Gasification & its hystory

Gasification

Gasification is a partial oxidation process whereby a carbon source such as coal, natural gas or biomass, is broken down into carbon monoxide (CO) and Hydrogen (H2) plus carbon dioxide (CO2) and possibly hydrocarbon molecules such as methane (CH4). This mix of gas is known as producer gas and the precise characteristics of the gas will depend on the gasification parameters such as temperature and also the oxidizer used. The oxidizer may be air, in which case the producer gas will also contain Nitrogen (N2), or steam or oxygen.

History of gasification

Gasification is an old technology with a long history of development. The process was mainly used from the mid of 1800’s through the early 1900’s to produce “town gas” from coal for heating and lighting purposes. The subsequent development of natural gas fields soon replaced “town gas." World War II brought a resurgence of gasification when petroleum starved Europeans used wood gas generators to power vehicles. But the need for liquid fuels remained and German engineers devised a way to make synthetic liquid fuel from gasified coal.

The 1970’s brought “The Arab Oil Embargo” and the “energy crisis” which prompted the U.S. government to support industrial scale gasification projects. From this development came the first Integrated Gasification Combined Cycle (IGCC) electric generating plant. Presently, several IGCC power plants are operating throughout the world. Year wise development of the technology is given below:

1969 - Thomas Shirley conducted crude experiments with carbonated hydrogen

1699 - Dean Clayton obtained coal gas from pyrolytic experiment

1788 - Robert Gardner obtained the first patent with regard to gasification

1792 - First confirmed use of producer gas reported, Murdoc used the gas generated from coal to light a room in his house. Since then, for many years coal gas was used for cooking and heating

1801 - Lampodium proved the possibility of using waste gases escaping from charring of wood 1804 - Fourcroy found the water gas by reaction of water with a hot carbon

1812 - Developed first gas producer which uses oil as fuel

1840 - First commercially used gasifier was built in France

1861 - Real breakthrough in technology with introduction of Siemens gasifier. This gasifier is considered to be first successful unit

1878 - Gasifiers were successfully used with engines for power generation

1900 - First 600 hp gasifier was exhibited in Paris. Thereafter, larger engines up to 5400 hp were put into service

1901 - J.W. Parker ran a passenger vehicle with producer gas

1901-1920 - many gasifier-engine systems were sold and used for power and electricity generation

1930 - Nazi Germany accelerated effort to convert existing vehicles to producer gas drive as part of plan for national security and and independence from imported oil

1939 - About 2,50,000 vehicles were registered in the Sweden. Out of them, 90 % were converted to producer gas drive. Almost all of the 20,000 tractors were operated on producer gas, 40 % of the fuel used was wood and remainder charcoal.

After 1945 - After end of Second World War, when plentiful gasoline and diesel were available at cheap cost, gasificaton technology lost glory and importance.

1950 to 1970 - During this decades, gasification was “Forgotten Technology ". Many goverments in europe to felt that consumption of wood at the prevailing rate will reduce the forest, creating several environmental problems.

After 1970 to 1990 - The next stage in the evolution of gasification began after the Arab Oil Embargo of 1973. In reaction to that event and the ensuing “energy crisis,” the U.S. government provided financial support for several proof-of-concept gasification projects, including the world’s first Integrated Gasification Combined Cycle (IGCC) electric powerplant. Another important event during this period was conversion of Eastman Chemical’s flagship manufacturing plant from petroleum to syngas from coal.

1990 to 2000 - The fourth stage of gasification’s development began in the early 1990s when government agencies in the United States and Europe provided financial support to four medium-sized (≈ 250 MWe) projects to further “demonstrate” the feasibility of the IGCC process.

2000 to Present- The current stage in the evolution of gasification began when commercial developers started building IGCC powerplants without government subsidies. These new IGCC facilities (all outside the United States) are adjacent to refineries where petroleum coke and other residual hydrocarbons are readily available.