Coal in the 21st Century: Challenges and Opportunities

Presented at the Electricity 2020 ForumGrand Rapids, MN

Dr. Michael L. Jones Senior Research Advisor

Energy & Environmental Research CenterEnergy & Environmental Research CenterGrand Forks, NDGrand Forks, ND

February 14, 2007

Humanity’s Top Ten Problemsfor the Next 50 Years

1. ENERGY

2. WATER

3. FOOD

4. ENVIRONMENT

5. POVERTY

6. TERRORISM AND WAR

7. DISEASE

8. EDUCATION

9. DEMOCRACY

10. POPULATION

2003 -- 6.3 billion People

2050 -- 10 billion People

Richard Smalley, 2003 (1996 Nobel Laureate in Chemistry)

Colin J. Campbell, 2004

“Hubbert’s Peak” by Kenneth Deffeyes (2001)

• M. King Hubbert predicted U.S. oil production would peak in 1970. – It did.

• The same approach predicts world oil production will peak within this decade. – It will.

• The days of cheap energy from oil will then be gone.

Richard Smalley, 2003 (1996 Nobel Laureate in Chemistry)

Richard Smalley, 2003

4

US Energy ResourcesUS Energy Resources

EOR

Domestic Resources• 1 trillion barrels (shale)• 800 billion barrels of FT (coal)• 0.15 billion barrels (pet coke) • 22.7 billion barrels oil reserves • 32+ billion barrels of oil (EOR)• Total 1.9 trillion barrels

Coal Oil Shale

Source: U.S. Department of Defense

U.S. Energy Resources

Bottom Line – New Middle East

5

Bottom Line: We could be the New Bottom Line: We could be the New Middle EastMiddle East——1.9 Trillion Barrels1.9 Trillion Barrels

Saudi Arabia: 261.8 Billion BarrelsIraq: 112.5 Billion BarrelsUAE: 97.8 Billion BarrelsKuwait: 96.5 Billion BarrelsIran: 89.7 Billion BarrelsQatar: 15.2 Billion BarrelsOman: 5.5 Billion BarrelsYemen: 4.0 Billion BarrelsSyria: 2.5 Billion Barrels

TOTAL 685.5 Billion Barrels

Old Middle East

Source: U.S. Department of Defense

Opportunities for Coal

• Production of transportation fuels– Liquids– Hydrogen

• Electricity production

Transportation Fuels -- Challenges

• Oil resources – finite resource• Alternative fuels (including electricity) • Hydrogen

– Production– Storage– Distribution– Coal – production of hydrogen, liquid fuels

and electricity

• CO2 sequestration

Electricity Generation – Challenges

• Zero-emission power plants that produce electricity, chemicals, and liquid fuels cheaply

• Massive long distance electricity transmission

• Electrical storage

Coal’s Resurgence in Electric Power Generation

Generation Options

• Conventional combustion

• Coal gasification (IGCC)

• Indirectly fired combined cycle

Conventional Combustion

• Operational issues

• Environmental performance– NOx

– Particulate

– SOx

– Metals

– CO2

Ash Deposition Phenomena in Utility Boilers

1. Coal Particles

2. Combustion

3. Early Combustion Products

4. Slag Deposit Formation

5. High-Temperature Fouling Deposit Formation

6. Low-Temperature Fouling Deposit Formation

Coal

+Air

Coal

+Air

1800°– 2400°F

1200°– 1800°F

2000°– 3000°F

Slag

‚

ƒ-„

… †

Environmental Issues

• SOx

• NOx

• Particulate

• Metals (Hg)

• CO2

Coal Gasification

IGCC Diagram

Source: National Energy Technology Laboratory, U.S. Department of Energy

Opportunities for Low-Rank Coal Gasification

• High reactivity – Lower temperature gasification processes – transport reactor

• High sodium and calcium – Catalyzes gasification rates

• High moisture – Water for steam gasification, shift reaction, increased gas flow

Lignite

Subbituminous

Bituminous

Anthracite

What Is the Best Conversion Technology?

Key Fuel Properties• Moisture content• Coal reactivity• Caking properties• Inorganic materials

– Ash/slag and trace elements

• Sulfur levels• Oxygen content

Lignite Gasification to Produce Liquid Fuels, Hydrogen, Electricity, and Carbon Dioxide

Modified after Gray and others, 2004.

H2 + CO for Fischer-Tropsch

LiquidFuels

TRIGGasifier

Particulate and Hg Removal

Sulfur Removal

CO2

RemovalHydrogenRecovery

1 2 3 4 5

6 7

Coal/Biomass/Pet CokeCoal/Biomass/Pet Coke

Coal Preparation andCoal Preparation andUpgrading/SlurryUpgrading/Slurry

GasifierGasifier

RecycleRecycle

Syngas CoolerSyngas Cooler Hot Gas FilterHot Gas Filter

CycloneCyclone

Fuel Prep and Upgrading

•Slurry Prep•Drying•Mineral Removal•Blending

Gas PurificationGas Purificationand Separationand Separation

Sulfur RemovalSulfur RemovalAnd Ammonia And Ammonia

RemovalRemoval11

2233

4455

66

77

Gasification •Fuel Reactivity•Partitioning (Vapor, Liquid, Solid)•Slag Flow•Bed/Ash Reaction•Deposition

Gas Processing/Cooling

•Condensation•Transport•Deposition Growth and Removal

Hot Gas Cleanup

•Particulate•Hg•Na•Trace elements•Halogens

Sulfur Removal

•H2S --Metal Oxide•Impact of Na, K•Trace elements•Hg•Halogens

Gas Purification and Separation

•Shift Reactions•Separation and Purification

Na+Ca++

Quartz

Pyrite

Calcite

Fate and Impacts of Impurities on Gasification and Gas Cleanup

Examples of Current Experience• Eastman Chemical Company's coal gasification plant

