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LIGNITE GASIFICATION : AN ECONOMICAL OPTION FOR THERMAL APPLICATION

Nitin N. Hansalia, Prof. C.G. Bhagchandani. Chemical Engineering Department, L.D. College of Engineering, Navrangpura, Ahmedabad-15(Gujarat). E-Mail : nitbhumit@yahoo.com Kaushik Gardharia, Vice president(Technical), Radhe Renewable Energy Development Pvt. Ltd. D-111, Rajdoot industrial estate, 4 Umakant pandit Udyog nagar, Rajkot- 4(Gujarat). Email : info@radhegroup.com

1. Introduction of Lignite Gasification : Gasification of Lignite produces a mixture of

combustible Gases like H2 , CO and CH4 and non-combustible Gases like CO2 and N2 ; together known as producer gas. Nitrogen is from the air if air is used as the gasifying medium. The proportion of these gases in Producer gas depends upon the type of gasifier design(Updraft, Downdraft etc.), conditions of gasification(Temp., Pr. etc.) and the gasifying medium(Air-Steam, Oxygen-Steam etc.). The gasifying medium is usually air or oxygen with steam. Only oxygen in the air participates in the gasification reactions and nitrogen appears as inert in product gas. Steam acts as a temperature moderator and prevents ash melting and fusing. Important coal gasification reactions are listed in table-1. Producer gas may require conditioning before utilization. Conditioning means cooling, particle and tar removal and also sulfur removal. The extent of conditioning depends upon the desired application. Tar and ash are also produced along with Producer gases in the gasification of Lignite. Producer gas is a cleaner gaseous fuel, it can replace existing fossil fuels like coal, kerosene, furnace oil, diesel, petrol etc. in number of thermal applications. Once the Lignite is converted into Producer gas, it can be used as a substitute of liquid fuels in furnaces. Furnaces and kilns which consume Table : 1 Important Coal Gasification Reactions furnace oil, kerosene, diesel, coke, No. Reaction Feature LPG can utilize gasification 1 Coal Devolatilization = technology with economical and CH4 + CO + CO2 + Oils+ Tars + C(char) environmental benefits. The pay-back 2 C + O2 = CO2 Exothermic -Rapid 3 C + O2 = CO Exothermic -Rapid periods are expected to be mostly less 4 C + H2O = CO + H2 Endothermic -Slower than than two years. In most parts of India, Oxidation the gas produced from Lignite and 5 C + CO2 = 2CO Endothermic -Slower than other coal is considerably cheaper Oxidation than petroleum based fuels. Increasing 6 CO + H2 O = CO2 + H2 Shift Reaction(Slightly price gap between petroleum and Exothermic -Rapid) other solid fuels like coal and biomass 7 CO + 3H 2 = CH4 + H2O Methanation(Exothermic) 8 C + 2H 2 = CH4 Direct methanation would make the utilisation of (Exothermic) gasification technology more favorable. The heating value of the Lignite-producer gas from steam-air gasification is in the range1000-1300 Kcal/Nm3 depending upon the heat value of feed Lignite and the moisture content. Moving bed atmospheric air-steam gasifiers are being used in many installations
Lignite Gasification : An Economical option for Thermal Application

around the world, including India. Most of the direct heating applications do not require extensive conditioning of producer gas.

2. Thermal Application(Direct Heat Application) of Producer Gas :

Substitution of petroleum based fuels (Diesel, fuel oil, LDO, LPG etc.) in the various equipment(Such as furnaces, kilns, boilers, DG sets etc.) is among the most prominent applications of Producer gas from moving bed gasifiers.
A list of few applicable industries for moving bed Gasifiers : (1)Lime kiln. (2)Ceramic and Refractory kiln. (3)Annealing kiln. (4)Steel rolling plants. (5)Textile processing units. (6)Paper and Pulp industries. (7)Various dryers. (8)Rubber industries and Food industries. (9) Aluminum extrusion.

The existing oil and gas fired system can be easily converted into producer gas fired system by just installing producer gas burners. When deciding whether an alternative gas can be used in an application, three factors must be considered :
(i) For the same pressure drop the heat release should be roughly the same; (ii) For the same air and fuel flow rates the flame temperature should be the same; (iii)For the same heat release conditions the pollutants should be within a specified tolerance.

