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HomeMy WebLinkAboutClean Coal Technologies Research, Development & Demonstration Program est 1994 Clean Coal Technologies RESEARCH, DEVELOPMENT, AND DEMONSTRATION PROGRAM CLEAN COAL TECHNOLOGIES: Ready to Support a Strong U.S. Economy and a Clean Environment ENVIStON The United States needs a variety of energy sources to remain economically competitive, create jobs, and provide a clean environment for its people. While emphasis is being placed on conservation and renewable energy to meet our growing energy needs, fossil fuels — coal, oil, and natural gas — will continue to provide the greater share of the energy required to keep our economy on track and growing. New technologies make it possible to use all our domestic energy resources — including our largest resource, coal — in ways that are compatible with our goals to protect the environment. Coal is a fuel that can provide plentiful, low-cost energy for our industries, businesses, and homes. It is a fuel that can be burned cleanly and efficiently. It is a fuel that is available in abundance in the United States and around the world, in quantities that will last even beyond the next century. This vision is very different from the image of coal that many people hold. Yet the fact is that clean coal technologies now under development will help coal make an important contribution to a bright economic future for the United States, while also helping our nation meet its commitment to a cleaner environment. This document describes the joint efforts of government and industry — under the leadership of the U.S. Department of Energy — that are turning the promise of clean coal technologies into reality. CLEAN COAL TECHNOLOGIES SERVE BOTH OUR ECONOMIC AND OUR ENVIRONMENTAL GOALS Y Coal is our nation’s most abundant domestic energy resource, constituting over 94 percent of proved U.S. fossil energy reserves. Our nation’s recoverable coal reserves are the energy equivalent of about one trillion barrels of crude oil, which is the amount of the world’s known oil reserves. At present consumption rates, U.S. coal reserves are expected to last over two hundred years. Source: Energy Information Administration (Annual Energy Review 1992, June 1993) U.S. Fossil Energy Proved Reserves Quadrillion Btu very facet of the U.S. economy depends on reliable, low-cost energy. For over a century, fossil fuels — coal, petroleum, and natural gas — have been central in filling this need. Today, fossil fuels remain the energy mainstays of the United States, accounting for almost 90 percent of our nation’s primary energy consumption. Ensuring reliable supplies of low-cost energy in the future is a key challenge for the United States. To meet this challenge, we must make the best possible use of all our domestic energy resources and reduce our dependence on imported oil. We must conserve energy more effectively, accelerate the use of renewable energy sources, expand our utilization of natural gas, and take full advantage of our domestic supplies of coal. At the same time, we as a nation are committed to achieving a cleaner environment. We must find approaches that enable us to use our plentiful domestic energy sources with fewer impacts on environmental quality. Clean coal technologies serve both the economic and environ- mental goals of our nation, by making coal the lowest cost environmentally sound energy choice. To advance these technologies, the U.S. Department of Energy has structured a well-integrated program for clean coal technologies research, development, and demonstration. In power generation, clean coal technologies enable coal-fired plants to produce low-cost electricity with low emissions, high efficiency, and high reliability. And in fuel production, clean coal technologies will be capable of producing secure domestic supplies of clean liquid fuels for transportation applications, thereby reducing our dependence on imported oil. Energy Cost* Comparison {7 Petroleum BB Natural Gas Coal a oO $/MMBtu bv oF 12 oC oo 1975 1980 1985 1990 1995 2000 2005 2010 A Coal is an energy bargain. It has historically been the least expensive fossil fuel in the U.S., and its price is expected to remain low and stable. By making coal an environmentally sound energy choice, clean coal technologies will help ensure the availability of reliable, low-cost electricity. Source: Energy Information Administration (History-Annual Energy Review 1992, June 1993; Projections through 2010-Annual Energy Outlook 1994, January 1994). * Average prices to electric utilities Indices of U.S. Energy, Electricity, and Economic Growth 1.0) @ Electricity @ Energy mGpP Index (1990: 1950 1960 1970 1980 1990 2000 2010 A While total energy and electricity use have historically grown in parallel with U.S. economic growth, conservation will help slow the growth of total energy consumption in the future. Electricity demand will continue to track economic growth, but will grow more slowly than the economy over the next two decades due to expected continuing emphasis on energy and electrical efficiency. Source: Energy Information Administration (History-Annual Energy Review 1992, June 1993; Projections through 2010-Annual Energy Outlook 1994, January 1994). A Every aspect of our economy, from industry to agriculture, depends on affordable energy. Clean coal technologies can help power the American economy without compromising our nation’s commitment to a cleaner environment. CLEAN COAL TECHNOLOGIES HELP MEET OUR GROWING ENERGY DEMANDS oday, coal is an indispensable part of our nation’s energy mix. Because of its abundance and low cost, coal has become a primary fuel for electric power and industrial steam production in the United States. It now accounts for about 56 percent of the electricity generated in this country. Coal will remain indispensable if the United States is to meet its growing energy needs in the future. In fact, the Department of Energy estimates that even with aggressive conservation measures and significant expansion in the use of renewable energy and natural gas, the United States will remain dependent on coal for the foreseeable future. Current projections show that the use of coal will have to increase significantly to keep pace with growing energy