The Mansfield Two-Stage, Low BTU Gasification System: Report of Operations

The least expensive way to produce gas from coal is by low Btu gasification, a process by which coal is converted to carbon monoxide and hydrogen by reacting it with air and steam. Low Btu gas, which is used near its point of production, eliminates the high costs of oxygen and methanation required to produce gas that can be transmitted over long distance. Standard low Btu fixed bed gasifiers have historically been plagued by three constraints; namely, the production of messy tars and oils, the inability to utilize caking coals, and the inability to accept coal fines. Mansfield Carbon Products, Inc., a subsidiary of A.T. Massey Coal Company, has developed an atmospheric pressure, two-stage process that eliminates these three problems