Coal Gasification

Robert Nagai
AP Environmental Science
Period 3

Uses of Coal
Gasification
Clean way to convert coal (or any carbon based

material) into energy

Electricity Production
Lighting, Heating, and Cooking Fuels
Energy-Efficient Fuel Cell Technology
Ammonia and Hydrogen Production
Transportation Fuel (gasoline, diesel, methanol,
liquefied natural gas)
Road Tar, Creosote (wood preservative), phenol
(plastics), cresols (disinfectants), dyes, and
medicines

Efficiency
Combined cycle
Coal gases are fired into a gas turbine and creates
electricity
Steam is produced from the gasification process
and the heat made by the gas turbine
Gross power generation is 50% efficiency
Net generation is 40% efficient
With improvements in high pressure solid fuel cell
technology, efficiency is expected to rise to 60%

Cost of Coal Gasification

Costs vary widely depending on plant
design and type as well as quality of coal
Capital costs: $13-17.2/GigaJoule (GJ)*
Synthesis Gas (Syngas) production:
$15.6-19.3/GJ*

*based on data from US based plants in 2005

Gasification Extraction
and Usage
Coal (or other bio mass) is broken down
into its basic chemical constituents by:

Exposure to steam
Controlled amounts of oxygen
High temperature and pressure

Process yields carbon monoxide,

hydrogen, and other fuel gases

Gasification Extraction
and Usage

Gasification Extraction
and Usage (continued)
Underground Coal Gasification (UCG) gasifies
un-mined coal deposits while still underground
UCG technology was first proposed by Sir
William Siemens in 1868 and developed
extensively by the USSR under Lenin and
Stalin
The US conducted UCG research form 1974 to
1989, but abandoned development due to a
drop in oil prices
China, Australia, and South Africa continue to
develop UCG technology

Gasification Extraction
and Usage (continued)
China has the largest
UCG program with more
than 16 plants built since
1991

Gasification
Consumption/Usage
The United States started using modern
gasification in 1984
20 plants are in operation in the US as of 2002
with 10 more scheduled to be built
Worldwide, there are 117 plants in operation with
35 additional plants in development
36% of these plants generate fuels, 19%
generate electricity, and 42% generate chemical
feedstock.
These plants account for 24,000 megawatts of
electricity with an annual growth rate of 10%

Gasification Advantages
Gasification yields a wide variety of useful
products beyond electricity such as sulfur
and ammonia
The process is 17% more efficient than
conventional coal burning plants
Converting coal into a gaseous state
allows easier removal of polluting
compounds

Gasification
Disadvantages
Installation and maintenance costs are
higher than conventional coal burning
plants
Process produces more greenhouse
gases than petroleum
The environmental impact of coal mining
is not reduced by gasification

GasificationEcological
Problems
Gasification waste products may pollute
the groundwater surrounding the plant
Gasification products are highly toxic and
pose a health and environment threat
should a leak occur
Gasification does not reduce the demand
for coal, nor does it make coal mining
more environmentally friendly

Gasification
Installations
The first modern coal gasification plant in the
US was built in 1984 in Beulah, North Dakota
Facilities in Barstow, California; West Terre
Haute, Indiana; and Lakeland, Florida are
among the more than 20 active plants in the
US
China is building more than 50 gasification
plants in its northwestern region in order to
reduce smog (despite the large amount of
greenhouse gases produced by gasification)

Sources
http://energy.gov/fe/how-coal-gasification-power-plants-work
http://energy.gov/fe/science-innovation/clean-coalresearch/gasification
http://www.worldcoal.org/coal/uses-of-coal/underground-coalgasification/
http://www.kbr.com/Technologies/Coal-Gasification/
http://www.reuters.com/article/2013/07/01/utilities-southernkemper-idUSL2N0F723N20130701
Bell, D. A., Brian F. Towler, and Maohong Fan. "Chapter 7." Coal
Gasification and Its Applications. Oxford, U.K.: William
Andrew/Elsevier, 2011, pages 139-142.