3. Lignite composition and heating value : In India GMDC(Gujarat Mineral

Development Corporation) is the country's largest Lignite merchant and the second largest producer of this solid fuel, next only to Neyveli Lignite Corporation(Tamilnadu). Geological surveys in Gujarat revealed large deposits of high-grade Lignite, a cheaper substitute for coal. Lignite is popularly termed as Brown Gold all over the world. Gujarat is rich in high grade Lignite. Table-2 and 3 gives typical average composition of Indian Lignite.
Table :2 Typical compositions of Indian Lignite Coal/(wt.%) C% H% S% N2% O2%
(9)

A% M%

NCV

Neyveli Lignite 26.09 2.33 1.5 0.24 16.33 7.0 Kutch Lignite

47 2229.0

28.33 3.03 2.25 0.88 13.94 15.0 36 2900.0

C : Carbon, H : Hydrogen , S : Sulfur, N : Nitrogen, NCV : Net Calorific value, A : Ash, M : Moisture. NCV values are in Kcal/Kg.

Table:3 Pandhro(Gujarat) Lignite Proximate Analysis(Average)(wt.%)(3) Moisture 34.82%, Ash 12.92 %,Volatile Matter 33.10 %, Fixed Carbon 23.40 %, Calorific value 3200 Kcal/Kg Table : 4 Average composition of Producer Gas from Lignite(2) (Gasifiers of RREDA) CO2 8.0 - 10.0 CO 20.0 - 22.0 H2 15.0 - 20.00 CH4 1.5 - 03.50 CnHm 0.05 - 00.80 N2 45.0 55.0

The coal rank arranged in an ascending order of carbon contents is Peat Lignite Sub -Bituminous coal Bituminous coalAnthracite. The calorific value Q, of coal is the heat liberated by its complete combustion with oxygen. Q is a complex function of the elemental composition of the coal. Gross Calorific value Q is mostly determined by experimental measurements. A close estimate can be made with the Dulong formula. Q = (144.4 %[C])+(610.2 %[H])-(65.9 %[O])+(0.39 %[O]2 ---- (1)
Q is given in Kcal/kg. Here Concentrations of the elements C,H, and O, are taken on a dry ash-free coal basis.

Lignite Gasification : An Economical option for Thermal Application

Each Kg of Lignite normally produces 2.5 - 3.5 m3 of producer gas with a calorific value of 1000 - 1300 Kcal/Nm3 . When using the Lignite the exit gas temperature is near 250 oC in updraft gasifier. Typical composition of producer gases generated from the Lignite is tabulated in the table 4. The economics of installing gasifiers is normally very attractive. In most cases, the pay-back periods are in the range of 6-24 months.

4. Moving Bed Gasifiers For Thermal Applications :

Fig.1 Updraft Moving Bed Gasifier

4.1 Updraft Moving Bed Gasifiers :In updraft moving bed gasifiers(Fig.1), air or oxygen with steam enters the bottom of the Lignite bed and moves upwards while the Lignite bed gradually moves downwards as the Lignite at the bottom gets consumed. Because of the counter-current nature of the flow of gases and fuel, the sensible heat of the gases is effectively utilized for the heating, devolatilization and moisture removal from the Lignite. The temperatures at the bottom are about 10000 C or higher and that at the top are in the range of 200-4000 C. The ash is removed either as dry ash or in slag form. Moving bed gasifiers have been used for conversion of coal into producer gas. RREDA(Radhe Renewable Energy Development associates ) are designing and fabricating a range of sizes in both updraft and downdraft gasifiers. Radhe Updraft Gasifiers are air-steam, atmospheric pressure moving bed gasifiers. Features and Thermal capacity of these gasifiers are listed in table-5 and table-6 respectively. In updraft gasifiers, Producer gas is withdrawn from the gasifier at the top of the fuel bed while the gasification reactions take place near the bottom. As the producer gas passes through the fuel bed, it picks-up volatile matter(tars) and moisture from the fuel. Therefore, the gas from the updraft gasifier contains condensable volatiles. At the exit temperature, most of the volatile hydrocarbons are in vapor form, which add to the energy content of the gas. If the application requires, the scrubbing of gas to remove the volatiles/tars is also carried out. The gas can be used either in hot condition or after cooling and scrubbing. When it is used in hot raw condition, the gas is supplied through insulated pipelines so that tars remain in vapor form and contribute to energy at the burner. The entire reaction in moving bed updraft gasifier can be carried out at atmospheric pressure which makes its design simple and safe. Further, moving bed gasifiers are more flexible towards variations in thermal output and fuel sizes. Producer gas along with preheated combustion air (200-300 0 C), can generate the temperatures required in the furnace (1350oC). The primary disadvantage of updraft gasification is high tar(8-15%) content of the Producer gas hence requires extensive cleanup before engine, turbine or synthesis applications but not for thermal applications.

