Focus on environment: Kazanorgsintez presents project to modernise flare units

Forum gathered more than 540 participants

“We have a good tradition to hold such event. I would like to thank all the partners who have come here, and the foreign companies that cooperate with us. I wish you a good job, take care of yourself!”

The International Forum on Energy Efficiency and Ecology started its work with the welcoming words of the president of Tatarstan. It is intended as a platform for the exchange of experience, presentation of ideas, technologies and projects in the field of energy efficiency, dialogue between enterprises, businesses and government agencies.

Every year, the event brings together delegations of Russian regions, representatives of Russian and foreign science, industry ministries and departments, senior management and leading specialists of industrial enterprises from more than 40 regions of the country, CIS and non-CIS states. This year, the forum has hosted more than 540 participants.

“Our republic is very energy-intensive, so the issues of energy efficiency and energy conservation are a priority. This is the wonderful and unique platform: here both businesses and representatives of the region, and all this is combined. So we have the opportunity to convey to the heads of the federal level certain issues that we have," said President of Tatarstan Rustam Minnikhanov.

Simultaneously, the forum hosted the specialised exhibition 'Energy. Resource Saving', opened within its framework. The twenty-first in a row, it is once again becoming a place where enterprises and businesses can present new hydro, heat, and electric power equipment, devices and systems for environmental control and diagnostics, and alternative energy. In 2021, more than 80 enterprises from 14 regions have taken part in the event. The exhibition presents products from nine countries.

“The implementation of the principle of energy efficiency, in particular, is associated with a reduction in energy consumption fees and the impact on the environment, with an increase in the resource efficiency of energy. I am particularly pleased that the republic is at the forefront of solving these problems. For already 20 years, this platform has been held on the territory of Tatarstan. I would like to express my hope that the forum and the exhibition will help solve the problems of improving energy efficiency," said Mikhail Ivanov, the deputy minister of industry and trade of Russia.

Kazanorgsintez's project reduces environmental impact

Kazanorgsintez, one of the largest domestic producers of ethylene polymers and copolymers, also presented its project at the exhibition. From 2018 to 2020, the company upgraded three flare units: F-169, F-79, and F-768. They are used for smokeless burning of gases generated during technological processes. Due to the high content of chemicals harmful to the environment, the exhaust gases cannot simply be discharged into the atmosphere.

Then the flare units come to the rescue — when burned, they convert the incoming gases into relatively safe products for the environment.

Before 2018, three flare units of Kazanorgsintez used 30 AA pressure steam for smoke-free gas burning. It was supplied by the branch of TGC-16 JSC — Kazanskaya CHPP-3. The use of steam in winter led to the icing of flare towers and tips, and instead of steam, compressed air was supplied to individual flares from the factory grid.

But the amount of air supplied was limited by the cross-section of the pipeline and the performance of the compressors. For this reason, Kazanorgsintez could not ensure the complete combustion of waste gases, and the residents of Kazan sometimes saw dark smoke coming from flares.

To solve the problem, the company began using air supplied under pressure from specially installed local blowers instead of steam. They were supposed to be installed near each flare unit. The new scheme was developed by Flare Systems Research and Production Enterprise PLC.

During the year, the operation of flare systems using air instead of steam showed high efficiency of gas utilisation. Kazanorgsintez was able to abandon the use of 30 AA steam. As a result, the total annual savings of thermal energy in steam amounted to 51,800 Gcal, and fuel gas — 1,520 tonnes. But the main thing is that it was possible to ensure completely smokeless burning of gases and, as a result, significantly reduce the impact on the environment.

Farid Minigulov, the director general of Kazanorgsintez PJSC, told Tatarstan President Rustam Minnikhanov and Deputy Minister of Industry and Trade of Russia Mikhail Ivanov about the details of the project at the company's stand.

“These are emergency flares that we constantly burn. Instead of supplying steam, we have designed an air supply, and thus we reduce the amount of harmful emissions, save fuel gas. The annual savings reach about 50 million rubles," Farid Minigulov shared the details.

The project was not left without attention and received the Grand Prix in the category 'Energy Efficient Developments' at the competition 'Energy Efficient Equipment and Technologies' within the framework of the exhibition. The award was presented to Director General of the enterprise Farid Minigulov by Prime Minister of Tatarstan Aleksey Pesoshin.