Application of the integrated gasification combined cycle technology and BGL gasification design for power generation

Integrated gasification combined cycle (IGCC) technology promises to be the power generation technology of choice in the late 1990s and beyond. Based on the principle that almost any fuel can be burned more cleanly and efficiently if first turned into a gas, an IGCC plant extracts more electricity from a ton of coal by burning it as a gas in a turbine rather than as a solid in a boiler. Accordingly, coal gasification is the process of converting coal to a clean-burning synthetic gas. IGCC technology is the integration of the coal-gasification plant with a conventional combined-cycle plant to produce electricity. The benefits of this technology merger are many and result in a highly efficient and environmentally superior energy production facility. The lGCC technology holds significant implications for Asia-Pacific countries and for other parts of the world. High-growth regions require additional baseload capacity. Current low prices for natural gas and minimal emissions that result from its use for power generation favor its selection as the fuel source for new power generation capacity. However, fluctuations in fuel price and fuel availability are undermining the industry`s confidence in planning future capacity based upon gas-fueled generation. With the world`s vast coal reserves, theremore » is a continuing effort to provide coal-fueled power generation technologies that use coal cleanly and efficiently. The lGCC technology accomplishes this objective. This chapter provides a summary of the status of lGCC technology and lGCC projects known to date. It also will present a technical overview of the British Gas/Lurgi (BGL) technology, one of the leading and most promising coal gasifier designs.« less