FUEL 106 |
| Gary J. Stiegel1, Massood Ramezan2, and Jay Ratafia-Brown2. (1) U.S. Department of Energy, Federal Energy Technology Center, P.O Box 10940, Pittsburgh, PA 15236, (2) P.O. Box 18689, SAIC/National Energy Technology Laboratory, Pittsburgh, PA 15236 |
| Gasification-based energy systems offer a stable, affordable energy supply for the nation, providing high-efficiency conversion, near-zero emissions of pollutants, and flexibility in the production of a wide range of commodity and premium products. Perhaps just as important, gasification systems provide for operation on low-cost, widely available feedstocks, such as coal, petroleum coke, and biomass. Building on current operating experience, gasification-based technologies can be refined and improved via application of advanced gas separation membrane technologies that are being developed through DOE’s gasification program. Improved gas separations involving oxygen (O2), hydrogen (H2), and carbon dioxide (CO2) can lead to reduced capital and operating costs, as well as to improvements in thermal efficiency and superior environmental performance. A conventional cryogenic air separation unit can typically represent a significant component of the total plant capital cost for oxygen-blown gasification systems and requires a large amount of auxiliary power for operation. In order to ameliorate the economic and performance impacts of oxygen separation, DOE is currently sponsoring R&D to develop Ion Transport Membrane Technology (ITM) and Oxygen Transport Membranes (OTM). These technologies operate at high temperature, providing a higher level of thermal integration with the gasification process. DOE sponsored studies indicate that they will offer substantial cost reduction compared the cryogenic air separation methods now employed. In addition to the need for improved oxygen separation, there is also increasing interest in better means of separating the hydrogen and carbon dioxide constituents from gasifier syngas. These separations will be of increasing importance for integration with downstream processes, such as fuel cells, as well as reducing emissions of climate change agents, like CO2. Significant opportunities to improve upon current separation techniques can result from the use of advanced ceramic-based, composite membrane technologies. Much of the work that DOE supports involves further developing membranes that are conmpatible with the temperature and pressure requirements of power plant applications, as well as required product specifications. This paper describes the above gas separation technologies and associated DOE-sponsored R&D projects. |
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Advances in Membranes for Energy and Fuel Applications
8:00 AM-12:25 PM, Tuesday, March 25, 2003 Convention Center -- Room 397, Oral
Division of Fuel Chemistry |