– High-sulfur Appalachian bituminous – 1300 ton/day

– Acetyl chemicals

– Over 22 years of operation

• Tampa Electric's Polk Power Station

– GE Energy (Texaco) gasifier – slurry-fed, single-stage, entrained flow

– Pittsburgh Basin and Appalachian coals, petcoke, and biomass – 2200 ton/day

– Medium-Btu syngas fired to produce electricity – 250 MWe

– DOE Clean Coal Project – 4- to 5-year demonstration

– Commercial operation began in 1995

• SG Solutions – Wabash River

– E-gas (ConocoPhillips) slurry-fed, two-stage, entrained-flow gasifier

– Illinois Basin coal, petroleum coke

– 262 MWe (net) of electricity

– DOE Clean Coal Project – 4- to 5-year demonstration

– Commercial operation began in 1995

– GE Energy (Texaco) gasifiers – slurry-fed, single-stage, entrained-flow quench gasifier

Examples of Current Experience (cont.)

• Shell Gasification (Nuon) Buggenum – Netherlands– Shell gasifier – entrained flow with dry fuel feeding and recycled syngas cooling– Range of bituminous coals– 253 MWe of electricity– Operation since 1998

• Elcogas – Puertollano, Spain– Prenflo gasifier entrained-flow system with dry fuel feeding– Coal and petroleum coke– 298 MW of electricity– Began operating in 1998

• Schwarze Pumpe Gmbh– Future Energy Gmbh – entrained flow with dry dry feeding cooling screen design

– 130 MWth brown coal before 1992; waste oil slurries after

– Operation since 1984

Examples of Current Experience (cont.)

• Piñon Pine IGCC Power Project (Sierra Pacific) – KRW fluidized-bed gasifier

– Utah bituminous, 0.5%–0.9% sulfur coal – 90 MW

– DOE Clean Coal Project – Problems during start-up and project was not completed

• HTW Demonstration Berrenrath, Germany– High-temperature Winkler fluidized bed with dry feed– 140 MWth of dried brown coal – Methanol production– Started operation in 1986, shutdown in 1997 with 67,000 hours

• GTI U-Gas Process– Shanghai, China – 1000 TPD, 8 gasifier low-pressure using bituminous coal– Fuel gas for coke oven– Started operation in 1995, currently moth-balled 70,000 hours

Advantages of Indirectly Fired Combined Cycles (IFCC)

• Operations very similar to pc-fired boilers• Nearer-term technology• Higher efficiencies – 45% when firing coal, over

50% with NG supplement• Half the water usage of a typical steam-based

plant because of the Brayton cycle• Slagging heat exchangers are self-cleaning

– Much lower loss of heat transfer due to fouling– Much less overconstruction

IFCC Schematic

Efficiency, 47.3%GT output, 161 MWST Output, 150 MWCoal/Gas 65%/35%

GeneratorSteamTurbine

AshSlag

Coal

Gas

Gas Turbine

Radiant Air Heater

ConvectiveAir Heater

Selective Noncatalytic Reactor Zone

Heat RecoverySteam Generator

Generator

FGD

Hot Air

Air

Key:FGD: Flue Gas DesulfurizationGT: Gas TurbineST: Steam Turbine

Chemical Looping

Chemical Looping

CO2 Hydrate

CO2 Hydrate

Microbial/Algae

Microbial/Algae

Electro-chemical

Pump

Electro-chemical

Pump

Others

Chemical(TSA)

Chemical(TSA)

Zeolites

ACs

Physical(PSA,TSA)

Physical(PSA,TSA)

Metal Oxides

Si/Al Gels

Inorganic Membrane

Inorganic Membrane

Metallic

Polysulphone

Polyamide

Organic Membrane

Organic Membrane

Ceramics

Others

Cellulose derivatives

Others

Technologies for CO2 Capture

Caustics

Rectisol

Others

Physical Physical

Selexol

Amines

Others

ChemicalChemical

Absorption Absorption CryogenicsCryogenics Others Others Adsorption

Adsorption

Membranes Membranes

Methods for Reducing GHG Emissions• Renewable energy technologies• Advanced high-efficiency energy

systems• Improve efficiency on existing

systems• Reduce consumption of energy• Sequester GHG emissions

Phase II Goals • Increase public understanding of CO2 sequestration• Perform field validation tests that develop:

- MM&V protocols- Regional sequestration strategies

- Best separation/source matches- Regulatory and permitting strategies- Environmental benefits and risks

- Information needed to monetize C credits• Continued regional characterization• Regional partnership program integration

PCOR Partnership

Regional Carbon Sequestration Partnerships

The Regional Carbon Sequestration Partnership (RCSP) Program represents more than 216 organizations in 40 states, three Indian nations, and four

Canadian provinces.

Partnership Benefits (cont.)• Breaking news on our four regional field verification activities.

Summary

• Clean coal will be part of our future energy mix.

• Coal gasification will be one option.

• CO2 capture and sequestration will be part of future coal development activities.

• A range of power generation options will be used to meet our future energy needs.

Contact Information

Energy & Environmental Research CenterUniversity of North Dakota

15 North 23rd StreetStop 9018

Grand Forks, North Dakota 58202-9018

www.undeerc.orgTelephone No. (701) 777-5000

Fax No. (701) 777-5181

Dr. Michael L. JonesSenior Research Advisor

(701) 777-5152mjones@undeerc.org