Coal gasification by indirect heating in a single moving bed reactor: Process development &amp; simulation

Junaid Akhlas; Silvia Baesso; Alberto Bertucco; Fabio Ruggeri; Junaid Akhlas; Silvia Baesso; Alberto Bertucco; Fabio Ruggeri

doi:10.3934/energy.2015.4.635

AIMS Energy

2015, Volume 3, Issue 4: 635-665. doi: 10.3934/energy.2015.4.635

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Research article

Coal gasification by indirect heating in a single moving bed reactor: Process development & simulation

1.
Department of Industrial Engineering (DII), University of Padova, via Marzolo 9, Padova, Italy;
2.
Amec Foster Wheeler Italiana, via Sebastiano Caboto 1E, Corsico, Milano, Italy;
3.
NED University of Engineering & Technology, Karachi, Pakistan

Received: 14 April 2015 Accepted: 14 October 2015 Published: 19 October 2015

In this work, the development and simulation of a new coal gasification process with indirect heat supply is performed. In this way, the need of pure oxygen production as in a conventional gasification process is avoided. The feasibility and energetic self-sufficiency of the proposed processes are addressed. To avoid the need of Air Separation Unit, the heat required by gasification reactions is supplied by the combustion flue gases, and transferred to the reacting mixture through a bayonet heat exchanger installed inside the gasifier. Two alternatives for the flue gas generation have been investigated and compared. The proposed processes are modeled using chemical kinetics validated on experimental gasification data by means of a standard process simulator (Aspen Plus^TM), integrated with a spreadsheet for the modeling of a special type of heat exchanger. Simulation results are presented and discussed for proposed integrated process schemes. It is shown that they do not need external energy supply and ensure overall efficiencies comparable to conventional processes while producing syngas with lower content of carbon dioxide.
- indirect gasification,
- bayonet heat exchanger,
- syngas from bituminous coal,
- process simulation,
- heat integration
Citation: Junaid Akhlas, Silvia Baesso, Alberto Bertucco, Fabio Ruggeri. Coal gasification by indirect heating in a single moving bed reactor: Process development & simulation[J]. AIMS Energy, 2015, 3(4): 635-665. doi: 10.3934/energy.2015.4.635

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Abstract

In this work, the development and simulation of a new coal gasification process with indirect heat supply is performed. In this way, the need of pure oxygen production as in a conventional gasification process is avoided. The feasibility and energetic self-sufficiency of the proposed processes are addressed. To avoid the need of Air Separation Unit, the heat required by gasification reactions is supplied by the combustion flue gases, and transferred to the reacting mixture through a bayonet heat exchanger installed inside the gasifier. Two alternatives for the flue gas generation have been investigated and compared. The proposed processes are modeled using chemical kinetics validated on experimental gasification data by means of a standard process simulator (Aspen Plus^TM), integrated with a spreadsheet for the modeling of a special type of heat exchanger. Simulation results are presented and discussed for proposed integrated process schemes. It is shown that they do not need external energy supply and ensure overall efficiencies comparable to conventional processes while producing syngas with lower content of carbon dioxide.

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