U.S. patent application number 13/055942 was filed with the patent office on 2011-06-02 for gasification furnace apparatus.
This patent application is currently assigned to MITSUBISHI HEAVY INDUSTRIES, LTD.. Invention is credited to Hiromi Ishii, Takashi Kijima, Katsuhiro Ota, Soken Takase.
Application Number | 20110126743 13/055942 |
Document ID | / |
Family ID | 41797097 |
Filed Date | 2011-06-02 |
United States Patent
Application |
20110126743 |
Kind Code |
A1 |
Takase; Soken ; et
al. |
June 2, 2011 |
GASIFICATION FURNACE APPARATUS
Abstract
Provided is a gasification furnace apparatus equipped with a
supply source of low-oxygen-concentration drying gas that does not
require fuel. A coal pulverizer that produces pulverized coal by
pulverizing coal, an air separator that separates air into oxygen
gas and nitrogen gas, and a gasification furnace that produces
product gas by introducing thereinto the pulverized coal and the
oxygen gas, are included. By receiving a supply of excess nitrogen
gas from the air separator, the air diluted with nitrogen is used
as a source of low-oxygen-concentration gas for drying the
pulverized coal, and an air heater that heats the source of
low-oxygen-concentration gas to a temperature at which drying can
be performed is provided.
Inventors: |
Takase; Soken; (Nagasaki,
JP) ; Ota; Katsuhiro; (Tokyo, JP) ; Ishii;
Hiromi; (Tokyo, JP) ; Kijima; Takashi;
(Kanagawa, JP) |
Assignee: |
MITSUBISHI HEAVY INDUSTRIES,
LTD.
Tokyo
JP
|
Family ID: |
41797097 |
Appl. No.: |
13/055942 |
Filed: |
August 28, 2009 |
PCT Filed: |
August 28, 2009 |
PCT NO: |
PCT/JP2009/065078 |
371 Date: |
January 26, 2011 |
Current U.S.
Class: |
110/232 |
Current CPC
Class: |
Y02E 20/18 20130101;
C10J 3/466 20130101; F25J 3/04545 20130101; Y02E 20/16 20130101;
C10J 2300/0909 20130101; C10J 2300/1846 20130101; C10J 2300/093
20130101; F25J 3/04563 20130101; C10J 2300/0959 20130101; C10J
2300/1869 20130101; F25J 2260/42 20130101; C10J 2300/1861 20130101;
C10J 2300/0906 20130101; C10J 2300/1876 20130101; C10J 2300/1884
20130101; C10J 2300/1678 20130101 |
Class at
Publication: |
110/232 |
International
Class: |
F23K 1/00 20060101
F23K001/00 |
Foreign Application Data
Date |
Code |
Application Number |
Sep 8, 2008 |
JP |
2008-229520 |
Claims
1. A gasification furnace apparatus comprising: a coal pulverizer
that produces pulverized coal by pulverizing coal; an air separator
that separates air into oxygen gas and nitrogen gas; and a
gasification furnace into which the pulverized coal and the oxygen
gas are introduced to produce product gas, wherein, by receiving a
supply of excess nitrogen gas from the air separator, the air
diluted with nitrogen is used as a source of
low-oxygen-concentration gas for drying the pulverized coal, and a
heater that heats the source of low-oxygen-concentration gas to a
temperature at which drying can be performed is provided.
2. A gasification furnace apparatus according to claim 1, wherein
the heater performs heat exchange between the vapor whose
temperature is raised upon passing through the gasification furnace
and the source of low-oxygen-concentration gas to achieve the
temperature at which drying can be performed.
3. A gasification furnace apparatus according to claim 1, wherein
the heater is the gasification furnace, which raises the
temperature of the excess nitrogen gas that passes therethrough.
Description
RELATED APPLICATIONS
[0001] This application is a national phase of PCT/JP200965078,
filed Aug. 28, 2009, and is based on, and claims priority from,
Japanese Application Number 2008-229520, filed Sep. 8, 2008.
TECHNICAL FIELD
[0002] The present invention relates to a gasification furnace
apparatus that is applied to, for example, a chemical gasification
furnace that produces product gas for chemical synthesis from
pulverized coal.
BACKGROUND ART
[0003] In addition to a chemical gasification furnace that produces
product gas for chemical synthesis, known gasification furnace
apparatuses that produce gas using pulverized coal as raw material
include, for example, gasification furnaces that produce fuel gas
for gas turbines used at integrated gasification combined cycle
power plants (for example, see Patent Literature 1).
[0004] In a conventional gasification furnace apparatus G shown in
FIG. 3, pulverized coal obtained by pulverizing coal, which is the
raw material, with a coal pulverizer 1 is supplied to a
gasification furnace 2. At the gasification furnace 2, product gas,
which is gasified pulverized coal, is produced by receiving a
supply of nitrogen and oxygen from an air separator 3, in addition
to the pulverized coal.
[0005] Note that, at the coal pulverizer 1, drying gas is required
when producing the pulverized coal; therefore, for example, as in
the gasification furnace apparatus G shown in FIG. 3, the drying
gas required for pulverized coal production is obtained by
providing a combustion furnace 4 or the like.
CITATION LIST
Patent Literature
[0006] {PTL 1} Japanese Unexamined Patent Application, Publication
No. Sho 61-175241.
SUMMARY OF INVENTION
Technical Problem
[0007] Incidentally, in the conventional gasification furnace
apparatus G described above, when using generally highly
pyrophoric, low-grade coal, for example, subbituminous coal, brown
coal, and so on, as raw material, the oxygen concentration of the
drying gas is controlled at or below 13 vol % to prevent
spontaneous combustion.
