(95f) Coal-Derived Syngas Via the KBR Transport Gasifier™

The KBR Transport Gasifier? (also known as TRIG?) is an advanced coal gasification technology that provides clean, particulate-free syngas for a wide variety of applications, such as power generation, hydrogen, F-T liquids, chemicals production, and substitute natural gas (SNG). The Transport Gasifier is a compact, high density, high pressure circulating fluidized bed reactor with no moving parts. It is derived from KBR's fluid catalytic cracking technology with over 60 years of commercial operating experience.

An engineering scale prototype of the gasifier has been successfully operated since 1999 at the Power Systems Development Facility (PSDF) in Wilsonville, AL. More recently, the Transport Gasifier has been selected as the technology of choice for a 600 MW, two-gasifier IGCC facility for Mississippi Power. The project is based on air-blown gasification of lignite and is currently in the detailed design phase.

A unique advantage of the KBR gasifier is its ability to handle low-rank coals, which account for roughly half of the U.S. and worldwide coal reserves. In addition, the gasifier can operate in both air-blown and oxygen-blown modes. While the former is ideally suited for power generation, the latter mode provides syngas for hydrogen, Fischer-Tropsch (F-T) liquids and other chemicals applications.

In this article, we present optimized process and heat integration schemes around the core oxygen-blown Transport Gasifier/ CO shift areas to produce customized syngas compositions. Carbon dioxide is captured at a purity level suitable for enhanced oil recovery (EOR) and/or sequestration. Robustness, enhanced flexibility, and reduced energy and water consumption are the key features.