levels below the benchmark value and unable to achieve above the benchmark value through energy-saving transformation should be phased out and phased out at an accelerated pace.
It has been proven that promoting the application of calcium carbide furnace gas analysis system in closed calcium carbide furnaces can promote production enterprises to save production costs, ensure the safe operation of calcium carbide furnaces, and thus facilitate the promotion of large closed furnaces and accelerate the progress of internal combustion calcium carbide furnace transformation. It is one of the important measures for optimizing the industrial structure, improving the level of technical equipment, and completing energy conservation and emission reduction tasks in China's calcium carbide industry.
The application of the calcium carbide furnace gas analysis system can improve the efficiency of tail gas recovery and utilization in closed calcium carbide furnaces, achieve energy-saving, consumption reduction, and emission reduction goals. The main component of carbide furnace gas is carbon monoxide, about 70% or higher, and it also contains carbon dioxide, hydrogen, methane, and oxygen. The CO generated by internal combustion calcium carbide furnaces cannot be comprehensively utilized and can only be emitted after combustion, resulting in a large amount of energy waste and exacerbating CO2 greenhouse gas emissions. After the recovery of tail gas from the sealed calcium carbide furnace, it can be used as boiler fuel or for producing lime in gas fired lime kilns. For every 1 ton of calcium carbide produced in a closed calcium carbide furnace, the available CO gas is equivalent to approximately 160 kilograms of standard coal. If the enterprise has a large production scale, it can also use CO to produce various chemical products, such as sodium formate or methanol, and achieve a reduction of 680 kilograms of CO2. The TR-9700 calcium carbide furnace gas analysis system adopts the advanced non spectral infrared principle imported from Siemens, Germany to monitor the concentration of CO and CO2, which can effectively eliminate cross interference between gases. The testing accuracy is as high as 1%, which is beneficial for guiding enterprises to save costs, improve furnace gas utilization, and achieve energy-saving and emission reduction indicators.
The application of the calcium carbide furnace gas analysis system can monitor the increase in H2 concentration caused by water leakage, achieving monitoring of the safe operation of closed calcium carbide furnaces. The safety operation of sealed calcium carbide furnaces is a problem that production enterprises must consider, and it is also one of the main reasons for the slow promotion of sealed calcium carbide in recent years. The enclosed calcium carbide furnace requires cooling, and the second layer furnace cover, water-cooled sleeve, bottom ring, and contact components of the calcium carbide furnace are all water supply equipment, which poses many safety hazards. Water cooling components often experience water leakage due to poor sealing or aging. It is difficult to detect water leakage in a sealed calcium carbide furnace, and water vapor is difficult to discharge, which can easily decompose into hydrogen gas at high temperatures in the furnace. When the concentration is too high, it can lead to explosion accidents. The TR-9700 calcium carbide furnace gas analysis system uses an imported Siemens C6 thermal conductivity principle analyzer from Germany to monitor the H2 concentration in the furnace gas and monitor water leakage in real-time.
The TR-9700 furnace gas analysis system can simultaneously measure CO, CO2, H2, and O2, thereby improving the comprehensive utilization and recovery efficiency of furnace gas, guiding combustion measurement and control, and playing an important guiding role in achieving energy-saving and emission reduction indicators for production enterprises.

Main applications
|
Detection points |
Purpose |
Measurement components |
Select range |
Instrument selection |
|
After dust removal |
Safety control |
CO |
0~80% |
JNYQ-I-41 |
|
O2 |
0~25% |
JNYQ-O-11 |
||
|
H2 |
0~15% |
JNYQ-H-31 |
||
|
CO2 |
0~5% |
JNYQ-I-41 |
||
|
Before dust removal |
Safety control |
H2 |
0~15% |
JNYQ-H-31 |
Industrial high-temperature bright annealing furnace
|
Detection points |
Purpose |
Measurement components |
Select range |
Instrument selection |
|
In industrial furnaces |
Safety process |
CO |
0.00~80% |
JNYQ-I-41 |
|
O2 |
0.00~2% |
JNYQ-O-11 |
||
|
H2 |
0.00~30% |
JNYQ-H-31 |
||
|
CO2 |
0.00~5% |
JNYQ-I-41 |

