Coal gasification and IGCC technology: a brief primer

Abstract

Gasification is a means of converting a carbonaceous feedstock material such as fossil fuel (notably coal, oil refinery residue and stranded natural gas assets), biomass and wastes into an energy-rich gas that can be employed in chemical production or energy conversion. More specifically, the coupling of a coal gasifier with a combined gas turbine/steam turbine plant offers the potential to generate electricity with a much smaller environmental footprint than a typical coal combustion plant, including an order of magnitude lower pollutant emissions, substantially lower cost carbon dioxide capture and higher power generation efficiency. However, to date only a handful of these plants has been built at commercial scale. This is because they are more costly to construct and more complicated to operate and maintain than conventional coal-powered plants. In the USA, an additional problem is the lack of a national carbon dioxide mitigation strategy and corresponding regulation policy. This paper will briefly review the historical development of gasification technology and the status of its current usage, discuss the use and advantages of coal gasification for electric power generation and outline the factors that currently limit its acceptance in the utility industry.