Annual Report for the School of Energy Resources – GA Program 2009 A New Concept for the Gasification of Wyoming Coal

Wyoming produces 36 % of US coal, most of which is burned in pulverized coal boilers to produce electricity. This coal is sold at fuel value, minus transportation cost, resulting in a relatively low economic value because the majority of the coal is shipped out of state. Higher value products from the coal could be produced through gasification to make a synthesis gas composed of carbon monoxide and hydrogen, followed by conversion to liquid fuels or chemical products, which would result in much higher economic values for the state. Unfortunately, most coal gasification plants are designed for operation at altitudes near sea level and are less efficient at elevations near the coal mines in Wyoming. Current gasifiers are also designed for use with higher rank coals, mostly mined in the Eastern US. J. Ackerman (General Electric) and UW Professor M. Argyle (Chemical and Petroleum Engineering Department) have recently suggested a revolutionary design concept for coal gasification especially suited for Wyoming coal and operation at higher elevations. The use of this concept for the gasification of Wyoming coal involves the design and construction of different gasifiers. First, a cheap laboratory-scale gasifier will be constructed to study the advantages of the new concept without large economic risks. Second, the laboratory-scale gasifie