Science and Coal

Posts Tagged ‘process’

As the United States’ oil reserves dwindle, some say the nation will have to rely on synthetic petroleum fuel made from its large stores of coal.

A two-step chemical process augments a method of making cleaner-burning alternative fuel from coal and other carbon sources by transforming some of its waste products into diesel fuel, researchers from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill and Rutgers, the State University of New Jersey, report.

“Two percent of the United States’ energy reserves is in oil, 3 percent is in gas, and 95 percent is in coal,” said Dr. Maurice Brookhart, W.R. Kenan Jr. professor of chemistry in UNC’s College of Arts and Sciences. “Many people in the energy sector think that when oil starts to run out, coal will be a source of transportation fuel for some time before we perfect the science behind solar and hydrogen-based energy. Producing diesel fuels from coal is especially attractive since diesel engines are more efficient than gasoline engines.” Read the rest of this entry »

When burned, coal is the dirtiest of all fossil fuels but a range of technologies are being used and developed to reduce the environmental impact of coal-fired power stations.
Collectively, they are known as clean coal technology (CCT).

CARBON CAPTURE AND STORAGE

Despite the improving efficiency of coal-fired power stations, CO2 emissions remain a problem.
Carbon capture and storage (CCS) involves capturing the carbon dioxide, preventing the greenhouse gas entering the atmosphere, and storing it deep underground.

note:
1. CO2 pumped into disused coal fields displaces methane which can be used as fuel
2. CO2 can be pumped into and stored safely in saline aquifers
3. CO2 pumped into oil fields helps maintain pressure, making extraction easier

A range of approaches of CCS have been developed and have proved to be technically feasible. They have yet to be made available on a large-scale commercial basis because of the costs involved.

COAL PREPARATION

Coal arriving at a power plant contains mineral content that needs to be removed before it is burnt. A number of processes are available to remove unwanted matter and make the coal burn more efficiently.

Coal washing involves grinding the coal into smaller pieces and passing it through a process called gravity separation.

One technique involves feeding the coal into barrels containing a fluid that has a density which causes the coal to float, while unwanted material sinks and is removed from the fuel mix. The coal is then pulverised and prepared for burning.

GASIFICATION

Coal gasification plants are favoured by some because they are flexible and have high levels of efficiency. The gas can be used to power electricity generators, or it can be used elsewhere, i.e. in transportation or the chemical industry.

INTEGRATED COAL GASIFICATION COMBINED CYCLE PLANT

note:
1. Coal burnt to produce syngas
2. Syngas burnt in combustor
3. Hot gas drives gas turbines
4. Cooling gas heats water
5. Steam drives steam turbines

In Integrated Gasification Combined Cycle (IGCC) systems, coal is not combusted directly but reacts with oxygen and steam to form a “syngas” (primarily hydrogen). After being cleaned, it is burned in a gas turbine to generate electricity and to produce steam to power a steam turbine.

Coal gasification plants are seen as a primary component of a zero-emissions system. However, the technology remains unproven on a widespread commercial scale.

REMOVING POLLUTANTS

Burning coal produces a range of pollutants that harm the environment: Sulphur dioxide (acid rain); nitrogen oxides (ground-level ozone) and particulates (affects people’s respiratory systems).

There are a number of options to reduce these emissions:

Sulphur dioxide (SO2)
Flue gas desulphursation (FGD) systems are used to remove sulphur dioxide. “Wet scrubbers” are the most widespread method and can be up to 99% effective.

A mixture of limestone and water is sprayed over the flue gas and this mixture reacts with the SO2 to form gypsum (a calcium sulphate), which is removed and used in the construction industry.

Nitrogen oxides (NOx)
NOx reduction methods include the use of “low NOx burners”. These specially designed burners restrict the amount of oxygen available in the hottest part of the combustion chamber where the coal is burned. This minimises the formation of the gas and requires less post-combustion treatment.

Particulates emissions

Electrostatic precipitators can remove more than 99% of particulates from the flue gas. The system works by creating an electrical field to create a charge on particles which are then attracted by collection plates. Other removal methods include fabric filters and wet particulate scrubbers.

Coal is the dirtiest of all fossil fuels. When burned, it produces emissions that contribute to global warming, create acid rain and pollute water. With all of the hoopla surrounding nuclear energy, hydropower and biofuels, you might be forgiven for thinking that grimy coal is finally on its way out.

But coal is no sooty remnant of the Industrial Revolution — it generates half of the electricity in the United States and will likely continue to do so as long as it’s cheap and plentiful [source: Energy Information Administration]. Clean coal technology seeks to reduce harsh environmental effects by using multiple technologies to clean coal and contain its emissions.

Coal is a fossil fuel composed primarily of carbons and hydrocarbons. Its ingredients help make plastics, tar and fertilizers. A coal derivative, a solidified carbon called coke, melts iron ore and reduces it to create steel. But most coal — 92 percent of the U.S. supply — goes into power production [source: Energy Information Administration]. Electric companies and businesses with power plants burn coal to make the steam that turns turbines and generates electricity. Read the rest of this entry »

The world has taken a step closer to “clean coal,” thanks to new technology that actually uses CO2 to make power generation more efficient.
The research by scientists at Columbia University means that millions of tons of CO2 could be prevented from entering the atmosphere and instead used to turn coal, biomass and municipal waste into cleaner fuel.

This remarkable double hit is based on a well-established process called “gasification” that is already used to clean “dirty” fuels by heating them with steam and turning them into a mixture of hydrogen and carbon monoxide, known as syngas. In turn, that is then burned in power stations or used to create transport fuels.

But until now this process has demanded very large amounts of energy and water, and produced substantial CO2 emissions. Read the rest of this entry »