Coal Gasification

Pelingo, Donald C.
History Of Coal Gasification
• Historically, coal was gasified to produce coal gas, also known as
"town gas". Coal gas is combustible and was used for municipal
lighting, and heating, before the advent of large scale production of
natural gas from oil wells.
• In the 1850s every small to medium-sized town and city had a gas
plant to provide for street lighting. Subscribing customers could also
have piped lines to their houses. By this era, gas lighting became
accepted. Gaslight trickled down to the middle class and later came
gas cookers and stoves.
What is Coal Gasification ?
• Is a process producing syngas and involves the conversion of coal or
coke to a gaseous state through a reaction with air, oxygen, carbon
dioxide, or steam.
• In current practice, large-scale coal gasification installations are
primarily for electricity generation, or for production of chemical
feedstocks. The hydrogen obtained from coal gasification can be used
for various purposes such as making ammonia, powering a hydrogen
economy
• Alternatively, coal-derived syngas can be converted into
transportation fuels such as gasoline and diesel through additional
treatment, or into methanol which itself can be used as
transportation fuel or fuel additive, or which can be converted into
gasoline.
• Its generally refers to the reaction of coal with air or oxygen and
steam, to yield a gaseous product for use directly as a fuel, or as a
feed to synthesis of other gaseous or liquid fuels or chemicals.
• In current practice, large-scale coal gasification installations are
primarily for electricity generation, or for production of chemical
feedstocks. The hydrogen obtained from coal gasification can be used
for various purposes such as making ammonia, powering a hydrogen
economy, or upgrading fossil fuels.
Syngas or Synthesis Gas
• The syngas can be burned as a fuel or processed to produced
chemical and other fuels
• Syngas is usually a product of coal gasification and the main
application is electricity generation. Syngas is combustible and can be
used as a fuel of internal combustion engines.Historically, syngas has
been used as a replacement for gasoline, when gasoline supply has
been limited; for example, wood gas was used to power cars in
Europe during WWII (in Germany alone half a million cars were built
or rebuilt to run on wood gas). Syngas, however, has less than half
the energy density of natural gas.
Production of syngas has:

• Opened up a wide variety of research opportunities in renewable

energy sources.
• Provides efficient production of other chemincals
• Enviromental benefits
• Provide a safer fuel source
Syngas for Electricity Generation
• Syngas has the ability to replace natural gas as more thermally
efficient liquid fuel.
• Electricity can be generated from the power provided by the
combustion of syngas at the cost of less carbon emissions
• This provides a much cleaner, ecomical, and low coal is applicable to
use.
History of UCG
• Underground Coal Gasification was apparently first suggested by two
German engineers, brothers Werner and Wilhelm Siemens, as early as
in 1868
History of UCG
• A plan for the first actual UCG experiment was announced by the
English chemist Sir William Ramsey in 1912. He was able to obtain
funding for the trial, but died before commencing s the experiment.
Because of Ramsey's unfortunate death and the onset of World War I,
all UCG experiments in England were put off, and were not resumed
until after the end of World War II, thirty years later.
Underground Coal Gasification
• Underground Coal Gasification( UCG ) is an industrial process,which
enables coal to be converted into product gas.
• UCG is an in-situ gasification process carried out in non-mined coal
seams using injection of oxidants, andbringing the product gas to
surface through productionwells drilled from the surface.
Underground Coal Gasification
• Underground Coal Gasification (UCG) takes advantage of the same
chemical reactions of coal to produce product gases, as those
occurring in conventional gasifier reactors. The main difference is that
in UCG the underground coal seam itself becomes the reactor, so that
the gasification of the coal takes place underground instead of in a
manufactured gasification vessel at the surface.1 Obviously, this has
the one great cost-saving and simplifying advantage of not requiring
the coal to be mined in order to be gasified.
Underground Coal Gasification
• In the UCG process, injection wells are drilled into an unmined coal
seam, and either air or oxygen is injected into the seam along with
water. The coal face is ignited, and the high temperatures (about
1,200°C) from the combustion and limited oxygen causes nearby coal
to partially oxidize into hydrogen, carbon monoxide (CO), carbon
dioxide (CO2), and minimal amounts of methane (CH4) and hydrogen
sulfide (H2S). These products flow to the surface through one or more
production wells located ahead of the combustion zone. As the face is
burned and an area depleted, the operation is moved to follow the
seam.
Underground Coal Gasification
• Coal is a readily combustible black or brownish-black sedimentary
rock normally occurring in rockstrata in layers or veins called coal
beds 

