Texas Business reports:  HOUSTON—Synthesis Energy Systems Inc. announced the syngas production facility for its Yima Joint Venture coal-to-methanol project in Henan Province, China, completed a test run of the first of three gasifiers currently under commissioning.

 During the current commissioning phase, each of the three gasifiers will be operated under a variety of test conditions to vet the gasifier and support systems to prepare the facility for commercial operation.

This test was the first for this gasifier system operating on oxygen from the project's air separation unit. Coal supplied by Yima was introduced into the gasifier which operated for several hours while the Yima Joint Venture team successfully gathered data that will help in preparation for plant start-up. The project will continue in the commissioning phase for several more weeks and is expected to move into commercial operation later this year.

 “Construction work on the remaining project systems is drawing near completion and the Yima Joint Venture and SES teams are now conducting important tests of the first gasifier,” said Francis Lau, chief technology officer of SES, said in a prepared statement. “We are pleased with the data we collected from this most recent test as the gasifier was run for the first time on oxygen at low pressure. As additional downstream systems are commissioned, the gasifier will be tested again for longer periods of time on oxygen and at higher pressures before finally being tested at its design conditions.”

“We are making good progress with testing the gasifiers at the Yima Joint Venture project and with the operating data generated from these initial tests,” said SES chief executive Robert Rigdon in a statement. “This is an important part of commissioning that will help the project achieve successful commercial operation once all the systems have completed construction and commissioning. This project is a key part of our near term earnings plan, and we are excited to see it nearing completion.”

SES provides technology, equipment and engineering services for the conversion of low rank, low cost coal and biomass feedstocks into energy and chemical products.