Pressurized fluidized bed gasification of coal using flue gas recirculation and oxygen injection

A combined cycle incorporating pressurized fluidized bed gasification of coal with pure oxygen and recycled flue gas followed by pressurized combustion of the fuel gas using pure oxygen, is a process which produces electricity and heat with a high efficiency and a flue gas with a high CO2 concentration. CO2 recovery from this process can be done more easily than from conventional coal conversion processes. In this way a high efficiency coal conversion process can be realized with low CO2 emissions. The specific aim of the project described in this paper is to to assess the technical feasibility of this process. For this purpose an existing 1.6 MW(th) pressurized fluidized bed combustion test rig is being modified to study experimentally the gasification process and the pressurized combustion of the resulting low calorific value fuel gas. The paper gives a description of the objectives of the project, the modified test rig and the experimental programme which is planned for the second half of 1995.