RE: GAS-L: Re: Gasification and Carbon management -- First National Conference on Carbon...

[Weststeijn A <A.Weststeijn@epz.nl>]

Dear List members,

With respect to Harry Parker's statement, as commented upon by Tom Reed:

> 	.   Only coal can supply these very  large-scale gasifiers.  Biomass
> is best used for smaller-scale boiler fuel applications if economic.
> 
This sounds to me like large-scale gasifiers are a purpose in itself.  I
wouldn't know why biomass couldn't feed equally large gasifiers (as soon as
they work well).
What's more: biomass gasifiers (to make any dent at all) will HAVE to be
big, just to physically handle the low energy density /high volume fuel
stream.

Fact of the matter is: coal gasifiers need to be big because they are so
expensive (very high temp, 1500-1600 Centigrade, very expensive oxygen
plant). So, apart from their potentially higher efficiency due to co-gen
(discussed a few days ago) they simply will need the economy of scale to pay
in competition with classic boilers.

This economy of scale is what will be needed for biomass just as well,
either gasified, CFB-burned, grate-fired, pulverized and cofired, or
otherwise. 
With due respect for initiatives at all capacity sizes: to make a noticeably
contribution in the world wide CO2 situation, high volumes of biomass will
need to be substituted for a proportion of the world-wide coal usage.
Limiting biomass usage to "smaller-scale boilers" fuel applications (as the
statement says) is simply put: too expensive and by no means good enough.

So I would rather turn the argument around: coal will need big gasifiers (to
be viable), but big gasifiers will not be limited to coal.

regards,
Andries Weststeijn

> This mirrors the WWII experience in which the German synthetic fuel
> industry 
> used coal - but the civilians used wood gasifiers for trucks, cars, buses.
> 
> Toward the end of the war the German's hauled their tanks to the front
> lines 
> using wood gasifiers.... then converted to gasoline/diesel for battle. 
> 
> I think we can learn from this, but I hope we won't need WWIII to do it. 
> 
> TOM REED
> 

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