COAL GASIFICATION

GASIFICATION ONLY REASONABLE WHEN PLANT IS

INTEGRATED

SOME PROCESSES ARE COMMERCIAL

H2S REMOVAL BY THE CLAUS PROCESS

H2S + O2 = H2O + SO2

H2S + SO2 = S + H2O
 Energy Content Summary….

Type Btu/SCF
Producer Gas 90-120
Water Gas 341
Low-Btu 150
Intermediate-Btu 260-300
SNG 950
Methane 1054
 Probable Uses….
• Low-Btu gas
– Local electrical power generation
– Cannot be used for home or commercial
heating
• Intermediate-Btu gas
– Electrical power generation
– Feed stock for chemicals
– Town gas
• High-Btu gas…. Same as natural gas
 Selection of a Gasifier
• Type of bed
• Operating pressure
• Slagging, non-slagging
Lurgi (fixed bed, high P, non-slagging)
Koppers-Totzek (entrained bed, low P,
slagging)
Wellman-Galusha (fixed, low P, non-slagging)
Winkler (fluidized, low P, non-slagging)
 CO2

25,303 TPD @ 8,920 Btu/lb

FEED H2S+CO2 SULFUR ELEMENTAL
COAL PLANT SULFUR * 128 LTPD
GAS LIQUOR

COAL OXYGEN-BLOWN SCRUBBING CRUDE GAS RECTISOL COMPRESSION

METHANATION
PREPARATION COAL AND COOLING SHIFT CONVERSION GAS AND
3H2+CO=CH4+H2O
GASIFIERS H2O+CO=H2+CO2 PURIFICATION DEHYDRATION

TARRY GAS LIQUOR

OXYGEN
OILY PIPELINE GAS
N2 GAS 290 MMSCFD
STEAM LIQUOR @ 950 Btu/Scf

COAL FINES STEAM AND OXYGEN GAS LIQUOR SEPARATION

POWER PLANT AND EFFLUENT RECLAIMED WATER
PLANT TO PLANT USE
WATER TREATMENT

ELECTRIC POWER NAPHTHA

AIR
TO PLANT USE
COAL TAR TOTAL LIQUIDS
8940 BBLS/day
COAL OIL

PHENOLS

AMMONIA 155 tons/day

Figure 7-6. Pipeline gas from coal via Lurgi pressure gasification.
Figure 7-11. The Texaco gasifier (also Shell, Eastman)
System for In-Situ Gasification
of Coal
Inject air Produce
and steam low-Btu
gas

Chemical reactions
From Wiser, 2000
 Financial Dilemma
• Synthetic natural gas cost
- >$10.00/106 Btu
• Investment
- 75 x 1012 Btu/year plant, 30 year life
- $8 billion
• Benchmark is cost of oil and gas energy sources
- Need a floor on the price of energy over a
long time frame