Transport Coal Reactor (Southern Company Services)

The gasifier is the main system component of the gasification process. It is a robust pressure vessel where air (or oxygen), water, and a suitable fuel are brought together and heated, stimulating controlled thermal and chemical reactions that convert the feedstock to a fuel gas consisting primarily of carbon monoxide and hydrogen (referred to either as synthesis gas or syngas),  Minor constituents in the feedstock are converted to such products as hydrogen sulfide, ammonia, carbon dioxide, and ash/slag (mineral residues from coal). The syngas together with extracted steam from other process units in the process are used to power gas and steam turbine/generator sets to produce electricity, while the byproducts may be separated, captured, and stored for reuse or for sale as chemicals.

Innovative Technologies
Research is being conducted to develop a diverse portfolio of innovative technologies, such as the transport gasifier and gasification chemical-thermal looping, to ensure that higher efficiency goals can be reached, the variety of possible feedstocks can be expanded, and capital and operating costs can be reduced. Data from fluid dynamic models are being used to develop and improve advanced gasifier designs. Promising technology developments will be tested and evaluated in large-scale demonstration and/or commercial-scale gasification systems.

Materials Improvements
Gasification occurs under demanding conditions that present significant challenges, particularly from a materials perspective. The harsh conditions take their toll on gasifier refractory materials as well as on instrumentation inserted into the gasifier to monitor and control operation. Research is being performed to increase gasifier availability and decrease gasifier operations and maintenance costs.

Active Advanced Gasification Projects include the following:

• Advanced Coal Gasification System
• Advanced High-Temperature, High-Pressure Transport Reactor Gasification
• Circulating Moving Bed Combustion Proof-of-Concept
• Co-Production of Electricity and Hydrogen Using a Novel Iron-Based Catalyst
• Co-Production of Substitute Natural Gas / Electricity via Catalytic Coal Gasification
• Development of a Hydrogasification Process for Co-Production of Substitute Natural Gas (SNG) and Electric Power from Western Coals
• Development of an Acoustic Sensor for On-Line Gas Temperature Measurement in Gasifiers
• Development of Technologies and Capabilities for Coal Energy Resources
• Device Scale Modeling
• Dynamic Simulator
• Fuel Flexible Advanced Energy Systems for the Production of Syngas, Hydrogen and Fuels
• Hybrid Combustion-Gasification Chemical Looping Coal Power Technology Development
• HydroMax - Overcoming the Challenges of Industrial Coal Gasification
• Multiphase Flow Modeling Research
• Power Systems Development Facility (PSDF)
• Process and Dynamic Systems Modeling Research
• Real Time Flame Monitoring of Gasifier Burner and Injectors
• Refractory Materials for Slagging Gasifiers
• Single-Crystal Sapphire Optical Fiber Sensor Instrumentation Virginia Polytechnic Institute

Completed Advanced Gasification Projects include the following:

• Diffusion Coatings for Corrosion-Resistant Components in Coal Gasification Systems
• Lab Study of CMC Degradation in High-Pressure, High-Temperature Steam/O₂ Environments
• Fuel-Flexible Gasification-Combustion Technology for Production of H₂ and Sequestration-Ready

Other program elements within Gasification Technologies include the following:

• Gas Cleaning and Conditioning
• Gas Separation
• Systems and Industry Analyses