Lignite Gasification : An Economical option for Thermal Application

Table : 5 Features of RREDA Moving Bed Gasifiers(2) Solid Fuels(Size> 10 mm) : Charcoal, Bituminous coal, Lignite/Brown Coal, Biomass Briquettes. Type of Fuels and Fuel Fuel flexibility : Suitable for both coal and biomass and for flexibility high ash coal also. The fuel size range could be 20-100 mm for coal. Updraft gasifiers tolerate higher ash content, higher moisture content and greater size variation in fuel as compared to downdraft gasifiers. Application Kiln, Furnace, Boiler. Capacity Radhe gasifiers are being built in the capacity range of 0.43 to 6.50 million Kcal/Hr. output . Radhe gasifiers operate with air, enriched air or oxygen as the gasifying medium. The steam required for gasification is produced from the water jacket of the gasifier. With air as the gasifying medium, the Producer gas has a calorific value of 1000-1300 kcal/Nm3 . In hot condition, as it comes out of the gasifier, the gas also contains heavy hydrocarbons(in the form of tars) in vapor form. Max. 1350 C with preheated air. The efficiency of gasification in terms of carbon conversion is 75-95%. Semi automatic.

Gasifying Medium

Temperature in the furnace/kiln Carbon Conversion Automization

Economics Compared to Net saving of 40-50% in Fuel Cost. combustion of Liquid Fuels Thermal Efficiency Start-up time Shut-off time Operating Cost Ash slagging Problems Environmental Aspect Gasification Plant Size 70-75%. 2-3 Hours. Immediate and Manually. Medium due to Manual Operation. Rare. Environment Friendly, But requires correct settings of operating parameter. Large.

Break-down & Cleaning Once in a month. Blast or any other Hazard Chances of Blast or Explosion Hazards due to in-correct operating parameter setting. Plant Site Housekeeping Slightly dirty, due to condensation of tar.

Lignite Gasification : An Economical option for Thermal Application

Table : 6 Updraft Gasifiers(Some of the Gasifiers made by RREDA Specially for thermal application in kiln and furnaces)(2) : Sr. Model Thermal Output *Lignite Consumption Liquid fuel Replacement No. Kcal/Hr. Kg/Hr. Capacity Liter/Hr. 1 R-500 4.3 10 5 90-180 20-40 5 2 R-3000 25.810 675-1170 150-260 5 3 R-5000 43.010 900-1935 200-430 4 R-7500 65.010 5 1800-2925 400-650
*Approximate Heat Value of Lignite Feed : 3000 Kcal/Kg. Moisture content(Air Dried) : 10%

4.2 Applications of Moving Bed Gasifiers : Moving Bed Gasifiers can be used for any application requiring solid, liquid or gaseous fuels. If fuel flexibility is required and need for fuel switching(say from biomass to coal or from one biomass to another) is anticipated, the updraft gasifier would be suitable. For direct heating applications, such as firing in kiln, furnaces, boilers, etc, updraft gasifier would make a better choice. There are situations where effect on end product quality is critical, but fuel flexibility is also an important consideration. In such situations, updraft gasifier with gas scrubbing arrangement may be selected. However, for large installations where flexibility may be additional requirement updraft gasifiers with extensive gas clean-up system could be an option. Most of the furnaces/kilns, which are fired by petroleum based liquid or gaseous fuels, can easily be fired by producer gas from gasifiers. Temperature requirements upto 12000 C can be generated by burning producer gas. With special arrangements, temperatures upto 14000 C can also be attained. The saving in fuel cost is usually very high and payback periods are short. Normally, there is very little interference with the original process.

