An energy company in Inner Mongolia, a leading enterprise in China's coal chemical industry, has achieved remarkable success in coal conversion and utilization through advanced gasification technology, efficient catalysts, and strict production management. However, during the operation of Texaco gasifiers, they faced significant challenges with lock hopper pressure relief valves.

The lock hopper pressure relief valves (KV0i017/021) are critical components of the gasifier, operating under highly complex conditions with media including coal slag, black water, and steam. The upstream pressure reaches as high as 6.5 MPa, while the downstream is at atmospheric pressure. Due to their frequent operation—opening and closing every 30 minutes—the valve balls and seats suffer severe erosion, and the cylinder push rods and forks often break. These issues not only disrupt the normal operation of the gasifier but also increase production costs and safety risks. From December 1, 2017, to November 30, 2018, the lock hopper pressure relief valves experienced 139 failures, including 112 cases of internal leakage caused by ball and seat erosion, and 27 failures due to cylinder push rod and fork damage, leading to total repair costs of ¥3.3 million.

To address these challenges, the company partnered with Kingway to explore the application of ceramic valves in lock hopper pressure relief systems.

Implementation of Ceramic Valves In August 2018, the energy company installed Kingway's KOWOV ceramic ball valves on two gasifiers. After 240 days of continuous operation, the valves demonstrated excellent performance with zero maintenance issues. The service life of the second relief valve (KV01021/13021) increased from 60 days to 120 days, and pipeline vibration during pressure relief significantly decreased. Maintenance requirements for the lock hopper valves of Gasifiers #1 and #13 also dropped sharply, from two valves per cycle to just 0.5 valves per cycle, resulting in estimated repair savings of ¥276,000.

Despite the remarkable performance of KOWOV ceramic ball valves, inspection in 2022 revealed issues with one valve, including a missing front valve seat and severe ball erosion. Kingway’s after-sales team immediately conducted a field inspection. Upon dismantling the valve, it was discovered that to prevent material scaling that could cause the valve core to seize, a guide groove had been added to the front valve seat. However, this structure reduced the thickness and strength of the seat. Under high-pressure differential conditions, vortices formed by the guide groove caused intense oscillation, leading to seat fragmentation and erosion by the media.

Problem Solving and Design Optimization Through flow field simulation analysis, it was determined that no vortices occurred between the valve seat and the throttle plate when the medium flow velocity was below 3 m/s. However, when the on-site relief valve flow velocity reached 10 m/s, vortices formed, causing severe ball erosion. Consequently, the guide groove design was eliminated. The improved ceramic ball valve has since operated for two years without any further failures.

Mass Adoption and Industry Impact Following the outstanding performance of KOWOV ceramic ball valves, the customer began large-scale procurement in 2020 and officially put them into operation in 2021.

The application of KOWOV ceramic ball valves in Texaco gasifier lock hopper pressure relief systems represents a significant breakthrough in coal chemical equipment innovation. This solution effectively addresses the challenges faced by traditional valves in complex working conditions, especially when exposed to mixed media such as coal slag, black water, and steam, combined with upstream pressures as high as 6.5 MPa and frequent operation. The exceptional durability and reliability of KOWOV ceramic ball valves have driven advancements in coal chemical equipment materials and technology, significantly improving the production efficiency and safety of Texaco gasifiers and the coal chemical industry as a whole.

This innovative practice sets a new benchmark for the future development of coal chemical equipment technology, injecting fresh vitality into the industry's sustainable development.

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