EARLY ENTRANCE COPRODUCTION PLANT

The overall objective of this project is the three phase development of an Early Entrance Coproduction Plant (EECP) which produces at least one product from at least two of the following three categories: (1) electric power (or heat), (2) fuels, and (3) chemicals using ChevronTexaco's proprietary gasification technology. The objective of Phase I is to determine the feasibility and define the concept for the EECP located at a specific site; develop a Research, Development, and Testing (RD&T) Plan to mitigate technical risks and barriers; and prepare a Preliminary Project Financing Plan. The objective of Phase II is to implement the work as outlined in the Phase I RD&T Plan to enhance the development and commercial acceptance of coproduction technology. The objective of Phase III is to develop an engineering design package and a financing and testing plan for an EECP located at a specific site. The project's intended result is to provide the necessary technical, economic, and environmental information needed by industry to move the EECP forward to detailed design, construction, and operation. The partners in this project are TES (a subsidiary of ChevronTexaco), General Electric (GE), Praxair, and Kellogg Brown & Root (KBR) in addition to the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE). TES is providing gasification technology and Fischer-Tropsch (F-T) technology developed by Rentech, GE is providing combustion turbine technology, Praxair is providing air separation technology, and KBR is providing engineering. During Phase I the team identified the integration of the water produced in the F-T synthesis section with the gasification section as an area of potential synergy. By utilizing the F-T water in the petroleum coke slurry for the gasifier, the EECP can eliminate a potential waste stream and reduce capital costs. There is a low technical risk for this synergy, however, the economic risk, particularly in regards to the water, can be high. The economic costs include the costs of treating the water to meet the locally applicable environmental standards. This option may require expensive chemicals and treatment facilities. EECP Phase II included tests conducted to confirm the viability of integrating F-T water in the slurry feed for the gasifier. Testing conducted at ChevronTexaco's Montebello Technology Center (MTC) included preparing slurries made using petroleum coke with F-T water collected at the LaPorte Alternative Fuels Development Unit (AFDU). The work included bench scale tests to determine the slurry ability of the petroleum coke and F-T water. The results of the tests show that F-T water does not adversely affect slurries for the gasifier. There are a few cases where in fact the addition of F-T water caused favorable changes in viscosity of the slurries. This RD&T task was executed in Phase II and results are reported herein