Ultra-Compact Hybrid Entrained Flow/Plasma Solid Fuel Gasifier

It is fairly assumed that if a substitute for natural gas is not found, energy intensive industries such as glass, cement, and steel will suffer irreparable damage, with higher unemployment and lower productivity for the U.S. economy. Amongst many alternatives, inexpensive small-and-medium-scale coal and biomass gasifiers may offer certain relief to those industries. Thus far, such gasifiers are not economically viable, because the generation of medium-to-high-grade synthetic gas from coal requires a significant amount of oxygen, which incurs very high capital and operating costs. In this project, an innovative hybrid plasma process will be developed for the gasification of coal, biomass, and biomass/coal blends. Unlike previous plasma systems that involved either thermal or non-thermal types of plasma, this new system hybridizes both plasma types to deliver large power at high pressure with high selectivity. As a result, this process can yield high gas volumes at unsurpassed efficiencies. Commercial Applications and other Benefits as described by the awardee: Inexpensive solid fuel gasifiers would help energy intensive industries generate power at efficiencies greater than 70%, rather than obtaining their power from pulverized coal fired power plants operating at 35% efficiency. If adopted on a wide basis, these plants could increase US electricity capacity by more than 30 GW and reduce natural gas imports by more than 1.5 trillion BTU/year. The technology also would have the effect of decreasing emissions of mercury, oxides of nitrogen, sulfur dioxide, and carbon dioxide.