demands. The increasing use of coal will be driven largely by growth in demand for electric power. Total consumption of electricity in the U.S. is expected to rise from 2.7 trillion kilowatt-hours in Total U.S. 1990 to 3.5 trillion kilowatt-hours in 2010, and to 4.5 trillion Electricity Consumption kilowatt-hours in 2030. Coal-fueled power plants are expected to provide about half of our nation’s electricity from now through 2030. a Clean coal technologies will be essential in enabling our nation to expand coal-fueled electric power generation while meeting o a rigorous environmental standards. In addition, clean coal nD 2 3 3 = g 3 = s c S technologies can create new applications for coal. Through liquefaction processes, for example, coal can be transformed into a liquid fuel for transportation markets. By using this 1990 2010 2030 plentiful domestic resource, we reduce our dependence on A By 2030, our nation’s demand for imported oil, allowing the United States to move toward greater electricity is expected to grow by two- thirds. Current projections indicate that Coal use will have to expand to meet this growing demand. Source: Energy Information Administration (Annual Energy Outlook 1994, January 1994; Projected to 2030). energy self-sufficiency, security, and stability. Quadrillion Btu Quadrillion Btu U.S. Primary Energy Consumption by Fuel <— Oil + Natural Gas I< Coal ~*~ Nuclear }+~ Renewables 1970 1980 1990 2000 2010 A Current Energy Information Administration (EIA) projections show that all domestic energy resources must play major roles in meeting future energy needs and assuring GDP growth. These projections indicate that the use of coal in the United States will have to increase significantly if we are to meet our energy and economic needs. This estimate includes conservation and assumes that all other domestic energy resources are very aggressively and successfully pursued, including renewable sources, oil, and gas. Source: Energy Information Administration (History-Annual Energy Review 1992, June 1993; Projections through 2010-Annual Energy Outlook 1994, January 1994). Mix of Fuels Used to Generate U.S. Electricity + Oil <— Natural Gas Coal 10 ~<— Nuclear Renewables 1970 1980 1990 2000 2010 A In terms of electricity generation, which is more closely tied to GDP growth than is energy consumption, EIA projections show a major dependence on coal, with about 50 percent of U.S. electricity generated from coal through 2010. Source: Energy Information Administration (History-Annual Energy Review 1992, June 1993; Projections through 2010-Annual Energy Outlook 1994, January 1994). USING LOW-COST DOMESTIC ENERGY SOURCES LIKE COAL WILL CREATE NEW EMPLOYMENT OPPORTUNITIES IN THE UNITED STATES. As a low-cost energy source, coal helps American companies produce goods at competitive prices, so that they will sell well at home and in export markets. Growing domestic sales and stronger exports will strengthen the U.S. manufacturing base, creating more jobs across all sectors of our economy and improving our international competitiveness. As a domestic energy source, coal yields additional benefits. Coal strengthens the U.S. industrial infrastructure and jobs base, enhances national security, and improves our balance of trade. In fact, coal currently contributes over $4 billion towards a positive U.S. trade balance. CLEAN COAL TECHNOLOGIES MEET HIGH ENVIRONMENTAL STANDARDS AT LOW COST oth existing and new coal-fired power generation plants are subject to the stringent requirements of the Clean Air Act Amendments of 1990. In particular, the Amendments mandate the reduction of atmospheric emissions of sulfur dioxide and nitrogen oxides, two gases that are linked to acid rain. Power plants of the future will also be challenged to reduce certain trace emissions and solid wastes. With clean coal technologies, power producers will be equipped with practical, economical approaches for meeting these tough requirements. Clean coal technologies offer more efficient, lower cost alternatives to conventional scrubbers and other traditional emissions-control methods. These traditional controls, which are generally built as facility additions to power plants, reduce A At Ohio Edison's Edgewater Station in Lorain, emissions by cleaning up the flue gases produced during Ohio, Babcock & Wilcox Company successfully demonstrated its limestone injection multistage burner (LIMB) process, a retrofit system for complexity of the power plant and reduce its efficiency, simultaneous control of sulfur and nitrogen oxides. This clean coal technology provides an alternative to conventional flue gas electricity prices. In addition, traditional controls produce solid desulfurization processes. It can be retrofitted with modest capital investment and downtime, and its space requirements are substantially less. A commercial version of LIMB will be used at an independent power project in Canada. improvements to power plants that yield far lower emissions combustion. Because these controls add to the expense and consumers end up paying for the costs of cleanup in increased and liquid wastes that require disposal. In contrast, clean coal technologies focus on total system and, at the same time, far higher efficiencies. Since increased efficiency means that the power plant produces more electric energy per ton of coal burned, each step up in efficiency not only conserves fuel, but also reduces emissions and wastes. Clean coal technologies also reduce waste disposal requirements by producing marketable by-products. The end result is that these technologies will help keep electricity prices stable and affordable, while also meeting stringent environmental standards and greatly minimizing waste products. Total System Improvements Coal Cleaning Gasification/ UIST este] [ipa peeneaebaartee Combustion Liquefaction _ Advanced Electric Ee Fuel | _ Power Generation Systems Systems | Power Plant Efficiency Gains Complement Energy Conservation 50% 500 Million —| 400 Sy 45% = 523 300 ~eF 320 os3 606 305 ase @3.8 ou — 200 No 40% a> 100 33% A By improving the efficiency of power generation, clean coal technologies will be a very beneficial counterpart to end-use energy conservation efforts. For example, by raising the efficiency of U.S. coal-fired power plants