Zhejiang Sealand Technology Co., Ltd. is a trustworthy manufacturer of LPG Mass Flow Meter, LPG Mass Flowmeter, LPG Flow Meter, LPG Flowmeter, LPG meter, ATEX, IECEx & CE approved.
Sealand have DN03 to DN150 size meters and are developing bigger models. Each meter can be connected with your computer through a USB-to-RS485 converter. The detail steps are as follows. Connect the meter and computer with a USB-to-RS485 converter( converter A+ end to transmitter A+ end, B- to B-, and GND to GDN); turn to device manager of the computer to check COM port connected with meter. Start the software, select the right COM port and click Connect; do not change any other parameters (if you do not know the right one, click Automatic options on the left, click Connect, plug & unplug the transmitter, and then check if it is connected). You can click Connect on the tool bar to disconnect or connect again. It will shown Connected/Not Connected at the bottom of this interface.
LPG Mass Flow Meter, LPG Mass Flowmeter, LPG Flow Meter, LPG Flowmeter, LPG meter Zhejiang Sealand Technology Co., Ltd. , https://www.sealandflowmeter.com
The contradiction between supply and demand in the domestic methanol market
In recent years, China's coal-producing provinces such as Shanxi, Inner Mongolia, and Shaanxi have undergone significant industrial upgrades, leading to the establishment of numerous methanol plants. This has resulted in a rapid expansion of methanol production capacity. However, domestic demand has not kept pace with this growth, and the influx of low-cost imported methanol has further worsened the supply-demand imbalance. As a result, market prices have continued to decline, leading to intense competition and low operational rates for many companies. It is expected that by 2013, the gap between supply and demand will widen even further.
Since 2005, China's methanol production capacity has grown at an impressive rate. The national average annual growth rate of production capacity reached 54% from 2005 to 2012, with over 6 million tons of new capacity added each year. Output also increased rapidly, with an average annual growth rate of 56%. In 2010, 21 companies expanded their methanol production, adding more than 10 million tons of capacity, bringing the total to 42 million tons. By 2011, production capacity had reached 49 million tons, and in 2012, it surpassed 50 million tons, reaching 53 million tons. New capacity added in 2012 was around 4 million tons, with over 70% coming from coal-based facilities.
Geographically, much of the new methanol capacity is concentrated in coal-rich provinces like Shanxi, Shaanxi, Inner Mongolia, and Xinjiang. Shanxi’s new projects are mostly smaller coke oven-based plants, while Inner Mongolia and Shaanxi focus on large-scale coal-to-methanol units, which can produce up to 800,000 tons annually and benefit from lower production costs.
Although domestic methanol demand has steadily increased, it has not matched the rapid expansion of production. From 2005 to 2011, demand rose from 7 million to 31 million tons, an average increase of 3.4 million tons per year. Meanwhile, production capacity surged from 11 million to 53 million tons during the same period, growing by 6 million tons annually. This mismatch has led to oversupply and downward pressure on prices.
The situation has been exacerbated by the influx of inexpensive imported methanol, particularly from the Middle East, where natural gas is abundant and production costs are significantly lower. These imports have flooded Chinese ports, especially in eastern and southern regions, causing price inversion and putting immense pressure on domestic producers. In response, China initiated anti-dumping investigations against methanol imports from several countries in 2009, but the impact was limited.
As a result, the operating rates of methanol enterprises have remained low. In 2007, the rate was about 55%, dropping to 39% in 2009. Although it improved slightly in later years, it remained below 50% in 2012. Methanol prices have also been volatile, falling sharply in 2009 to around 1,700 yuan per ton, before rising again due to higher raw material and labor costs. By 2013, the price had stabilized around 2,400-2,500 yuan per ton, with regional variations, such as 2,000-2,100 yuan per ton in Inner Mongolia and Xinjiang.