IGCC plants with carbon capture and hydrogen production.

An Integrated Gasification Combined Cycle plant (IGCC) lends itself to CO2 separation, with hydrogen as a by product, and efficiencies of power production up to 55%.

IGCC generating plant

Syngas is mainly H2 and CO. Recently, four Integrated Gasification Combined Cycle (IGCC) (ref 120) plants have been built with 6 more to come. These produce synthetic gas (syngas) from coal or gas which drive a gas turbine/generator acting in a combined cycle with a steam turbine/generator. A by product is hydrogen, a potential fuel, and CO2. The process lends itself to CO2 capture with near zero emissions and storage. Efficiencies of 41 to 44% have been achieved and 55% is expected in future (ref 128). See world coal.

 

 

 

 

Gasification.
A hydrocarbon-carbon based substance is heated in a restricted amount of air and produces Synthetic gas (Syngas.)
Pyrolysis occurs when air is completely excluded and typically produces liquids.

Technical column

Note on Units.
'MW' (megawatts) is a convenient size to use for unit of power from electrical generators. One MW is one million watts or a thousand kW (kilowatts).
Size of generator could be 660 MW.
Total capacity of electrical generators in the UK could be 75,000 MW. (75GW)
Generating capacity of all units at Three Gorges Dam in China is 18,000 MW.(18GW)
Wind turbine sizes are growing and could be 1 MW, 3 MW, 5 MW and in future 10 MW..
Note 1 GW (Gigawatt) = 1000 MW = 1,000,000 kW
1 TW (Terrawatt) = 1000 GW =; 1000,000 MW = 1000,000,000 kW
1 petawatt = 1,000 TW = 1,000,000,000,000 kW.