from today’s average of 33 percent to 50 percent, clean coal technologies would achieve fuel savings equivalent to weatherizing 490 million homes — more than 5 times the number of homes in the United States. CLEAN COAL TECHNOLOGIES FOCUS ON TOTAL SYSTEM IMPROVEMENTS, ELIMINATING POTENTIAL POLLUTANTS THROUGHOUT THE ELECTRIC POWER GENERATION PROCESS. Advanced power systems based on clean coal technologies are designed to substantially increase efficiency, producing more electric energy per unit of coal. They also employ better methods to reduce atmospheric emissions and solid wastes in the power generation process. The result: lower emissions and reduced power costs. * At the front end of the process, advanced coal cleaning technologies remove impurities from the coal before it is burned, using physical, chemical, or biological separation methods. * Gasification, fluidized bed combustion, and advanced combustion technologies focus on reengineering the heart of the power generation process, making it significantly cleaner and more efficient. * Advanced gas cleanup systems can be used to achieve additional atmospheric emissions reductions. These technologies also focus on minimizing and utilizing solid wastes. A specific goal for advanced power plants is to make solid waste products marketable. CLEAN COAL TECHNOLOGIES ALLOW COAL TO BE CONVERTED TO SUPER-CLEAN LIQUID FUELS, AND TO ADDITIVES THAT HELP REDUCE ENGINE EMISSIONS. ¢ Liquefaction systems will yield sulfur- and nitrogen-free, clean burning, coal-derived transportation fuels and other products such as fuel oil. AN INTEGRATED RD&D PROGRAM IS ADVANCING CLEAN COAL TECHNOLOGIES A Low-NO, Cell Burner (LNCB) technology was developed by Babcock & Wilcox Company for retrofitting existing cell burner boilers in coal-fired plants. LNCB technology was demonstrated and perfected at Dayton Power & Light's J.M. Stuart Station near Aberdeen, Ohio (shown here). The success of this demonstration project led to the first commercial sale of a clean coal technology: Allegheny Power System has purchased an advanced LNCB system for retrofit of its Hatfield’s Ferry plant near Masontown, Pennsylvania. Photo supplied courtesy of Babcock & Wilcox. Current Coal RD&D Activities Wl Heavy Activity ($4 million or more) I Moderate Activity ($1 million - $4 million) (1) Modest Activity ($1 million or less) lean coal technologies hold great promise for our nation. By enabling coal to be used as a clean, reliable domestic energy resource, these technologies will contribute to a strong power generation infrastructure in the United States. This infra- structure, in turn, will be essential in bolstering our global economic competitiveness and enhancing our quality of life. The U.S. Department of Energy is taking a leadership role in realizing the promise of clean coal technologies, working with state governments as well as with industrial, academic, and other organizations. The clean coal technologies program encompasses a range of well-integrated research, development, and demonstration (RD&D) projects that are accelerating the progress of clean coal technologies from the laboratory to the marketplace. A number of these new technologies are being commercially introduced today. Others are targeted for early in the next century, a period in which the replacement of our nation’s aging power generation infrastructure is expected to accelerate. DOE acts as a partner with private industry and state govern- ments in RD&D projects, sharing both the financial and technical risks. As a project advances along the way to commercialization, the private sector assumes an increasingly greater share of the risks. For example, in clean coal technology demonstration projects, industry and state government participants have contributed over $4 billion, or 60 percent, of project costs. Marketplace needs have been a central consideration in setting the specific objectives of DOE’s RD&D program and in selecting clean coal projects. In power generation, the focus is on demonstrating systems that are progressively cleaner and more efficient, and that produce electricity economically. Efforts in liquid fuels are aimed at developing systems that can produce coal-derived transportation fuels, chemicals, and other products that will be cost-competitive with oil-derived products. Research Goals for Advanced Power Systems From Lab to Marketplace: DOE is working at every stage along the development cycle to accelerate the commercial availability of clean coal technologies. At each stage, continuous improvements lead to the development of future generations of the technologies. <4Clean coal demonstration projects are conducted at or near full commercial scale, to yield the technical, environmental, economic, and operational data needed by the private sector to make sound and confident p> Advanced research programs involve fundamental and exploratory applied decisions about using the research, crosscutting technologies. DOE ensures all technologies under that the information development to form the generated by these projects foundation of DOE's is widely shared among RD&D program. energy users, equipment manufacturers, regulators, policymakers, and the public. DOE RESEARCH GOALS FOR CLEAN COAL TECHNOLOGIES ARE MANDATED BY THE Enercy Poticy Act of 1992. ADVANCED Power SYSTEMS © By the year 2000: Demonstrate an advanced coal technology with 42 percent or greater system efficiency. The system must also control sulfur dioxide, nitrogen oxides, and particulates to less than one-third of the current New Source Performance Standards (NSPS) set by the Clean Air Act Amendments of 1990. © By the year 2005: Demonstrate systems with efficiencies of at least 47 percent, while controlling sulfur dioxide, nitrogen oxides, and particulates to less than one-quarter of current New Source Performance Standards. © By the year 2010: Demonstrate advanced coal-fired power systems with more than 55 percent efficiency, while controlling sulfur dioxide, nitrogen oxides, and particulate emissions to less than one-tenth of the New Source Performance Standards. @ By the year 2015: Demonstrate systems with efficiencies of more than 60 percent, while controlling sulfur dioxide, nitrogen oxides, and particulate emissions to less than one-tenth of the New Source Performance Standards. Each increase in efficiency directly correlates to a decrease in carbon dioxide emissions. In addition, all of these systems must be capable of producing electricity at a 10 to 20 percent lower cost than currently available pulverized coal technology that would meet the same emission standards. Fue. Systems © By the year 2010: Demonstrate advanced concepts for the clean and safe production of coal-based transportation fuels, chemicals, and other products that can compete with petroleum-derived products, at a cost of less than $25 per barrel of oil equivalent in 1991 dollars. Million Tons CO2/Year CLEAN COAL TECHNOLOGIES WILL HAVE GLOBAL BENEFITS Worldwide CO, Reduction 35000 Ea | 1000 30000 800 25000 -| 20000 _| - 600 15000 _| | |. 