The benefits of coproducing power and fuels from IGCC facilities
- Mitretek Systems, McLean, VA (United States)
The Energy Information Administration (EIA) in its new 1998 International Energy Outlook projects world energy use to grow by 70 percent between now and 2020 from 376 to 639 quads. Because of this large increase in world energy consumption and continued reliance on fossil fuels, carbon emissions are forecast to grow by 74 percent over this period. Concerns over the environmental impact of fossil energy use, particularly concerns over possible climate change as a result of carbon dioxide emissions continue to influence public policy and debate. Even without a potential global climate change threat, it is prudent and responsible to use the endowment of fossil resources in the most efficient and least polluting manner. The challenge, then, is to determine how to use the combination of oil, gas and coal most efficiently with the minimum environmental damage. To this end, the US Department of Energy and Mitrek Systems have evolved and evaluated a concept that combines the use of gas and coal for the highly efficient production of electric power and high quality transportation fuels. In its simplest form, this coproduction cofeed (CoCo) concept consists of diverting coal-derived synthesis gas from the combined cycle power block of an Integrated Coal Gasification Combined Cycle (IGCC) unit to a liquid Fischer-Tropsch (F-T) synthesis reactor. The unreacted synthesis gas from the F-T reactor, and imported natural gas are then combusted in the downstream combined cycle power generation unit. Combining processes in this manner accomplishes the equivalent of natural gas to liquid synthesis while eliminating the conversion losses associated with the production of synthesis gas from natural gas. This concept of using both coal and natural gas to coproduce power and transportation fuels utilizes both feedstocks in an optimum manner. Coal cannot be combusted directly in gas turbines, it must first be converted into clean synthesis gas. Once in gaseous form, the high efficiencies associated with gas turbine performance now become accessible to coal. This is the rationale behind the IGCC concept. However, once the synthesis gas has been produced from the coal it is even more efficient to use this gas to produce liquid transportation fuels through F-T synthesis technology. Using a once-through F-T process, the inefficiencies of carbon dioxide removal and synthesis gas recycle can be avoided and the unconverted synthesis gas can be directly combusted in the gas turbines thereby benefiting from the high efficiency of gas turbine power production. This sequence of coal-derived synthesis gas utilization to produce fuels and power is thus optimized. For natural gas, optimum efficiency is realized by direct combustion in the gas turbines as in the concept described here. The paper discusses the impact on carbon emissions and economic considerations.
- Sponsoring Organization:
- USDOE, Washington, DC (United States)
- DOE Contract Number:
- AC22-95PC95054
- OSTI ID:
- 349071
- Report Number(s):
- CONF-980985-; ISBN 1-890977-15-2; TRN: IM9924%%71
- Resource Relation:
- Conference: 15. annual international Pittsburgh coal conference, Pittsburgh, PA (United States), 14-18 Sep 1998; Other Information: PBD: 1998; Related Information: Is Part Of Fifteenth annual international Pittsburgh coal conference: Proceedings; PB: [1500] p.
- Country of Publication:
- United States
- Language:
- English
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