Environmental quality and energy conservation in coal conversion processes. [Overall minimization of energy required for sulfur pollution control]

In general, controlling emissions from a coal conversion process is an energy consuming process. In this paper, a parametric assessment of energy requirements for sulfur management in a coal gasification process to produce substitute natural gas is presented. The results of this assessment suggest that the least energy intensive sulfur management practice to utilize in coal gasification plants using low sulfur coal ( 3.5%), energy consumptions for all combinations were similar for a given FGD SO/sub 2/ removal specification. As the SO/sub 2/ specification increases for the FGD system, the total energy required for sulfur management also increases. Finally, contrary to expectations, the total energy requirements for sulfur management decrease with increasing sulfur content of the feed coal indicating that the energy requiements of the H/sub 2/S removal process dominates. The total energy requirements for the two Claus plant tail gas treatment processes are similar. Incineration in the boiler ismore » slightly more energy efficient. For low sulfur coals ( 3.5%) the total energy requirements were similar for all levels of H/sub 2/S in the Claus plant feed gas with a possible minimum in energy requirements for the 15% H/sub 2/S cases.« less