400 40000 | | 5000 | 200 ° er ee elo 2025 2050 2075 Worldwide CO. Emissions Clean Coal Technologies COz Emissions World Coal Use i i oe: A As global demand for coal increases, worldwide carbon dioxide emissions will do the same. If all power producers were to use the most efficient clean coal technologies, global carbon dioxide emissions could be cut by more than half, compared with the levels that would be provided by existing power plant technologies. Ae2A/SE|NOF St vOb lean coal technologies will play a vital role in the future well-being of the United States. As a reliable, affordable energy resource, coal will power our domestic economic growth, and help us achieve our environmental goals at the same time. The same dynamics that make clean coal technologies attractive in the United States will apply in many other regions of the world. Worldwide energy demand is expected to rise dramatically over the next two decades, particularly the demand for low-cost electricity in developing nations and Eastern Europe. Coal, which makes up 70 percent of the world’s fossil energy reserves, is likely to be the primary fuel source for many nations. As global consumption of coal increases, so will global emissions of carbon dioxide. Clean coal technologies can potentially cut these emissions by more than half, compared with the carbon dioxide levels that would be produced by existing power plant technology. The growing demand for energy, coupled with increasing environmental concerns, will create a sizable global market for clean coal technologies. Projections are that, over the next 20 years, countries outside of the United States will spend an average of about $6 billion each year importing clean coal technologies. The total world market for clean coal technologies is estimated at $270 to 750 billion through 2010. As the current world leader in clean coal technology development, demonstration, and production, the U.S. is positioned to serve a significant segment of this market. Exporting clean coal technol- ogies could also enable the U.S. to increase the value of its annual coal exports from $4.5 billion today to $13-18 billion by 2010. The research, development, demonstration, and commercial production of clean coal technologies for the U.S. market could generate from 20,000 to 60,000 U.S. jobs depending on a range of economic projections. U.S. exports of clean coal technologies could generate another 29,000 to 43,000 jobs. Exporting clean coal technologies will help the United States improve our balance of trade and increase employment opportunities. It will also help other nations to achieve common goals: a cleaner environment, less dependence on oil, and a better quality of life. 10 World Fossil Fuel Reserves (Billion Barrels Oil Equivalent) 1,022 cE] Crude Oil 991 & Natural Gas 825 g Coal 4,100 Total World 5,916 A The United States is not alone in having abundant coal reserves. In fact, coal is the most plentiful and lowest cost fossil fuel resource in the world. Source: Crude oil and natural gas proved reserves, as of January 1,1992- Oil and Gas Journal, December 30,1991; coal recoverable reserves, as of January 1,1991-BP Statistical Review of World Energy, June 1991. 1 1,233 ADVANCED COAL-FIRED POWER GENERATION SYSTEMS n large part because of the focused teamwork among industry, government, and academic resources, the United States now leads the world in clean coal research, development, and demonstration. Our breakthroughs in both power generation and liquid fuel technologies will make the use of coal progressively cleaner, more efficient, and more economical. In the power generation area, DOE programs focus on a set of building-block technologies that will yield the clean coal power generation systems of the future. Many of these technologies are utilized in more than one system under development. By focusing on building-block technologies that will improve a A This Tampa Electric Company variety of systems, the DOE programs make optimal use of demonstration project, located in Polk County, Florida, represents the first electric utility application of an advanced IGCC system featuring hot gas cleanup technology. Hot gas funding for research, development, and demonstration. Six categories of advanced power generation systems hold the cleanup is a building-block technology; different greatest promise for commercial use: configurations of this same technology are being incorporated into advanced PFBC * Low-Emission Boiler System (LEBS) and IGFC systems as well. © Pressurized Fluidized-Bed Combustion (PFBC) ¢ Integrated Gasification Combined Cycle (IGCC) ¢ Indirectly Fired Cycle (IFC) * Integrated Gasification Fuel Cell (IGFC) * Magnetohydrodynamics (MHD). The first-generation version of most of these systems is either commercially available or under demonstration today. 