5. Environmental aspects of producer gas firing :

By converting solid fuels (particularly coal) into producer gas and then firing the same instead of direct solid fuel combustion, stack emissions are considerably reduced. This feature offers the opportunity of utilising cheaper solid fuels in place of costlier petroleum fuels even in sensitive industrial sectors like pharmaceuticals, textiles, food processing etc. Producer Gas burns with a cleaner flame, leads to lower dust emissions through stack, which can be visualized at the top of the chimney when the furnace or kiln operates on producer gas. The sulphur content of Indian coals/Lignite is low, therefore, SO 2 emissions due to firing of Producer gas made from such fuel are low. CO is produced due to incomplete combustion. With better mixing of air and Producer gas in gas burners, the CO remains within acceptable limits.

6. Economy of Lignite Gasification : The quantity of Lignite required to substitute

unit mass of any liquid petroleum fuel will depend upon the calorific value of the Lignite and that fuel. For example approximately 4.5 Kg of Lignite with calorific value 3000 Kcal/Kg is required to be gasified to substitute one liter of Furnace oil in combustion. Some case studies are discussed to hi ghlight economical benefits of Lignite-Producer gas firing : (1) Case study of Ceramic Tunnel Kiln. The production capacity of wall tiles manufacturing of the unit considered is 2500m2 /day. For baking of raw tiles a long tunnel kiln is used. Tiles are continuously fed counter current to the flow of hot flue gases, using sliding trolleys.
Lignite Gasification : An Economical option for Thermal Application

Earlier the kiln was fired using kerosene. The daily consumption of kerosene was 2 lt./m2 of tiles produced amounting to 5000 Lt./day. The calorific value of kerosene is about 10,000-10,400 kcal/kg. The cost of kerosene is 20 Rs./Lt. So the total cost of fuel was about 1,00,000 Rs./day. Now the tiles cost is Rs. 90/m2 . So the total daily turn over is 2,25000 Rs./day. This tells that the percentage cost of fuel is about 44%. At 100% thermal efficiency of kerosene combustion the thermal energy generated can be estimated as 19105 Kcal/Hr. Then the factory authority decided to install RREDA-2000 updraft gasifier for heating need of tunnel kiln. The thermal output of this Upward moving bed gasifier is 17,20,000 kcal/hr. The consumption of Lignite is about 900 Kg/Hr. with calorific value of lignite 3000 kcal/kg. Cost of Lignite is Rs.1.3/kg. So the total cost of Lignite is 28,080 Rs./day. The operating and maintenance cost of gasifier with labor is at maximum 6000 Rs./day. So the total cost of fuel amounts to 34,080 Rs./day. Hence the fuel cost is now about 15% of the cost of wall tiles. Considering above figures the daily saving of fuel cost is approximately 66000 Rs. For a month of 20 working days the saving of fuel cost is 13,20,000 Rs./month. (1) Case study of a Billet Pre-Heating Kiln : Furnaces of rolling mills uses petroleum derived furnace oil or coal as fuel for heating steel billets/ingots. Furnace oil cost is one of the major energy cost inputs of the rolling mill . Lignite gasification system can replace furnace oil firing in the mill completely. However to take care of situations when increase in production or sudden increase in heating rate is required then it is advisable to retain the oil firing system along with the producer gas firing arrangement.
BILLET PRE-HEATING KILN PRIOR TO PRODUCER GAS PLANT INSTALLATION :

Production Capacity of Billet Pre-Heating Kiln : 12 MT/Hr. Average Furnace Oil Consumption : 40 Liters/MT. Temperature of Kiln (Maximum) : 1350 oC, Running Hours/Day : 17 Hrs. Fuel consumption/Day (17 Hrs) : 8160 Liters, Price Rate of Furnace oil : Rs. 12/Litre . Fuel Cost/day : Rs.97920.00
BILLET PRE-HEATING KILN AFTER PRODUCER GAS PLANT INSTALLATION :

