Coal to methanol feasibility study: Beluga methanol project. Volume I. Technical. Final report

Technical Report · Tue Sep 01 04:00:00 EDT 1981

OSTI ID:5359093

Cook Inlet Region, Inc. and Placer Amex Inc. propose to develop a commercial scale coal-to-methanol operation located close to coal deposits in Kenai Peninsula Borough, Alaska, on the west side of Cook Inlet. The plan of the sponsors provides for participation in the venture by additional equity partners and financial assistance from the US Synthetic Fuels Corporation. The overall concept envisions utilization of low sulfur, high volatile sub-bituminous coal from Alasks's Beluga coal field as feed for a process plant which will produce fuel grade methanol at the rate of 54,000 barrels per day, and distribution of the product to existing and potential markets on the US West Coast. The Beluga Area is estimated to contain over one billion tons of coal recoverable by surface mining methods. For the purposes of the feasibility study, two areas, containing approximately 500 million tons of recoverable, low-sulfur coal, have been planned for surface mining. An extremely low average sulfur content of less than 0.2% and a location adjacent to deep coastal waters make the Beluga Area unique among known world coal deposits. It is proposed to extract a total of 8.5 million tons of coal annually from the two mines. The process plant will be located on the west side of Cook Inlet at a point approximately 60 miles southwest of Anchorage and 25 miles southeast of the coal mines. The principal processes involved in the production of methanol from coal are coal gasification, syngas upgrading and methanol synthesis. It is intended to use only commercially proven technology and equipment with demonstrated potential for further improvement in efficiency.

• Research Organization: Cook Inlet Region, Inc./Placer Amex, Inc., San Francisco, CA (USA)
• DOE Contract Number: FG01-80RA50299
• OSTI ID: 5359093
• Report Number(s): DOE/RA/50299-1119-Vol.1; ON: DE82005933
• Country of Publication: United States
• Language: English

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10 SYNTHETIC FUELS
ALASKA
ALCOHOLS
CALORIFIC VALUE
CARBONACEOUS MATERIALS
CHEMICAL COMPOSITION
COAL
COAL DEPOSITS
COAL GASIFICATION
COAL MINES
COAL RESERVES
COMBUSTION PROPERTIES
ENERGY SOURCES
FEASIBILITY STUDIES
FEDERAL REGION X
FINANCIAL INCENTIVES
FOSSIL FUELS
FUELS
GASIFICATION
GEOLOGIC DEPOSITS
GEOLOGY
HYDROXY COMPOUNDS
MATERIALS
METHANOL
MINERAL RESOURCES
MINES
MINING
NORTH AMERICA
ORGANIC COMPOUNDS
PLANNING
PRODUCTION
RESERVES
RESOURCES
SURFACE MINING
THERMOCHEMICAL PROCESSES
UNDERGROUND FACILITIES
USA
WELL LOGGING