12 Efficiency Percentage 45 — 40 — 35 — 30 —— Advanced Power System Efficiency Improvements Eres System Der ulete) PSS a Conventional Technology LEBS PFBC Dries) SVE Clu) IGcc Eres) BES Cua Advanced SES IFC IGFC Advanced Power Systems > The advanced systems and technologies under development have common elements. As a result, the development of one element can improve several systems. Advanced combustion technology, for instance, can be utilized as a building-block technology for LEBS, IFC, and MHD systems. Advanced PFBC systems will incorporate building-block technologies like advanced gasifier technology, hot gas cleanup, and advanced turbine systems. Advanced IGCC systems will utilize the same building blocks. This kind of crossover among programs makes the most of funding for research, development, and demonstration. Advanced Power Systems Pres) System 4 Each of these advanced power systems represents a significant improvement over conventional coal-fired power plant technology. A typical plant today achieves efficiencies of 32 to 35 percent. Advanced systems will outperform conventional technology by yielding substantially higher efficiencies and lower emissions, at a lower cost. MHD Building-Block Technologies LEBS UTLEL a = PFBC IGcc IFC IGFC 13 Low-Emission Boiler System (LEBS) Advanced Flue Gas Cleanup Condenser A The LEBS system has reengineered the power generation process to include advanced combustion techniques, flue gas cleaning improvements, and a high- efficiency pulverized coal boiler with enhanced heat recovery capabilities. ADVANCED COAL-FIRED POWER GENERATION SYSTEMS he advanced systems now under development and demon- stration approach power generation from different directions to meet a range of needs and time frames. The first — called the Low-Emission Boiler System — will be available by the end of this decade. A little further down the road, another set of systems holds even greater potential. Pressurized Fluidized-Bed Combustion, Integrated Gasification Combined Cycle, and Indirectly Fired Cycle systems all take different approaches, but with similarly ambitious objectives for higher efficiencies, lower emissions, and lower costs. On the horizon, two of the most advanced, fundamentally different clean coal approaches under development are Fuel Cells and Magnetohydrodynamics. These power generation systems promise efficiencies that are almost double those of today’s coal-fired power plants, with atmospheric emission levels near zero. ee Boiler Systems will provide a near-term solution for power companies faced with the need to meet stricter atmospheric emission performance standards. At the same time, the LEBS advanced flue gas cleanup technology can serve as a building block for other advanced power generation systems under development. The LEBS system features a high-efficiency pulverized coal boiler, integrated with advanced combustion techniques and advanced flue gas cleaning systems. Combustion and emissions-control improvements are designed into the system, rather than added on after the plant is built, in order to achieve high efficiency, low emissions, and low cost. Projected efficiencies for advanced LEBS systems are 42 to 44 percent, compared with the 32 to 35 percent efficiency levels of today’s coal-fired power plants. 14 P... Fluidized-Bed Combustion (PFBC) is one of several advanced approaches for substantially improving the efficiency of coal-fired power systems, while significantly reducing emissions. The PFBC system uses a sorbent such as limestone or dolomite to capture the sulfur released by the combustion of coal. Jets of air suspend the mixture of sorbent and burning coal during combustion, converting the mixture into a suspension of red-hot particles that flow like a fluid. Elevated pressures and temperatures produce a high-pressure gas stream that can drive a gas turbine, and steam generated from the heat in the fluidized bed is sent to a steam turbine, creating 4 At Ohio Power Company’s Tidd plant, a highly efficient combined cycle system. a PFBC system has been generating electricity since 1990, when the plant's First-generation PFBC systems now undergoing commercial Unit 1 boiler was replaced with a 70-megawatt PFBC system. This demonstration project has been percent. With the integration of building-block technologies achieving greater than 90 percent sulfur dioxide removal, a nitrogen oxide emission level of 0.2 pounds-per-million technology, and turbine systems — efficiencies will be over 50 Btu, and an efficiency of 38 percent. demonstration are capable of achieving efficiencies up to 42 under development — hot gas cleanup, advanced gasifier percent. Economic analyses indicate that PFBC systems are among the most cost-effective of the advanced power systems. Advanced Pressurized Fluidized- Bed Combustion (PFBC) Hot Gas Cioanup Sear! Hot Gas Gasifi Cleanup > The PFBC system uses oe a sorbent to capture the f Te sulfur released by burning S Combustor coal. Jets of air churn the mixture of coal and sorbent during combustion. The = system utilizes combined- Limeeione cycle power generation by Coal Pal gas and steam turbines to Air from maximize power production. [anes N Condenser Steam 1 Turbine leat Water to PFBC & Heat Exchanger Exchanger 15 ADVANCED COAL-FIRED POWER GENERATION SYSTEMS A The Wabash River Coal Gasification Repowering Project will assess the long-term reliability, availability, and maintainability of a first-generation IGCC system at a fully commercial scale. One of six units at PSI Energy’s Wabash River Generating Station, located in West Terre Haute, Indiana, is being repowered with an IGCC system. The project is a joint venture of Destec Energy, Inc., and PSI Energy, Inc. Air or Oxygen Steam —> Limestone —> (optional) > IGCC systems remove impurities from coal by converting it into a gaseous form before combustion. IGCC also utilizes combined-cycle technology for additional power generation. ies Gasification Combined Cycle (IGCC) systems replace the traditional coal combustor with a gasifier and gas turbine. Over 99 percent of the coal’s sulfur is removed before the gas is burned in the gas turbine. Exhaust heat from the gas turbine is used to produce steam for a conventional steam turbine. The gas and steam turbines operate together as a combined cycle. Coal gasification is an important addition to our options for generating electricity from coal. First-generation IGCC power systems capable of achieving efficiencies up to 42 percent are now at the commercial demonstration stage of development. Advanced IGCC systems demonstrated in the late 1990s will lead to commercial offerings with efficiencies of 45 percent. Technology advances such as gas turbine developments will result in further improvements, pushing system efficiency to 52 percent. Integrated Gasification Combined Cycle (IGCC) Advanced Gasifier Hot Gas Cleanup Gas Clean Hot Fuel Gas Topping Combustor to Gasifier Gas Turbine Air Condenser Water Exchanger