Coal Composition
Primary - Carbon

Secondary - Sulfur, hydrogen, oxygen, nitrogen

Coal seam
• A coal seam is a dark brown or black banded deposit of coal that is
visible within layers of rock. These seams are located underground
and can be mined using either deep mining or strip mining techniques
depending on their proximity to the surface. These seams undergo
normal coal formation and serve as a conventional coal resource.
The reserves of coal are immense, and are the largest of all of
the fossil fuels
• As well, these seams can act as an unconventional source of natural
gas. When natural gas is obtained from a coal seam, it is known
as coal seam gas or coal bed methane. This gas bonds to the surface
of underground coal seams, which are generally filled with water.
The pressure of this water makes the gas form a thin film on the
surface of the coal. The level of gas bonded to the coal seam depends
on the thickness of the coal, the depth of the coal, and
the permeability.
Benifits of UCG
• UCG offers significant benefits, financial, social andenvironmental,
over traditional coal mining or coal gasificationmethods.

Environmental benefits
Financial benefits
Social benefits
Environment Benefits
• UCG may not require an external water source to operate, a
majorenvironmental advantage over water-intensive coal
miningoperations and pulverized-coal-fired energy production
methods
• Lower emissions, because gasification in UCG is undergroundthereby
reducing environmental management costs
• Particulates are generated at half the rate of their surfaceequivalents
and stay underground
• Lower dust, noise, visual impact on the surface
• Low risk of surface water pollution
• Reduced methane emissions - coal seam gas is recovered in
theprocess, rather than lost in the atmosphere as in most
conventionalmining
• No dirt handling and disposal at mine sites
• No coal washing and fines disposal at mine sites.
• UCG process creates an immense underground gas and heat storage
capacity, which makes the gas supply very stable and robust.
Financial Benifits
• Lower capital and operating costs
• .Reduced cost of plant installation - No Surface Gasifier.
• Syngas can be piped directly to end-user, reducing need ofrail / road
infrastructure
• .Lowers cost of environmental clean up due to solid wastebeing
confined underground
• GT power plants can be switched from natural gas tocheaper UCG
product gas
Social Benifits
• Risk of injury or death to humans is significantly reducedsince workers
need not to enter a mine.
• Local communities no longer face air pollution
• As mining isnt involved and land degradation reduceskeeping
surrounding land fertile .
Disadvantage Of UCG
• The main disadvantage of the underground coal gasification is ground
water contamination. Due to the ground water present at the
processing area the pollutants released are mixed with in the water
and makes it contaminated and poisonous.
• Site selection
• Surface subsidence
To over Come Disadvantage
• Contamination can be prevented by proper siting-UCG plants at the place
where there is no groundwater to be contaminated.
• Isolating the site from current or future ground water sources and
understanding how UCG affects the local hydrology.
• Regular monitoring of the groundwater around the UCG operation to take
appropriate measures.
• Heating and subsidence from UCG might lead to fractures leading to change
in ground water flow. Heated water having low density and low viscosity may
affect ground water flow.
• Where the UCG process has made the surrounding ground water is
permanently declared as unsuitable for irrigation or animal feeding.
UCG- Ideal For Power Generation
• UCG Gas gives 25% increase in the gas turbine power
outputcompared to natural gas.
• Fewer air emissions: greenhouse gas emissions as low as 30%than
natural gas.
• Cost of power generation is much less than with natural gas
• UCG gas can be produced in abundance for years to comeand used to
fuel GT plants .
UCG vs Conventional Gasification
• UCG uses un mined coal and performed in undergroundcoal seams
compared to conventional gasification
• It eliminates cost of coal mining & transport
• It does not require capital cost of the surface gasification reactor.
• UCG does not incur cost of ash and slag removal,storage and disposal
all inert solids remain underground
• UCG is usually produced at lower temperature, easier toprocess and
clean up
• Unlike UCG, conventional gasification requires coal miningwith
environmental and safety issues

