Coal

[Due to the increasing size of the archives, each topic page now contains only the prior 365 days of content. Access to older stories is now solely through the Monthly Archive pages or the site search function.]

US and China Presidents Announce US-China Electric Vehicles Initiative, Six Other Measures to Strengthen Cooperation Between the Countries on Energy Issues

November 18, 2009

In Beijing, US President Barack Obama and China President Hu Jintao announced a package of seven measures to strengthen cooperation between the United States and China on clean energy, including: a Clean Energy Research Center; Electric Vehicles Initiative; Energy Efficiency Action Plan; Renewable Energy Partnership; 21^st Century Coal; Shale Gas Initiative; and Energy Cooperation Program.

The US-China Electric Vehicles Initiative builds on the first-ever US-China Electric Vehicle Forum in September 2009. The two leaders emphasized their countries’ strong shared interest in accelerating the deployment of electric vehicles in order to reduce oil dependence, cut greenhouse gas emissions and promote economic growth. Activities under the initiative will include:

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Alaska Native Corporation Proposes Underground Coal Gasification Project with Carbon Capture for Power Generation

October 11, 2009

Underground coal gasification uses paired wells in a coal seam: one an oxidant injection well, the other the syngas producer well. Source: CIRI. Click to enlarge.

Cook Inlet Region Inc. (CIRI), an Alaska Native corporation, is proposing an underground coal gasification (UCG) project that would use the resulting syngas to fuel a new 100 MW combined cycle power plant. The syngas could also be upgraded to synthetic natural gas or synthetic liquid fuels.

Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory (LLNL) is CIRI’s independent technology consultant. LLNL has been working with UCG technology development and field deployment for more than 30 years.

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Chilled Ammonia Pilot Project Captures 90% of CO2

October 10, 2009

Illustration of the carbon capture plant. Click to enlarge.

A pilot project by We Energies, Alstom and The Electric Power Research Institute (EPRI) testing an Alstom advanced chilled ammonia process (earlier post) has demonstrated more than 90% capture of carbon dioxide from the flue stream of a coal-fueled power plant in Wisconsin (the Pleasant Prairie Carbon Capture Pilot Plant). Testing at the pilot facility, using a 1.7-megawatt (electric) slipstream from the plant, captures approximately 40 tons of carbon dioxide each day. The project began in early 2008 and will conclude later this year.

The project confirmed the predicted performance of the chilled ammonia carbon capture system at an operating power plant. It achieved key research metrics around hours of operation, ammonia release, CO₂ removal levels, and CO₂ purity. In doing so, the partners said, the project demonstrated the fundamental viability of the carbon capture technology in real-world conditions such as changes in temperature and humidity, the inevitable starts and stops of a large power plant, and the environmental hurdles that go along with using any chemical process.

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Accelergy and A2BE Carbon Capture Form Alliance to Commercialize Integrated-Carbon-to-Liquids (ICTL) Fuel Technologies; Coal and Algae to Fuels

October 09, 2009

Accelergy’s Integrated Coal to Liquids platform is the basis for the Integrated Carbon to Liquids initiative. Source: Accelergy. Click to enlarge.

Accelergy Corporation, an advanced coal-to-liquids company, and A2BE Carbon Capture LLC, an algae photobioreactor company, have formed the Carbon Cycle Technology Alliance to commercialize a platform for Integrated Carbon to Liquids (ICTL) fuel production technologies that incorporates recycling of process CO₂ using algal biomass to produce additional fuel production feedstock. The companies made the announcement at the 3^rd Algae Biomass Summit in San Diego.

ICTL incorporates proprietary Accelergy catalytic conversion technologies for what it calls Integrated Coal to Liquids production and A2BE Carbon Capture algae photobioreactor CO₂ recycle technology. Other key partners are working with the Alliance in areas of development engineering, systems integration, and Six Sigma driven manufacturing capabilities.

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Shell, Shenhua to Partner on R&D in Advanced Coal Technology; Shell Qualifies 3 Chinese Companies to Manufacture Gasification Technology

September 13, 2009

Shell Coal Gasification Process. Source: Shell. Click to enlarge.

Shell (China) Limited and Shenhua Coal to Liquid and Chemical Co. Ltd. (Shenhua) have agreed to seek opportunities for conducting joint research and development in advanced coal technology.

Additionally, Shell Global Solutions International B.V. (Shell) also qualified three Chinese companies for the manufacture of key equipment for the Shell Coal Gasification Process (SCGP), in order to make the Shell technology more competitive in the Chinese market.

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DOE, RTI to Design and Build Coal Syngas Cleanup System for IGCC Power Plants to Reduce Cost of Removing Contaminants, Capturing CO₂; Potential for Synthetic Chemicals and Fuels

July 14, 2009

The RTI/Eastman syngas cleanup technology platform. Click to enlarge.

Extending a relationship of more than a decade, the US Department of Energy (DOE) and Research Triangle Institute (RTI) International will collaborate on a project designed to advance the development of coal power plants with near-zero emissions by reducing the cost and improving the efficiency of capturing CO₂ and removing contaminants from syngas derived from coal.

The system also holds the potential to reduce the cost of producing chemicals, transportation fuels, and substitute natural gas from gasified coal.

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DOE to Award Up to $5M in Grants for R&D on Hydrogen Production from Coal

June 02, 2009

The US Department of Energy has issued up to a $5-million Funding Opportunity Announcement (DE-FOA-0000103) to solicit laboratory-level R&D projects to develop novel technologies for producing hydrogen from coal. The program, which is an initiative supportive of the National Energy Technology Laboratory (NETL) Fuels/Hydrogen Program Area, is seeking applications in two areas: novel, non-precious metal hydrogen separation for use with coal-generated syngas; and general coal-based hydrogen production R&D.

The program is intended to reduce environmental concerns associated with energy use in automotive and stationary power applications through clean production of hydrogen from coal in tandem with carbon sequestration, and is to ensure availability of hydrogen in sufficient volumes for fuel cell-powered vehicles expected to enter the transportation market sector in the future, according to the FOA.

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Alberta to Host Underground Coal Gasification Demo; Update on Linc Chinchilla UCG In Australia

March 18, 2009

Simplified UCG process. Click to enlarge.

The Government of Alberta, Canada, through the Alberta Energy Research Institute (AERI), is providing C$8.83 million (US$7.0 million) toward a $30-million underground coal gasification (UCG) project with Swan Hills Synfuels of Calgary. Swan Hills Synfuels expects the project to demonstrate the ability to manufacture synthetic gas from Alberta’s coal resources, with the future potential of utilizing the coal seams for carbon capture and storage.

The project in north-central Alberta aims to develop a commercial operation that produces clean, synthesis gas for power generation. The deep formations could also store carbon dioxide after the coal is turned into gas. Underground coal gasification has been used commercially outside of North America for close to 40 years with minimal surface impact when compared to traditional coal mining and production.

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