Effect of Plant Size on the Cost of Producing Industrial Gas in Small Fixed Bed Gasifiers

摘要

The purpose of this study is to investigate the effect of plant size on the unit cost of industrial gas from small fixed-bed producers in a capacity range in which all of the plants considered are small. Industrial gas is medium-Btu (300 Btu/SCF) fuel gas that is produced by oxygen-blown gasification of coal followed by steps for gas cleanup. The resulting gas, rich in hydrogen and carbon monoxide, would be distributed in its own pipeline network among a cluster of local industrial users. Bechtel has examined the cost of gas from small gasifiers in plants with capacities of approximately 2, 7 and 20 billion Btu/day. The results of the studies show that the cost of fuel gas produced in the smallest plant is greater than that produced in the largest plant by roughly 75 percent. (ERA citation 03:009576)