Cost Saving Concepts on the Production of Methanol from Underground Gasified Coal

摘要

This study examines the technical and economic feasibility of using raw gas from an underground coal gasification (UCG) facility as feedstock for methanol synthesis. Special consideration has been given to cost saving concepts in the plant design such as: maximizing the use of sensible heat for gas clean-up; use of aerial heat exchangers to conserve water; low level waste heat recovery for electricity generation; and sale of by-products to offset operating costs. In addition, transfer pricing of the gas is calculated at three points in the process scheme to determine the contribution of various process steps to the final produt price. This study is based upon the design criteria provided by Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory. Three facility sizes are examined, beginning with 12,000 barrels per day (BPD) of fuel grade methanol and including 4000 BPD and 24,000 BPD. The 12,000 BPD facility constitutes the base case design for this study. The site location used as the basis for the study is Sweet Water County, Wyoming. The economic parameters are the same as those developed in Pritchard's previous study for the DOE on UCG gas to methanol and M-Gasoline. (ERA citation 07:042698)