Combined-cycle power stations using ''clean-coal technologies'': Thermodynamic analysis of full gasification versus fluidized bed combustion with partial gasification

A novel class of power plants for clean conversion of coal into power has' been recently proposed, based on the concept of partial coal gasification and fluidized-bed combustion of unconverted char from gasification. This paper focuses on the thermodynamic aspects of these plants, in comparison with full gasification cycles, assessing their performance on the basis of a common advanced power plant technology level. Several plant configurations are considered, including pressurized or atmospheric fluidized-bed air- or steam-cooled with different carbon conversion in the gasifier. The calculation method, used for reproducing plant energy balances and for performance prediction, is described in the paper. A complete second-law analysis is carried out, pointing out the efficiency loss breakdown for both technologies. Results show that partial gasification plants can achieve efficiencies consistently higher than IGCC, depending on plant configuration and carbon conversion, making this solution a viable and attractive option for efficient coal utilization.