Executives of Taiyuan Heavy Machinery Group and Jianyuan Coking attend an agreement signing ceremony for the delivery of the stamp-charging coking oven. [Photo by Zhang Yaotian for China Daily]

Taiyuan Heavy Machinery Group, a leading machine builder in Shanxi province, recently signed an agreement with Jianyuan Coking based in the Otog Banner in the Inner Mongolia autonomous region for the delivery of a large coking oven.

It was a landmark deal for the THMG this year, as the 7.25-meter-high stamp-charging coking oven is the tallest in China so far, breaking the record of 6.8 meters.

"The increase in height does not only mean growth in size and capacity," said Sun Naixin, one of the designers of the oven. "It also means greater efficiency and better performance in energy conservation and environmental protection."

He said the coking industry is an important link between the coal-producing and coal-consuming industries.

Coke, produced from coal, is widely used in the metallurgy and chemical sectors.

"In the context of China's carbon-neutrality strategy, our coking production is gearing up to higher efficiency and lower energy and resource consumption," Sun said. "And the latest large-capacity stamp-charging coking oven is designed to meet that trend."

He said the latest facility has a single-oven coke output of 47.6 metric tons, which is 10 percent more than the 6.8-meter one.

The increase in size and capacity requires the sustained optimization of the oven's carbonization chamber, coal-stamping machine and the coal-conveyance and loading system, according to Ma Lihui, head of the coking research institute at the THMG.

He said the coking process involves coal pulverization, stamping the pulverized coal into blocks and then piling the blocks into coal walls inside the carbonization chamber. "Such techniques are aimed at lifting coking efficiency," Ma said.

In addition to more complicated techniques designed for improving efficiency, the new oven is a comprehensive system. It combines intelligent operations and pollution-control solutions, according to Wu Xiaoqiang, deputy chief of the coking research institute.

"There is a control station with smart connections to all kinds of automatic devices for production," Wu said. "This has made 'push-button' operations possible."

In addition, the oven has an intelligent emission and dust-absorbing system, which can turn exhaust fumes into reusable resources.

The THMG evolved from the Taiyuan Heavy Machinery Factory, founded in 1950. It was the first self-developed heavy machinery manufacturer in the People's Republic of China.

The THMG is now a major equipment and solutions provider for enterprises across a wide range of industries including metallurgy, mining, energy, new materials, transportation, chemicals and aerospace.

Du Juan and Zhang Zhibin contributed to this story.