• Conventional gasification uses large volumes of waterwhereas UCG

uses groundwater present in coal seam
UCG in the World
• In the last few years there has been significant renewed interest in
UCG as the technology hasmoved forward considerably.
• China has about 30 projects in different phases of preparation that
use underground coal gasification.
• India plans to use underground gasification to access an estimated
350 billion tonnes of coal.In 2007 India compiled a 93-page status
report on underground coal gasification that highlighted interest from
many of the countrys biggest companies. Jindal power coming upwith
its plant in orissa.
UCG in the World
• South African companies Sasol and Eskom both have UCG pilot facilities
that have beenoperating for some time, giving valuable information and
data.
• In Australia, Linc Energy has the Chinchilla site, which first started
operating in 2000. CarbonEnergy has completed a successful 100 day
commercial scale study in Bloodwood Creek in2008.
• Demonstration projects and studies are also currently under way in a
number of countries,including the USA, Western and Eastern Europe,
Japan, Indonesia, Vietnam, India, Australiaand China, with work being
carried out by both industry and research establishments.A number of
issues remain to be resolved before wider deployment can be achieved
Integrated Gasification Combined System
Power Plant

• IGCC plants are the newest Coal power plants, with the average
thermal efficiencies between 40 to 50 percent. At present, the use of
IGCC for coal-based electricity production is limited with only four
coal-based IGCC demosrtation plants in operation globally
Integrated Gasification Combined Cycle
IGCC
• There are two technologies combined in integrated Gasification
Combined Cycle (IGCC) which are Coal Gasification and Combined
Cycle. Coal Gasification produces a clean coal gas (syngas) by using
the coal, whereas Combined-cycle produce steam by recovered the
exhaust heat from the combustion turbine or generator. The most
efficient method of producing electricity is Combined-cycle.
 What are Coal Gasification and Combined
Cycle?
The gasification portion of the IGCC plant produces a clean coal gas (syngas) which
fuels the combustion turbine. Coal is combined with oxygen in the gasifier to
Coal Gasification produce the gaseous fuel, mainly hydrogen and carbon monoxide. The gas is then
cleaned by a gas cleanup process. After cleaning, the coal gas is used in the
combustion turbine to produce electricity.

