Gasification Technologies for Fuel Production

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Gasification Technologies for Fuel Production

• Tim Eggeman, Ph.D., P.E.
• June 29, 2009
• Third Meeting of the International Sugarcane
  Biomass Utilization Consortium
• Shandrani Resort Spa, Mauritius

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Gasification Can Be
Simple
WWII Automobile
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Fuel Gas Applications Are Simplest
Central Minnesota Ethanol Cooperative 15 Million
gal/yr Corn Dry Mill 15 Million Gasifier Retrofit
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Another Fuel Gas Application
Retrofit a Pulverized Coal Boiler to Allow
Co-firing Biomass Lahti, Finland 50 MWth
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Why are Fuel Gas Applications Simple?

• Atmospheric Pressure Operation
• Air Blown
• Low Calorific Gas w/ N2 is OK
• Low Temperature
• High Make of Methane and Tars is OK
• Dry Ashgenerally OK
• Moving Bed is Common

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Gasifier Flow Patterns
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Fuel Capacity
Entrained Flow
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BIGCC Are More Complex
Värnamo, Sweden 18 MWth Input as Wood
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Repotec Gasifier
CONFIDENTIAL
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Repotec Güssing 8 MWth
CONFIDENTIAL
Operating Hours Per Year
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Not All Projects are Successful

• Many Fail to Get Funding
• SIGAME (Eucalyptus BIGCC in Brazil)
• Technical and Management Problems

Paia, Hawaii Bagasse BIGCC Had Problems
with Bagasse Supply/Feed
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Feedstock Properties
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Ash Properties
Instantaneous Feed Heating
Slagging Operations
Raw Gas Quenching
Sticky Ash Regime Forbidden Temperature Range
Dry Ash Gasifiers
Agglomerating Gasifiers
Slagging Gasifiers
TInitial Deformation
TFluid
T250
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Ash Properties
a) Coal Ash From www.ultrasys.com.au/bits.html
b) Biomass Ash From Miles et. al. (1996)
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Thermodynamics
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Fuel Footprint
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Gasification for Chemicals is Most Complex
Biomass
Low Temperature Gasification 800C
Producer Gas (Heat, Steam/Power)
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Biomass to Liquids (BTL)
Gasification
Fischer-Tropsch
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Choren
Freiberg Site Blue Stripe Building (Back) Alpha
Plant Red Stripe Building (Center) Beta
Plant Open Space (Center Left) Future Shell FT
Plant
Installation of Entrained Flow Gasifier, Beta
Plant
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Choren
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Mixed Alcohol Synthesis
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Range Fuels
Demonstration Plant in Soperton, GA in Planning
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Syngas Fermentation
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Coskata
Working With AlterNRG for Plasma Gasification
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ZeaChem Technology
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Theoretical Yields
Values in Italics Indicate Chemical Energy Flow
Normalized to Biomass 100 Yield assumes 200
gal(neat)/BDT for 100 Chemical Efficiency
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Recommendations for ISBUC

• Have Well-Defined Scope
• Start Simple then Build Complexity
• Need a Strong Operating Partner with
• Form a High-Level Business Case Early
• Incremental Economics for Addition of a BIGCC to
  a Typical Mill
• Refine as Progress is Made
• Project Plan
• Sources of Funds
• Location
• Schedule

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Potassium Content
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