Industry trends and market opportunities for gasification technologies

Conference · Thu Dec 31 04:00:00 EST 1998

OSTI ID:349069

Childress, J ^[1]

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1. Gasification Technologies Council, Arlington, VA (United States)

The use of gasification to produce synthesis gas has been available in the marketplace for more than fifty years. Worldwide production capacity now stands at more than ten billion standard cubic feet per day of syngas, according to data collected by the Gasification Technologies Council. More than 110 commercial gasification facilities with 355 gasifiers are in operation or under construction in twenty-four countries. These numbers are expected to grow. The main near term opportunities for gasification-based power projects are in the refining and chemical industries, a development not widely envisioned by many in the power industry earlier in this decade. Electricity industry restructuring in the US, along with low natural gas prices, have pushed back plans for most stand alone coal plants, IGCC included. However, market and regulatory forces worldwide are making the technology an increasingly attractive processing option in today`s petroleum refinery. Among the more pressing problems addressed by gasification are: The growing prevalence of heavy, sour, metals-laden crudes which often results in low-value (or negative-value) bottoms with significant handling and disposal problems; Continuing market pressures which place a premium on improved efficiency, maximum use of all hydrocarbons, reduced costs of energy inputs, and minimization of waste; and Increasingly stringent environmental regulation of plant operations and product characteristics that limit severely the options open to refiners to deal with air emissions, waste disposal and product slates. Gasification addresses all of these issues, providing refiners with a proven, efficient, exceptionally clean process technology with inherent flexibility to produce a diverse slate of value added products and power. The paper will provide an overview of gasification developments worldwide; discuss the energy, environmental and economic factors that are driving the demand for gasification technologies; and discuss recent developments in the regulatory arena that may affect future use of gasification to process low- or negative-value feedstocks.

• OSTI ID: 349069
• Report Number(s): CONF-980985--; ISBN 1-890977-15-2
• Country of Publication: United States
• Language: English

Related Subjects

01 COAL, LIGNITE, AND PEAT
29 ENERGY PLANNING, POLICY, AND ECONOMY
32 ENERGY CONSERVATION, CONSUMPTION, AND UTILIZATION
COAL GASIFICATION
COMBINED-CYCLE POWER PLANTS
GLOBAL ASPECTS
MARKET
ON-SITE POWER GENERATION
PETROLEUM REFINERIES
POLLUTION REGULATIONS
SYNTHESIS GAS