This design consists of a combustion turbine/generator, a heat recovery steam

generator, and a steam turbine/generator. The exhaust heat from the combustion
turbine is recovered in the heat recovery steam generator to produce steam. This
Combined Cycle steam then passes through a steam turbine to power another generator, which
produces more electricity. Combined cycle is more efficient than conventional power
generating systems because it re-uses waste heat to produce more electricity. The
integration of these technologies provides the high efficiency of the combined-cycle
design with the low cost of coal for fuel.
IGCC emission controversy
• Senator Harry Reid (Majority Leader of the 2007/2008 U.S. Senate) told
the 2007 Clean Energy Summit that he will do everything he can to stop
construction of proposed new IGCC coal-fired electric power plants in
Nevada. Reid wants Nevada utility companies to invest in solar
energy, wind energy and geothermal energy instead of coal
technologies. Reid stated that global warming is a reality, and just one
proposed coal-fired plant would contribute to it by burning seven
million tons of coal a year. The long-term healthcare costs would be far
too high, he claimed (no source attributed). "I'm going to do everything
I can to stop these plants.", he said. "There is no clean coa technology.
There is cleaner coal technology, but there is no clean coal technology.
IGCC in the World
• Tampa Electric Integrated Gasification Combined-Cycle Project
Capable of delivering 250 MW to the grid, construction on this first
U.S. "greenfield" commercial IGCC plant began in late 1991 with
operations commencing in late 1996. Built as a DOE demonstration
plant it was later sold to Tampa Electric and began commercial
operation in 2001.
• Willem Alexander IGCC Plant in Buggenum, Netherlands
Commissioned in 1994, this plant is one of the first commercial IGCC
plants in the world. In 1998, it began delivering 253 MW (net).
• ELCOGAS IGCC Plant in Puertollano, Spain
One of the largest commercial IGCC projects in the world, this plant produces 330
MW (net) using a 50/50 coal and petcoke feed. Operations with syngas began in
1998.
• In June of 2008, Duke Energy broke ground on a new IGCC plant in Edwardsport,
Indiana. The project, which began commercial operations in June 2013, will be using
1.7-1.9 million tons of coal per year to generate 618 MW of base-load electricity. It is
based on the GE Energy "Reference Plant" design2; main units consist of two GE
gasifiers in parallel, two GE 7FB combustion turbines in parallel (232 MWe each), and
one GE steam turbine (320 MWe). The IGCC plant replaces a now demolished 160
MW coal-fired power plant at the site. The new IGCC plant is cleaner than the old
plant while providing more power; SOx, NOx, and particulate emissions are well
under new source 
• Kemper County IGCC Project
Southern Company Services/Mississippi Power started construction
on a new IGCC plant located in Kemper County, Mississippi in
December of 2010. Start of commercial operations for the plant is
scheduled for 2017, in which the plant will convert 12,000 tons of
local Mississippi low-rank coal per day (large reserves of 4 billion tons
of mineable lignite are located near the plant) to produce 582 MW
(net) of electricity. The new plant will utilize KBR's TRIG™
gasifier technology, suitable for utilization of the local lignite
resources; two of the gasifiers will operate in air-blown mode at the
Kemper County plant.
• Nakoso, Japan IGCC Demonstration
Construction began on this pulverized coal IGCC demonstration plant
in August 2004. The plant, which uses Mitsubishi Heavy
Industries' (MHI's) two-stage entrained-flow, pressurized, air-blown
gasifiers, is located at the Nakoso Power Station in Iwaki City,
Fukushima, Japan. Clean Coal Power Research and Development
(R&D) Corporation, Ltd. began development in 2001, with the goal of
proving an IGCC design for commercial use on a wide variety of coals
that Japan imports. The plant came online in late 2007, and has been
operating since that time, consuming 1,700 TPD coal and producing
250 MWe gross.
• Vresova, Czech Republic IGCC
In 1996, a former town gas plant in Vresova, Czech Republic, was
reconfigured to use IGCC technology. The plant gasifies approximately
2,000 tons per day (tpd) of local lignite coal in 26 Lurgi-design fixed-
bed gasifiers. The synthesis gas (syngas) is then fired in two 200 MWe
combined-cycle power blocks (which use GE turbines) for a total
power output of approximately 400 MW (Gasification Technology
Council, 2008).
Advantage
• Improved Power Generation Efficiency and Solution to Global Warming

• Wider Choice of Applicable Coal Types

• Atmospheric Environmental performance.

• Effective Use of Slag

• Reduced Cooling Water

• Reduced Service Water Usage

Advantage
• IGCC plants benefit from the advantages of gasification technology,
particularly environmental benefits, ease of carbon dioxide (CO2)
capture, the ability to use a variety of feedstocks, and high
efficiency relative to other power generation technologies.
Disadvantage
• Integrated Gasification Combined Cycle (IGCC) coal plants are a dirty
form of power production. Although IGCC is promoted as ‘clean coal’,
it is many times more carbon-polluting than renewable alternatives
like wind and solar.
• IGCC is expensive. The technology is about 35% more expensive than
conventional coal technology. Adding carbon capture and storage
(CCS) technology makes it even more expensive. Evidence from the
USA suggests the electricity produced from IGCC plants with CCS will
cost twice as much as electricity from wind or commercial scale solar
plants.
Disadvantage
• IGCC is not a new technology, and it is not a successful one. IGCC was
first tested on coal power plants in the 1990s. Since then attempts to
build IGCC coal power plants have met with delay, failure and
significant cost overruns.
• IGCC has never reached critical mass. Just eight IGCC coal power
plants are operating worldwide, according to publicly available data.
Meanwhile, at least 18 planned projects have been cancelled.
Disadvantage
• IGCC is a waste of money. As an example, at least $20 billion has been
committed to IGCC projects in the USA in the last decade. The result
so far is one power station struggling with technical problems, and
one about to open after year
• The international community has pledged to limit global temperature
rise to 2°C above pre-industrial levels and aim for a lower, 1.5°C limit.
Building new coal power plants is incompatible with this goal, making
IGCC an expensive technological dead-end, even if it can be made to
work financially.s of delays and cost overruns.
Conclusion
• Coal Gasification may be one solution to the problem of our depleting
natural gas supply. Since some electrical power system use natural gas
as the fuel, we should be concerned about coal gasification as an
alternative method to aid in the production of electricity