to Gasifier 16 > This IFC system configuration features a high-temperature advanced furnace that achieves very high thermal efficiencies. The system’s advanced, LEBS-based pollution controls reduce emissions to very low levels. T- Indirectly Fired Cycle (IFC) system is an advanced system that operates in a manner more like conventional power generation technology than other advanced power systems do. One IFC system under development utilizes a novel high- temperature advanced furnace. Heat from coal combustion is transferred across heat transfer surfaces to a stream of clean air, which serves as the gas turbine working fluid. This working fluid can be further heated by burning natural gas. Energy from the gas turbine and furnace exhausts is used to operate the steam cycle. This combined cycle system generates additional power. IFC systems are capable of achieving the very high thermal efficiencies that are currently attainable only by combined-cycle systems fired with clean, premium fuels. First-generation IFC systems utilize advanced furnace, heat exchanger, and air pollution control technologies to yield efficiencies of 47 percent and emission levels that are one-tenth of the levels allowed today. Further improvements in furnace design and advanced turbine systems will boost system efficiencies closer to 55 percent. Indirectly Fired Cycle (IFC) Compressed Air Coal p>} "Combustor | Compressed | i Hot Air (eetooes | High- "" Natural Temperature | Lee Hot Flue Furnace =| (optional) | Gas Condenser Advanced Flue Gas Cleanup Heat Recovery Steam Generator 7 ADVANCED COAL-FIRED POWER GENERATION SYSTEMS F.. Cells generate electricity without burning anything. Instead, they operate much like a high-tech battery. Electricity is generated directly through electrochemical reactions between hydrogen and oxygen that are in continuous supply. The fuel cell is extremely clean and highly efficient. One fuel cell system under development integrates coal gasification with fuel cells, and utilizes building-block technologies such as the advanced gasifier and hot gas cleanup. Hot exhaust and unused fuel gas produce steam, which is used to produce more electricity. As fuel cell systems develop over the next few decades, system efficiencies will increase from 50 percent to over 60 percent, compared with the 32 to 35 percent efficiency levels of today’s coal-fired power plants. Integrated Gasification Fuel Cell (IGFC) Gasifier Hot Gas Cleanup Coal Air Steam Expander Condenser Water Heat Recovery 4" Steam Steam Turbine Generator A In an Integrated Gasification Fuel Cell (IGFC) system, the fuel cell generates electricity directly through electrochemical reactions. Hot exhaust and unused fuel gas produce steam, which is used to produce more electricity. 18 | (MHD) generates electricity by burning coal at extremely high temperatures in a pressurized combustor, then expanding the ionized combustion gases through a channel surrounded by a superconducting magnet. Electricity is produced in the MHD channel when the conductive gases pass through the magnetic field. The remaining heat is used to make steam to drive a conventional steam turbine for additional power. MHD power systems virtually eliminate all potentially harmful emissions. Efficiencies exceeding 60 percent are possible with the integration of building-block technologies such as advanced combustion and high-temperature air heaters. Fuel cells and MHD are two of the most advanced clean coal technologies under development. With efficiencies almost double those of current coal-fired power plants, and emission levels near zero, these systems can play an important role in meeting our future energy needs. Magnetohydrodynamics MHD 1 i Combustor Generator <4 MHD technology provides a path for directly Very Hot converting heat from the combustion of coal into Seed > Flue Gas electricity without the intervention of moving Coal —>| mechanical components. Pilot-scale tests indicate Air —> that sulfur dioxide and nitrogen oxide emissions can Oxygen —p be virtually eliminated from MHD power systems. Hot Flue Gas Steam Condenser Turbine Van Low pressure steam Spent Seed Slag Heat Advanced Recovery Flue Gas Cleanup Steam Generator 19 ADVANCED POWER SYSTEMS PERFORMANCE ll of the advanced power systems under development deliver impressive performance compared with conventional coal-fired power generation plants. In terms of reducing sulfur dioxide and nitrogen oxide emissions to the atmosphere, clean coal technologies have the potential to make coal-fired power plants as clean as plants that burn natural gas. At the same time, advanced power plants are dramatically more efficient than conventional coal plants. Today's efficiencies of 32 to 35 percent will increase to 42 percent by the year 2000, and approach 60 percent by 2015. These increased efficiencies will also lower the cost of electricity by up to 20 percent, compared with state-of-the-art power plants that meet projected emission standards. In addition, increased power plant efficiencies will result in a reduction of carbon dioxide emissions of more than 40 percent compared with conventional coal-fired power plants. Clean coal technologies enable utilities to upgrade the Performance Comparison environmental performance and efficiency of existing power Current NSPS plants, as well as of new power plants. Existing plants can be Performance “repowered” by replacing a major subsystem — such as the 1.0 a boiler — with new equipment. A repowered plant would gain “= 01 3 2 ; 20 to 30 years of operating life, and could produce more than 6 g 2 double the power of the older plant, with sulfur emissions as Ss = E 0.4 Clean Coal Technology much as 99 percent lower and nitrogen oxide emissions xo Performance 0.2 40 percent lower. 0.0) New power plants utilizing clean coal technologies not only 1995 2000 2005 2010 2015 2020 deliver substantially higher efficiencies and significantly ‘The combined benefits of increased reduced emissions, they also offer improvements such as efficiency, reduced emissions, and lowered modularity of plant design, shop fabrication of components and cost of electricity mean that advanced power plants utilizing clean coal technologies can offer significant improvements above and increased waste utilization. beyond New Source Performance Standards (NSPS) limits. subsystems, reduction in land area requirements, and *Relative Merit = relative emission rate x relative efficiency x relative cost of energy. 