Status of low Btu gas as a strategy for power station emission control

Studies conducted by the Commonwealth Edison Co. for their Powerton Station ''Clean Power Fuel Demonstration Plant'' showed that coal gasification to produce low Btu gas is economically competitive with stack gas cleanup and synthetic pipeline gas. Other advantages are a net excess of electric power generation, compared with the 5 to 10% power drain of stack gas cleanup techniques, and the fact that hydrogen sulfide, for which technology exists, is removed instead of sulfur dioxide. The cost of the Powerton project, which uses three gasifiers, is estimated at $17.4 million. A description of the project objectives and the gasification process is presented.