Coal to Methanol Feasibility Study: Beluga Methanol Project. Volume I. Technical. Final Report

摘要

Cook Inlet Region, Inc. and Placer Amex Inc. propose to develop a commercial scale coal-to-methanol operation located close to coal deposits in Kenai Peninsula Borough, Alaska, on the west side of Cook Inlet. The plan of the sponsors provides for participation in the venture by additional equity partners and financial assistance from the US Synthetic Fuels Corporation. The overall concept envisions utilization of low sulfur, high volatile sub-bituminous coal from Alasks's Beluga coal field as feed for a process plant which will produce fuel grade methanol at the rate of 54,000 barrels per day, and distribution of the product to existing and potential markets on the US West Coast. The Beluga Area is estimated to contain over one billion tons of coal recoverable by surface mining methods. For the purposes of the feasibility study, two areas, containing approximately 500 million tons of recoverable, low-sulfur coal, have been planned for surface mining. An extremely low average sulfur content of less than 0.2% and a location adjacent to deep coastal waters make the Beluga Area unique among known world coal deposits. It is proposed to extract a total of 8.5 million tons of coal annually from the two mines. The process plant will be located on the west side of Cook Inlet at a point approximately 60 miles southwest of Anchorage and 25 miles southeast of the coal mines. The principal processes involved in the production of methanol from coal are coal gasification, syngas upgrading and methanol synthesis. It is intended to use only commercially proven technology and equipment with demonstrated potential for further improvement in efficiency. (ERA citation 07:049495)