20 > Clean coal technologies offer dramatically lower power plant emissions than today’s conventional technology. In fact, the projected emissions for advanced power systems using clean coal technologies are considerably lower than the limits set by NSPS. > Over the next quarter century, new coal- fired power plants will be needed to help meet our increasing electricity demands, and to replace aging power plants. Yet the Clean Air Act Amendments of 1990 limit sulfur dioxide emissions to 8.9 million tons per year after 2000. Based on current technology that meets NSPS, only 10,000 megawatts could be added to U.S. generating capacity without exceeding this limit. In contrast, clean coal technologies can deliver much more capacity and still not exceed the sulfur dioxide limit. * Acombination of efficiency and desulfurization capability determines allowed capacity additions. NSPS Plant 100: Relative Emission Reductions (SO2/NO,/Particulates) Uncontrolled NSPS 1/3 1/4 1/10 Old Plant Plant NSPS NSPS NSPS | Plant Plant Plant | (38-42% (47% (55-65% | Efficiency) Efficiency) _Efficiency) Allowed Capacity Additions* 100— Uncontrolled NSPS 1/3 1/4 1/10 Ultra-High Old Plant Plant NSPS NSPS NSPS Efficiency Plant Plant Plant Plant 21 COAL-DERIVED LIQUID FUELS n addition to supporting advanced power generation technologies, DOE is leading research efforts to develop clean coal technologies that produce coal-derived liquid fuels. Coal-derived liquid fuels can help to reduce U.S. dependence on foreign oil imports. The average daily consumption of petroleum products in the U.S. is about 17 million barrels per day. Imports currently account for about 40 percent of our petroleum consump- tion, and imports are projected to increase as demand grows and domestic oil production continues to decline. Our dependence on imported oil raises concerns for U.S. energy security. Since the early 1970s, imports of petroleum have been periodically jeopardized by worldwide political uncertainties. These imports are also costly to our balance of trade. Our nation currently pays about $48 billion per year for imported crude oil, and that bill could exceed $100 billion annually in 1990 dollars by the year 2010. The U.S. transportation system is currently about 98 percent dependent on oil. Clearly, liquid fuels will remain vital to every aspect of our economy in the future. To ensure the continued availability of these fuels at a reasonable cost, DOE has led research efforts to develop coal-derived liquid fuels. In addition to providing energy security, this capability will serve to cap imported oil prices. Direct Liquefaction Gas to Recycled Hydrogen Clean-Up Hot Separator 4 Direct liquefaction technology mixes coal with a recycled, coal- derived oil and hydrogen. This mixture is heated under pressure to Hydrogen —> Cold Separator Distillates to Upgrading Fractionation Vessel Preheater Solids Separator Solids to Gasifier Recycled Slurry Oil 22 produce coal liquids that are suitable for conventional refining. Principal products of direct liquefaction include gasoline, diesel fuel, jet fuel, and fuel oil. Some substitute natural gas (SNG) and liquefied petroleum gas (LPG) are also formed. Indirect Liquefaction Steam Particulate Removal Shift Synthesis Reactor Gas Gasifier <4 Steam Heat Boiler Exchanger Feed Coal Wat Ash Oxygen Tai Particulates Late Steam —> Bypass Around Boiler Shift Reactor Feed Water Gas Synthesis Cleanup Reactor Ash Liquid products By-Product Sulfur Steam and CO, Recovery A Indirect liquefaction gasifies coal in a reactor to produce an intermediate synthesis gas. This gas is then cleaned of sulfur-containing impurities, and reacted over various catalysts to form different liquids. The products of indirect liquefaction resemble petroleum products that have already been refined and are ready for use. Typical products include hydrocarbons such as diesel fuel, jet fuel, and paraffin wax, and oxygenates like methanol, higher alcohols, or ethers. Oxygenates may be used as transportation fuels or as additives that make gasoline burn more cleanly. Coproduction Gasifier Coal Clean Coal Oxygen Steam —> Methanol Synthesis Methanol Turbine Alternate et Methanol Storage —> Hot Exhaust lan Steam )Condenser Turbine Water hd Steam Water —> Heat Exchanger 23 Coat Liqueraction TECHNOLOGY Because two-thirds of the petroleum consumed in the U.S. is used for transportation fuels, DOE's coal liquefaction program has focused on developing transportation fuels that have all the qualities of high-grade petroleum fuels. Direct liquefaction technology produces high- grade refinery feedstock that can be made into gasoline, diesel fuel, jet fuel, or heating oil. The products of indirect liquefaction resemble petroleum products that have already been refined and are ready for use. Coproduction combines indirect liquefaction with an advanced power system to produce both electricity and methanol. The major challenge for the liquefaction programs is to reduce production costs to a level that is competitive with transportation fuels derived from petroleum. This will be accomplished by integrating technical improvements in catalyst development, clean coal de-asher technology, and slurry concentration. By the year 2010, it will be possible to produce coal-derived liquid fuels for less than $25 per barrel in today’s dollars. 