Coal Gasification 101

Dr. Jeff Phillips

EPRI
JPhillip@epri.com
 Outline

• What is coal?
• What is coal gasification?
• What can you do with it?
• Gasification-based power plants compared to other fossil
fuel power generation options
• A few words on CO2 capture

© 2005 Electric Power Research Institute, Inc. All rights reserved. 2

 U.S. Forecasts Largest Coal Generation
Capacity Installation in 40 Years
U.S. Coal Capacity Additions, 1940 – 2025
20
19
18
17
16
Capacity Added (GWs)

15
Capacity Addition
14
Levels Not Seen
13
in 40 Years
12
11
10
9 Industry Growth
8 Trend Not Seen in
7 50 Years
6
5
20 Year
4
Market Trough
3
2
1
0
1940 1945 1950 1955 1960 1965 1970 1975 1980 1985 1990 1995 2000 2005 2010 2015 2020 2025
Source: U.S. Department of Energy NETL & Annual Energy Outlook 2005.

© 2005 Electric Power Research Institute, Inc. All rights reserved. 3

 Carbon
Ash (rock)
Sulfur
Nitrogen
Hydrogen
Mercury
Water

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 U.S. Coal Basins

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 Typical U.S. Coal Analysis
(Coal Properties Differ Markedly)

Pittsburgh #8 Illinois #6 Wyoming ND Lignite

Ultimate Analysis
Moisture 5.2 12.2 30.24 26.80
Carbon 73.8 61.0 48.18 45.82
Hydrogen 4.9 4.25 3.31 3.11
Nitrogen 1.4 1.25 0.70 0.70
Chlorine 0.07 0.07 0.01 N/A
Sulfur 2.13 3.28 0.37 0.69
Oxygen 5.4 11.0 11.87 14.68
Ash 7.1 6.95 5.32 8.20

Higher Heating Value-as Received

(Btu/lb) 13,260 10,982 8,340 7,810

© 2005 Electric Power Research Institute, Inc. All rights reserved. 6

 What happens when coal burns?

• Carbon => CO2 (carbon dioxide)

• Ash => flyash
• Sulfur => SO2, SO3 (SOx)
• Nitrogen => N2 and NOx
• Hydrogen => H2O
• Mercury => Hg, HgCl2
• Water => water vapor (H2O)

© 2005 Electric Power Research Institute, Inc. All rights reserved. 7

 What is gasification?

• Similar to combustion (burning) but with less than half

the amount of oxygen needed to fully burn the coal
• Combustion: excess air
• Gasification: excess fuel (by a lot!!)

© 2005 Electric Power Research Institute, Inc. All rights reserved. 8

 Combustion & Gasification Products

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 Combustion vs Gasification

• SO2 & SO3 is scrubbed out of • H2S & COS are easily removed
stack gas – reacted with lime from syngas and converted to
to form gypsum solid sulfur or sulfuric acid

• NOx controlled with low NOx • NH3 washes out of gas with water,
burners and catalytic thermal NOx controlled by diluent
conversion (SCR) injection in GT

• Large volume of flyash & • Ash is converted to glassy slag

sludge which is inert and usable

• Hg can be removed by • >90% of Hg removed by passing

contacting flue gas with high pressure syngas thru
activated carbon activated carbon bed

© 2005 Electric Power Research Institute, Inc. All rights reserved. 14

© 2005 Electric Power Research Institute, Inc. All rights reserved. 15
 Dakota Gasification Gasifier

• The dry ash (non-slagging) Lurgi gasifier is used in

Dakota Gasification’s lignite-to-natural gas plant
• The Lurgi process was developed in the 1930s, and was
the only “mature” gasification process available when the
Dakota project was initiated (circa 1980)
• The Lurgi process operates at relatively low temperature
and has some undesirable characteristics
– Cannot handle coal fines, produces tars & phenols as
well as syngas, bottom ash instead of slag
• Since 1980 several “second generation” gasification
processes have been developed which avoid some of
the Lurgi process’ undesirable characteristics

© 2005 Electric Power Research Institute, Inc. All rights reserved. 16

 The 3 Major Types of Gasification
Processes

1. Moving-Bed Gasifier
(e.g., Lurgi)

2. Fluidized-Bed Gasifier
(e.g., KBR/Southern)

3. Entrained-Flow Gasifier
(e.g., GE Energy,
ConocoPhillips, Shell,
Siemens)

© 2005 Electric Power Research Institute, Inc. All rights reserved. 17

 What can you do with coal gasification?

• Produce Electricity
– In a Gas Turbine-based Combined Cycle power plant
– Emissions approaching that of a natural gas fired power plant
• Make Fuels
– Sasol has been making gasoline from coal since the 1950s in
Republic of South Africa
– Dakota Gasification has been making “synthetic’ natural gas from
lignite since the 1980s
• Make Chemicals
– Eastman Chemicals has been doing this since 1980s
• Make Fertilizer
– Coffeyville Resources in Kansas makes ammonia-based fertilizer
from petroleum coke

© 2005 Electric Power Research Institute, Inc. All rights reserved. 18

© 2005 Electric Power Research Institute, Inc. All rights reserved. 19
 Steam Cycles vs “Combined” Cycles

• Steam Cycles have

– a boiler
– a steam turbine
• Referred to as “Rankine” cycle, fossil boiler, “fossil steam”
plant, “conventional coal” plant
• Combined Cycles (the “CC” in IGCC) have
– a Gas Turbine
– a “heat recovery steam generator” (HRSG)
– a steam turbine

