BI-GAS Pilot Plant operation. Quarterly technical progress report, April 1-June 30, 1983

Technical Report · Sat Jan 01 04:00:00 EST 1983

OSTI ID:6662589

Reactivation of the BI-GAS pilot plant neared completion in April 1983. Final preparations, plant checkout and the writing of new operating procedures proceeded in preparation for Test G-20, scheduled for mid-May. Calculations were done to determine the effects of operating the gasifier at 350 psig. It was found that few plant modifications would be necessary as long as coal feed was limited to 3500 to 4000 pounds per hour. Test G-20 was conducted May 23-24, 1983 with: 18.0 hours of coal feed to the gasifier, 18.2 hours of char feed, and 31.5 hours of char burner firing. The test was terminated due to failure of the Stage I thermocouples. Conclusions - char agglomeration was not a problem during Test G-20. Char feed remained steady throughout the test, and no large pieces of char were found in the system on inspection. During Test G-20A, an attempt will be made to build a char level; this will be the true test as to whether char agglomeration is a problem with Illinois No. 6 coal. Slag produced from Illinois No. 6 coal was high quality and tapping was maintained with no problems at a Stage I temperature of 2700/sup 0/F to 2750/sup 0/F. Test G-20A was conducted June 7-8, 1983 with: 24.8 hours of coal feed to the gasifier, 24.2 hours of char feed, and 30.7 hours of char burner firing. The test was terminated due to: loss of slag quench recycle water flow, failure of the slag agitator, cooling water leak in the slag breaker, and loss of level control in the slag quench section due to floating char and foam. Conclusions - as has been stated in previous reports on tests in which Pittsburgh coal was gasified, it is believed that char agglomerates are formed in Stage II when coal is exposed to temperatures which plasticize it. The second major problem observed during operation with Pittsburgh and Illinois coals has been the sudden drops in Stage I temperature which typically occur while trying to seal the char legs. 1 figure, 14 tables.

• Research Organization: Stearns-Roger, Inc., Denver, CO (USA)
• DOE Contract Number: AC21-80ET14705
• OSTI ID: 6662589
• Report Number(s): DOE/ET/14705-1539; ON: DE84005077
• Country of Publication: United States
• Language: English

Related Subjects

01 COAL, LIGNITE, AND PEAT
010404* -- Coal
Lignite
& Peat-- Gasification
AGGLOMERATION
BI-GAS PROCESS
CHARS
CHEMICAL REACTORS
COAL GASIFICATION
DATA
EXPERIMENTAL DATA
FUNCTIONAL MODELS
GASIFICATION
INFORMATION
MATERIAL BALANCE
MEDIUM PRESSURE
MODIFICATIONS
NUMERICAL DATA
OPERATION
PILOT PLANTS
PYROLYSIS PRODUCTS
RESEARCH PROGRAMS
SLAGS
THERMOCHEMICAL PROCESSES