General Electric Company

Ramanathan Subramanian

Vitali Victor Lissianski

Wei Wei

Vladimir Zamansky

Boris Nikolaevich Eiteneer

Ravichandra Srinivasa Jupudi

Anthony Mark Thompson

Surinder Prabhjot Singh

Gregg Anthony Deluga

Daniel Derr

A coal gasifier is retrofitted to achieve multiple advantages such as reduced oxygen consumption, reduced CO2 and NOx emissions, better H:C ratio, better carbon conversion etc. This is achieved by dividing the coal into at least two zones and modifying the gasifier and operating it as described. The coal is injected into a first zone, configured to devolatilize a substantial portion of the injected coal to produce coal char and volatiles. The operation is tuned to substantially consume the oxidant injected in the first zone. A low-calorific-value, high oxidant feedstock is injected in second zone of the gasifier. The devolatilization of the low-calorific-value, high oxidant content feedstock provides the oxygen containing compounds which gasify at least a portion of the coal char generated in the first zone.

Method of reducing oxygen requirement of a coal gasifier

A process for the plasma-assisted treatment of coal in which coal is directly converted to heavy hydrocarbons. The first step in the process is direct conversion of coal to aliphatic hydrocarbons under plasma conditions in the presence of light hydrocarbons, such as natural gas. In the second process step, the aliphatic hydrocarbons are upgraded to a liquid fuel. The energy for the process can be provided by radio frequency energy, such as microwave energy, that is powered by a renewable energy source. The process has flexibility to adjust aromatic content in the fuel to match fuel specification requirements.

Plasma-assisted treatment of coal

Method of retrofitting a coal gasifier

A method of operating a gasifier is provided that envisions dividing the gasifier into multiple zones. A high-calorific-value feedstock with an oxidant is injected in the first zone. The gasifier is operated to substantially consume the oxidant within the first gasification zone. The method of operating the gasifier further includes injecting a low-calorific-value, high-oxygen-content feedstock in a second gasification zone. The low-calorific-value, high-oxygen-content feedstock is devolatilized and gasified in second zone. A method of operation provides for a synergistic co-gasification of the high-calorific-value feedstock and the low-calorific-value, high oxidant content feedstock. The method provides for specific control actions that enable operation of multi-fuel, multizone gasifier.

Method of operating a gasifier

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Irvine, CA, United States of America

Ramanathan Subramanian