Coal Gasification – Routes to Ammonia and Methanol

The production of ammonia or methanol from coal starts with the gasification of coal. Most older gasification processes operated at around atmospheric pressure, while modern developments use higher pressures. The two main advantages of the latter route are a reduction in compressor power consumptions, and much more compact gas cleaning equipment.

Comparison of two high pressure with two low pressure processes shows that for both ammonia and methanol production, the high pressure routes have advantages in both capital investment and coal consumption. Of the two high pressure gasification processes, the Texaco entrained flow system gives the simpler flowsheet, but the British Gas Corporation/Lurgi Slagging gasifier has the higher efficiency.

F C Brown and H G Hargreaves, Humphries and Glasgow Ltd, UK.

35 pages, 8 figures, 6 tables.