4 Coproduction combines indirect liquefaction technology with an advanced power generating system. When incorporated in an IGCC power plant, for example, the coproduction process produces methanol in addition to electrical energy. In the coproduction process, a portion of the synthesis gas is converted to methanol. The methanol is either stored for use as a low-NO, combustion/turbine generator fuel during periods of peak power demand, or is sold later as a fuel or chemical feedstock. The unconverted gases are fed directly to a combustion turbine/generator that produces electrical energy. The hot exhaust gases from the combustion turbine are sent to a heat recovery steam generator that produces high- pressure, superheated steam. This steam is then supplied to a steam turbine/generator that produces additional electrical energy. REALIZING THE VISION Using clean coal technologies to produce reliable, low-cost domestic energy will help the United States to achieve continued economic and job growth, and to exercise continued leadership in tt slobal marketplace. We can enhance the quality of our lives, while also keeping our commitment to a cleaner environment. To transform this vision into reality, the United tates government and industry are jointly pursuing a clean coal research, developm demonstration program. The program will ensure that the United States gains the full competitive and environmental advantages promised by clean coal technologies. It will also ensure that we retain our technological leadership: U.S. suppliers will b able to deliver clean coal technologies to U.S. utilities and industries, as well as to global poeta ole The investments we are making in clean coal technology today will help position us for ongoin leadership in the future. DOE research, development, and demonstration programs brin together the best resources available in our industries, universities, and government to ensure that clean coal technologies will make a significant contribution to a clean environment and a strong economy in Ameri 24 @® Printed on Recycled Paper CLEAN COAL TECHNOLOGY DEMONSTRATION PROGRAM n 1986, the Department of Energy initiated the Clean Coal Technology Demonstration Program to accelerate the commercialization of new clean coal technologies through cost-shared commercial-scale demonstrations. These demonstrations are designed to yield all the technical, envi- ronmental, economic, and operational data needed by the private sector to make informed decisions about using the technologies. Today, many of the early projects have begun to generate valuable data, and some have even finished their testing programs. A number of commercial successes have already resulted. Many early projects focused on new, cost- effective environmental retrofit technologies. * The Pure Air advanced scrubber, owned and operated by a joint venture involving Air Products and Chemicals, Inc., enabled Northern Indiana Public Service Corporation’s Bailly Station to become the Nation’s first power plant to meet new Clean Air Act standards for sulfur dioxide control. The technol- ogy subsequently earned Power Magazine’s 1993 “Power Plant of the Year” award for the Bailly Station and an Outstanding Engineering Achievement from the National Society of Professional Engineers. ¢ ABB Environmental Systems’ SNOX™ technology, a combined sulfur dioxide-nitrogen oxide removal system, has now become a permanent part of Ohio Edison’s Clean Air Act compliance strategy. * Babcock & Wilcox and Foster Wheeler are now recording commercial sales of their low-NOx burner technologies based on demonstrations con- ducted at clean coal technology projects. A Since 1991, three clean coal plants have been selected by Power Magazine to receive + EER, Inc., now offers commercial guarantees for its nitrogen-oxide- the “Power Plant of the Year” award. The Tidd reducing gas reburning process, successfully demonstrated at two power Plant demonstration of pressurized fluidized- stations in Illinois. bed combustion earned the award in 1991. The / Pure Air advanced scrubber at Northern Indiana * The LIMB technology, tested by Babcock & Wilcox at an Ohio power plant, Public Service Corporation’s Bailly Station was has been chosen for an independent power project in Canada. recognized in 1993. In 1994, the Chiyoda ful f Ai : : 7 CT-121 scrubber (shown here) earned the award Successful tests of AirPol gas suspension absorption technology in for Georgia Power Company’s Plant Yates. Kentucky have led Hamilton, Ohio, and the State of Ohio to select the tech- nology for a commercial boiler, allowing the unit to switch to local high-sulfur coal. Other projects support the commercialization of a new generation of high-efficiency, environ- mentally clean, advanced coal-fired power generation systems. © Pyropower Corporation is now selling a much improved version of its circulating fluidized-bed combustion technology because of the experience it gained in operating the Colorado-Ute demon- stration project. * The first-generation utility-scale pressurized fluidized-bed technology tested at the Tidd Plant in Ohio now has completed almost 6,000 hours of operation, serving not only as a test of the advanced combustion technology, but also as a site for evaluat- ing new, high-efficiency hot gas cleanup devices. The Tidd Plant was recognized by Power Magazine as the 1991 “Power Plant of the Year.” * The Rosebud SynCoal™ Partnership and Minnkota Power Cooperative of North Dakota have signed a letter of intent that could lead to the first SynCoal™ commercial plant. The high-value products from this plant could substantially improve the operation of the utility’s generating station near Center, North Dakota. The Clean Coal Technology Demonstration Program is also showing the feasibility of pro- ducing higher value forms of coal that may find growing markets overseas as well as in the United States. * Based on its success at the ENCOAL plant in Wyoming, SGI International, Inc., has signed an agreement with China to study the feasibility of installing its Liquids-from-Coal technology in a 5,000-ton-per-day clean coal refinery. * Custom Coals has signed a letter of intent to clean a minimum of 5 million tons of coal in China and trans- port it to east China markets via a coal-slurry pipeline. As clean coal technologies near readiness for the marketplace, they bring the poten- tial for new employment opportunities in the United States. Beginning in the year 2000, the research, development, demonstration, and commercial production of clean coal technologies for the U.S. mar- ket could generate from 20,000 to 60,000 U.S. jobs, depending on a range of eco- nomic projections. U.S. exports of clean coal technologies could generate another 29,000 to 43,000 jobs. Out of this total, exports of clean coal technologies to Eastern European countries could gen- erate from 1,500 to 2,000 domestic U.S. jobs; exports to China could generate 7,000 to 10,000 jobs. U.S. Department of Energy Washington, DC 20585 U.S. Department of Energy Washington, DC 20585