Production Capacity of Billet Pre-Heating Kiln :12 MT/Hr. Lignite Consumption : 4 - 4.5 Kg/Liters Maximum Coal Consumption/Hr.(12 MT X 4.5 Kg x 40 Lit) : 2160 Kg: Temperature of Kiln : 1350 oC, Running Hours/Day : 17 Hrs Coal consumption/Day (17 Hrs/Day) : 36720 Kg/Day Rate of Lignite (Landing Rate) : Rs. 1.3/Kg. Lignite Cost/day : Rs. 47736
OPERATING & MAINTENANCE COST

Power cost (15 H.P. Continuous Running Load) : Rs. 850/Day Labor Cost (1 Supervisor & 4 Labor/Shift) X 2 Shifts : Rs. 1400/Day Maintenance Cost : Rs. 2000/Day(Calculated on average annual basis)
OVER ALL SAVING

Net Saving/Day (17 Hrs/Day) : Rs. 45934 Net Saving/Moths (20 Working Days) : Rs. 918680 OTHER ADVANTAGES : Prior to installation of Producer Gas plant the maximum capacity of production was 12 MT/Hr, but after installation of Producer Gas Plant, if higher production is required simultaneously the existing Furnace oil Fired Burner can be started to achieve 15 MT/Hr. production. Further it has been observed that due to the Producer Gas fired
Lignite Gasification : An Economical option for Thermal Application

Burner, the surface scaling of Billet is reduce from 3% to 1.5% .This is an extra In-direct benefit. (3) Fuel cost saving in Limekiln : As per the industrial data from an existing lime kiln 60 Kg of good grade Coke with 6800-7000 Kcal/Kg. is consumed per ton of limestone processed. Base : Analysis for 100 tons per day of quicklime(Dry) production. CaCO 3 = CaO + CO2 Mol.wt. 100 56 44 Mol.wt. 178.57 tons 100 tons 78.57 tons. As per specification of Porbandar-Ranavav limestone it contain 92% of CaCO 3 . So to get 92 tons of CaCO 3 for calcination reaction we must provide 100 tons of this grade limestone. 178.57 tons of CaCO 3 for calcination reaction requires = 178.57/10092 = 194.1 tons. 194.1 tons of limestone requires = 194.1 60 = 11646 Kg of Coke for calcination. The thermal energy generated by burning of this Coke = 11646 6800 Kcal/Kg. = 79,19,2800 Kcal/day. To facilitate the thermal energy requirement the heat produced from the complete combustion of producer gases from the Lignite gasifier must be at least = 79,19,2800/24 hrs = 32,99,700 Kcal/hr. Minimum Cost of coke consumed per day = 11646 7 Rs/Kg = 81522 Rs. R-5000 gasifier of RREDA has heat output of 43105 Kcal/hr. and consumes 1950 Kg/hr Lignite at maximum(table-6) For 33 105 Kcal/hr thermal output estimated Lignite consumption = 33 105 1950/43 105 = 1497 Kg. Cost of the Lignite at the rate of 1.3 Rs/ton = 1497 Kg/hr 24 hr 1.3 Rs/Kg = 46706 Rs. Daily maintenance & labor cost of gasifier at maximum = 6000 Rs /day Total fuel cost using Lignite = 46706 + 6000 = 52706 Saving of fuel cost/day = 81522 52706 = 28816 Rs. References :
1. Ullmans Encyclopedia of Industrial Chemistry, Vol.A12, Fifth Edition, VCH Publishers, Germany, 1989. 2. Radhe Renewable Energy Development Pvt. Ltd.s website : www.radhegroup.com 3. Lignite Projects www.gmdcltd.com 4. Lignite reserves in Neyveli www.nlcindia.com 5. Gasification and Gasifier Technology mar 05 www.netl.doe.gov 6. Anne G. Collot Matching Gasifiers to coal www.iea-coal.org.uk 7. Robert Klepper Gasification Fundamentals www.coaltechnologies.com 8. Prabhakar G. Bhandarkar, Coal Gasification Technology and Production of Syngas from Solid Fuels, Chemical Industry Digest, May-June 2001. 9. Anthropogenic Emissions from the Energy activities in India : Generation and Source characterization www.edu./research/pcrm/emissions/coal.shtml 10. E. D. Criesta Cimprogetti company, Bergamo-Italy Utilization of Lean Gases in Lime Burning with Regenerative Kilns, Published on ZKG June 2003 www.cimprogetti.it

Lignite Gasification : An Economical option for Thermal Application