© 2005 Electric Power Research Institute, Inc. All rights reserved. 20

 Conventional Coal Plant

14 MW 41 % Efficiency
(LHV basis)

86 MW

41 MW
100 MW

45 MW

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 Gas Turbine

Photo source: Siemens

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 Gas Turbine “simple cycle”

100 MW
62 MW

38 MW

38% Efficiency
(LHV basis)
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 Combined Cycle

22 MW 100 MW

Fuel

40 MW
62 MW

19 MW 38 MW

19 + 38 = 57 MW
21 MW to 57% Efficiency!
condenser (LHV basis)

© 2005 Electric Power Research Institute, Inc. All rights reserved. 24

 100MW Net Coal to Power:
30 + 21 – 9 = 42%
(LHV basis)

17MW
9MW
15MW 79MW

49MW
21MW 30MW
47MW
IGCC schematic from US DOE
26 MW
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 Comparison to other fossil fuel power
generation options

• Emissions
• Greenhouse gases
• Cost of Electricity

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 Emissions Comparison – State-of-the-Art Coal
Combustion, IGCC, and NGCC
Values represent technology capability, not permit levels

Bituminous
0.8

0.7

0.6

0.5
PRB
lb/MW-hr

NOx
0.4 SO2
PM
0.3

0.2

0.1

0.0
R

R
C
R
C

C
C

C
+S

+S
IG

+S
+S
C

PC

PC
C

SC

SC
G

IG
N

© 2005 Electric Power Research Institute, Inc. All rights reserved. 27

 Emissions Comparison with Older Coal
Plants and Federal Standards
18

16

14

12
lb/MW-hr

10 NOx
SO2
8 PM

0
R

R
R

ld
C

S
SP
C

C
C

-o
+S

+S

+S
+S

IG

PC
N
250 US plants
PC

PC
C

06
C

SC

SC

20
G

IG

exceeded these
N

levels in 2004
© 2005 Electric Power Research Institute, Inc. All rights reserved. 28
 Solid Waste Comparison
(Based on nominal 500 MW plant size)

450
Pittsburgh #8 Illinois #6 Wyoming PRB TX Lignite
400
Sulfur
350 Spent Sorbent
Ash/Slag
300
Solid Waste, lb/MWh

250

200

150

100

50

0
PC- PC- CFB IGCC PC- PC- CFB IGCC PC- PC- CFB IGCC PC- PC- CFB IGCC
Sub USC Sub USC Sub USC Sub USC

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 Makeup Water Comparison

10

8
Makeup Water, gpm/MW

0
PC CFB IGCC

© 2005 Electric Power Research Institute, Inc. All rights reserved. 30

 Atmospheric CO2 Trends

Source: CSIRO
Atmospheric Research,
www.cmar.csiro.au

Peak of last Ice Age

- 20,000 yrs ago

© 2005 Electric Power Research Institute, Inc. All rights reserved. 31

 CO2 Emissions without CO2 Capture

1,200

1,000
CO2 Emissions (kg/MW-hr)

800

600

400

200

0
PC-Sub PC-Super PC-Ultra NGCC IGCC PC-old

© 2005 Electric Power Research Institute, Inc. All rights reserved. 33

 IGCC with CO2 Removal and Optional
Hydrogen Co-Production
Sulfur CO2 to use or sequestration

Gasification Shift Sulfur and

Coal C + H2O = CO+ H2O = CO2
Gas Cooling
Prep CO + H2 CO2 + H2 Removal

O2 N2 Hydrogen

Air Gas
Separation Turbine Air
Unit

BFW

Air HRSG BFW

Steam

Steam
Turbine

© 2005 Electric Power Research Institute, Inc. All rights reserved. 34

 FutureGen Project

• A 275 MW (nominal) IGCC with CO2 capture and H2

export
– Coal gasification followed by water-gas shift reaction
– 90% of CO2 will be removed from syngas,
compressed to circa 2000 psia and injected into deep
geologic formations for sequestration
– Remaining syngas will be primarily H2
• Small slipstream will upgraded to high purity H2 and sold
“over the fence”
• Balance will be fired in an advanced combined cycle
• Site selection RFP issued in March 2006
• Operation targeted to begin in 2012

© 2005 Electric Power Research Institute, Inc. All rights reserved. 35

 Pulverized Coal (PC) with CO2 Removal

CO2 to use
Fresh Water or Sequestration

Coal PC CO2 Flue Gas

SCR ESP FGD Removal to Stack
Air Boiler
MEA

Steam Fly Ash Gypsum/Waste

Turbine

© 2005 Electric Power Research Institute, Inc. All rights reserved. 36

 CO2 Capture Comparison

Exhaust or CO2 Volumetric CO2 Partial

Syngas Concentration Pressure
Pressure

Natural Gas
Combined 14.7 psia 4% 0.6 psia
Cycle Exhaust

Supercritical
Coal Boiler 14.7 psia 13% 1.9 psia
Exhaust

IGCC Syngas 825 psia 40% 330 psia

© 2005 Electric Power Research Institute, Inc. All rights reserved. 37

 Impact of CO2 Capture
Results from recent IEA & US DOE studies on bituminous coal adjusted to
standard EPRI economic inputs, $2/MMBtu coal, 85% capacity factor, 2005 USD

80

70
30-year Levelized Cost of Electricity, $/MWhr

Range of
60 Uncertainty 16.3
11.6 21.3 19.0
Range of
50 Uncertainty

Delta for Capture

40
Without Capture

30
49.6 52.0
45.7 46.1
20 (Excludes cost of
emission
allowances and CO2
10 pipeline to
sequestration site)

0
GE IGCC Shell IGCC SCPC-IEA SCPC-DOE

© 2005 Electric Power Research Institute, Inc. All rights reserved. 38

The End