Gasification
Gasification is a technological process that can convert any carbonaceous (carbon-based) raw material such as coal into fuel gas, also known as synthesis gas (syngas for short). Gasification occurs in a gasifier, generally a high temperature/pressure vessel where oxygen (or air) and steam are directly contacted with the coal or other feed material causing a series of chemical reactions to occur that convert the feed to syngas and ash/slag (mineral residues). Syngas is so called because of its history as an intermediate in the production of synthetic natural gas. Composed primarily of the colourless, odourless, highly flammable gases carbon monoxide (CO) and hydrogen (H2), our syngas product has a variety of uses.
The syngas can be further converted (or shifted) to nothing but hydrogen and carbon dioxide (CO2) by adding steam and reacting over a catalyst in a water-gas-shift reactor. When hydrogen is burned, it creates nothing but heat and water, resulting in the ability to create electricity with no carbon dioxide in the exhaust gases.
Furthermore, hydrogen made from coal or other solid fuels can be used to refine oil, or to make products such as ammonia and fertilizer. More importantly, hydrogen enriched syngas can be used to make gasoline and diesel fuel. Polygeneration plants that produce multiple products are uniquely possible with gasification technologies. Carbon dioxide can be efficiently captured from syngas, preventing its greenhouse gas emission to the atmosphere, and enabling its utilization (such as for Enhanced Oil Recovery) or safe storage.
Gasification offers an alternative to more established ways of converting feed stocks like coal, biomass, and some waste streams into electricity and other useful products. The advantages of gasification in specific applications and conditions, particularly in clean generation of electricity from coal, may make it an increasingly important part of the world's energy and industrial markets. The stable price and abundant supply of coal throughout the world makes it the main feedstock option for gasification technologies going forward. The technology's placement markets with respect to many techno-economic and political factors, including costs, reliability, availability, and maintainability (RAM), environmental considerations, efficiency, feedstock and product flexibility, national energy security, public and government perception and policy, and infrastructure will determine whether or not gasification realizes its full market potential.
Although there are various types of gasifiers (gasification reactors), different in design and operational characteristics, Lr. Energies uses three main gasifier classifications into which most of the commercially available gasifiers fall.
These categories are as follows:
• Fixed-bed gasifiers (also referred as moving-bed gasifiers)
• Entrained-flow gasifiers
• Fluidized-bed gasifiers
Furthermore, hydrogen made from coal or other solid fuels can be used to refine oil, or to make products such as ammonia and fertilizer. More importantly, hydrogen enriched syngas can be used to make gasoline and diesel fuel. Polygeneration plants that produce multiple products are uniquely possible with gasification technologies. Carbon dioxide can be efficiently captured from syngas, preventing its greenhouse gas emission to the atmosphere, and enabling its utilization (such as for Enhanced Oil Recovery) or safe storage.
Gasification offers an alternative to more established ways of converting feed stocks like coal, biomass, and some waste streams into electricity and other useful products. The advantages of gasification in specific applications and conditions, particularly in clean generation of electricity from coal, may make it an increasingly important part of the world's energy and industrial markets. The stable price and abundant supply of coal throughout the world makes it the main feedstock option for gasification technologies going forward. The technology's placement markets with respect to many techno-economic and political factors, including costs, reliability, availability, and maintainability (RAM), environmental considerations, efficiency, feedstock and product flexibility, national energy security, public and government perception and policy, and infrastructure will determine whether or not gasification realizes its full market potential.
Although there are various types of gasifiers (gasification reactors), different in design and operational characteristics, Lr. Energies uses three main gasifier classifications into which most of the commercially available gasifiers fall.
These categories are as follows:
• Fixed-bed gasifiers (also referred as moving-bed gasifiers)
• Entrained-flow gasifiers
• Fluidized-bed gasifiers
Our Integrated Gasification Combined Cycle (IGCC) without Carbon Capture and Storage
While our gasification has many applications, power generation has received a lot of attention globally as part of the Clean Coal Power Initiative. Our most well-known design for this purpose is the integrated gasification combined cycle (IGCC). Similar to a natural gas combined cycle (NGCC), IGCC uses gas and steam turbines to generate electricity, but in this case the gas is synthesis gas (syngas; a mixture of primarily hydrogen [H2] and carbon monoxide [CO]) produced by the gasifier. Potentially any carbon-based feedstock could be gasified, including such varied materials as oil refinery bottoms or petroleum coke, municipal waste, and biomass, but in practice coal is most common.
IGCC-based electrical power generation is proven to be economical. In addition, cofiring coal with opportunity materials such as municipal waste and biomass feedstocks in this context enables IGCC-based power generation to gain a foothold more quickly in the market if certain drivers develop as expected, including alternative fuels initiatives and more stringent greenhouse gas emissions limitation requirements.
Integration of the gasifier, gas turbine, and steam turbine (for reclaiming lost heat in the exhaust) allows for high efficiencies. In fact, our current designs rival the most advanced pulverized coal plants in efficiency, while research and development leading to technological advances in integration, turbine design, and supporting processes increases IGCC efficiency even further.
IGCC-based electrical power generation is proven to be economical. In addition, cofiring coal with opportunity materials such as municipal waste and biomass feedstocks in this context enables IGCC-based power generation to gain a foothold more quickly in the market if certain drivers develop as expected, including alternative fuels initiatives and more stringent greenhouse gas emissions limitation requirements.
Integration of the gasifier, gas turbine, and steam turbine (for reclaiming lost heat in the exhaust) allows for high efficiencies. In fact, our current designs rival the most advanced pulverized coal plants in efficiency, while research and development leading to technological advances in integration, turbine design, and supporting processes increases IGCC efficiency even further.