A CATALYTIC COMBUSTOR-BASED COAL GASIFICATION COMBINED CYCLE GAS TURBINE SYSTEM

INTEGRATED-GASIFICATION COMBINED CYCLE GAS TURBINE SYSTEMS OFFER THE POTENTIAL FOR EFFICIENT USE OF COAL IN THE PRODUCTION OF POWER AND HEAT. THE RECENTLY DEVELOPED ADVANCED TECHNOLOGY CATALYTIC COMBUSTOR (ATECC) TECHNOLOGY OFFERS AN OPPORTUNITY FOR SEVERAL IMPROVEMENTS TO THESE SYSTEMS. THE MOST NOTABLE IMPROVEMENTS INCLUDE VIRTUAL ELIMINATION OF NITROGEN OXIDES (NOX) AND CARBON MONOXIDE (CO) EMISSIONS, ENHANCED ENERGY EFFICIENCY, AND IMPROVED FLAME STABILITY. THESE IMPROVEMENTS ARE ATTRIBUTED IN PART TO THE EMISSIONS AND EFFICIENCY ADVANTAGES OF A CATALYTIC COMBUSTOR COMPARED TO A CONVENTIONAL GAS TURBINE COMBUSTOR, AND IN PART TO SYSTEM CHANGES MADE POSSIBLE BY THE PERFORMANCE ADVANTAGES OF THE CATALYTIC COMBUSTOR. THE PHASE I PROJECT INCLUDES RESEARCH TO EXPLORE AND DEVELOP A SPECIFIC SYSTEM DESIGN BASED ON ATECC TECHNOLOGY INTEGRATED INTO A COAL GASIFICATION COMBINED CYCLE SYSTEM. THE PROJECT WILL ESTIMATE THE SYSTEM'S PERFORMANCE CHARACTERISTICS, INCLUDING EMISSIONS AND EFFICIENCY, DEMONSTRATING THE POTENTIAL ADVANTAGES OF THIS APPROACH. THE PHASE II PROJECT WILL COMPRISE THE CONSTRUCTION AND TEST OF A LABORATORY SCALE SYSTEM.