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Title: See 10,500-Btu heat rate for oil gasification plant. [Technical and economic feasibility study of gasification of high-S coal or oil for combined cycle power plants]

Journal Article · · Gas Turbine Int.; (United States)
OSTI ID:7154411

Stanford Research Institute recently completed a study which demonstrated that it is technically and economically feasible with current technology to gasify high-sulfur coal or oil for combined-cycle generating plants. The study, designed to give a ''third party'' evaluation of the practical prospect of such a plant, includes a critical review of current gas turbine technology and known gasification processes, prospects for funded R and D programs, and estimates of when developmental gasification techniques might become practical for operational power plants. According to SRI's W. Schumacher, these low-Btu gas-fueled plants would be less expensive and less polluting to operate than conventional fossil-fueled steam plants that must be equipped with fuel or stack cleanup. The overall cost of these plants is currently more than those operating on low-sulfur fuel, but this disadvantage will cease to be an issue when low-sulfur fuel becomes unavailable or reaches $30/ton. Everything required for an operational plant has been in some sort of commercial service and can be joined in an integrated system on a near-term basis. Low-Btu systems designed around the Lurgi, Winkler, and Koppers-Totzek processes all qualify as practical candidates. After evaluating the combination of gas-turbine and gasification technologies and examining the effect of improved gas turbine performance on the overall efficiency and economics of power plants, SRI indicated that the unfired combined-cycle gasification system provides the most promising solution on a near-term basis.

OSTI ID:
7154411
Journal Information:
Gas Turbine Int.; (United States), Vol. 4
Country of Publication:
United States
Language:
English