[0008] In an air-blown integrated gasification combined cycle power
generator, gas turbine exhaust gas having an oxygen concentration
of 12 vol % is used as the drying gas described above. In this
case, the temperature of the gas turbine exhaust gas used as the
drying gas is adjusted to an optimal temperature by mixing it with
exhaust gas at an exhaust-gas boiler inlet/outlet.
[0009] In addition, in an oxygen-blown gasification furnace
apparatus that produces product gas for chemical synthesis, there
in no suitable source of low-oxygen-concentration gas for the
drying gas; therefore, for example, in the combustion furnace 4
shown in FIG. 3, fuel such as diesel, natural gas, or the like is
combusted to generate combustion gas. That is, the combustion
furnace 4 is required for the chemical gasification furnace, and
the combustion gas generated at this combustion furnace 4 is used
as high-temperature, low-oxygen-concentration drying gas. However,
because generating the combustion gas using the combustion furnace
4 requires fuel to produce low-oxygen-concentration drying gas, it
is disadvantageous in terms of running costs.
[0010] Against such a background, with a gasification furnace
apparatus equipped with a coal pulverizer that obtains pulverized
coal by pulverizing low-grade coal, it is desirable to have a
supply source of low-oxygen-concentration drying gas that requires
no fuel.
[0011] The present invention has been conceived in light of the
above-described circumstances, and an object thereof is to provide
a gasification furnace apparatus equipped with a supply source of
low-oxygen-concentration drying gas that requires no fuel.
Solution to Problem
[0012] The present invention employs the following solutions in
order to solve the above-described problems.
[0013] A gasification furnace apparatus according to an aspect of
the present invention includes a coal pulverizer that produces
pulverized coal by pulverizing coal; an air separator that
separates air into oxygen gas and nitrogen gas; and a gasification
furnace into which the pulverized coal and the oxygen gas are
introduced to produce product gas, wherein, by receiving a supply
of excess nitrogen gas from the air separator, the air diluted with
nitrogen is used as a source of low-oxygen-concentration gas for
drying the pulverized coal, and a heater that heats the source of
low-oxygen-concentration gas to a temperature at which drying can
be performed is provided.
[0014] In the gasification furnace apparatus described above, the
coal pulverizer that produces the pulverized coal by pulverizing
coal, the air separator that separates air into oxygen and gas, and
the gasification furnace that produces the product gas by
introducing the pulverized coal and the oxygen gas, and nitrogen
gas are provided; by receiving the supply of excess nitrogen gas
from the air separator, air diluted with nitrogen is used as the
source of low-oxygen-concentration gas for drying the pulverized
coal; and the heater that heats the source of
low-oxygen-concentration gas to the temperature at which drying can
be performed is provided. Therefore, by effectively using the
existing devices, the low-oxygen-concentration gas for drying the
pulverized coal can be obtained without requiring fuel.
[0015] In the gasification furnace apparatus described above, the
heater preferably performs heat exchange between the vapor whose
temperature is raised upon passing through the gasification furnace
and the source of low-oxygen-concentration gas to achieve the
temperature at which drying can be performed; accordingly, the
temperature of the source of low-oxygen-concentration gas can be
raised to a temperature at which drying can be performed by
effectively using the heat held by the gasification furnace.
[0016] In the gasification furnace apparatus described above, the
heater preferably is the gasification furnace, which raises the
temperature of the excess nitrogen gas that passes therethrough;
accordingly, because air is consequently diluted by the
high-temperature excess nitrogen gas, the temperature of the source
of low-oxygen-concentration gas can be raised to a temperature at
which drying can be performed by effectively using the heat held by
the gasification furnace.
Advantageous Effects of Invention
[0017] According to the present invention described above, by
effectively using the excess portion of nitrogen gas generated in
the air separator for use in the gasification furnace and by
effectively using heat held by the gasification furnace in addition
thereto, it is possible to obtain low-oxygen-concentration gas for
drying pulverized coal, which requires no fuel for obtaining
combustion gas. As a result, in a gasification furnace apparatus,
such as a chemical gasification furnace, etc. equipped with a coal
pulverizer that obtains pulverized coal by pulverizing highly
pyrophoric, low-grade coal, the low-oxygen-concentration drying
gas, which is required when producing the pulverized coal, can be
obtained without providing a combustion furnace that generates
combustion gas using fuel.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF DRAWINGS
[0018] FIG. 1 is a configuration diagram showing an embodiment of a
gasification furnace apparatus according to the present
invention.
[0019] FIG. 2 is a configuration diagram showing a modification of
the gasification furnace apparatus shown in FIG. 1.
[0020] FIG. 3 is a configuration diagram showing a conventional
gasification furnace apparatus.
DESCRIPTION OF EMBODIMENTS
[0021] An embodiment of a gasification furnace apparatus according
to the present invention will be described below on the basis of
the drawings.
[0022] A gasification furnace apparatus Ga shown in FIG. 1 is an
oxygen-blown chemical gasification furnace that produces product
gas for chemical synthesis, using generally highly pyrophoric,
low-grade coal, for example, subbituminous coal, brown coal, and so
on, as raw material.
[0023] The illustrated gasification furnace apparatus Ga is
provided with a coal pulverizer 1 that produces pulverized coal by
pulverizing coal, such as low-grade coal, etc.; an air separator 3
that separates air into oxygen (O.sub.2) gas and nitrogen (N.sub.2)
gas; and a gasification furnace 2 that produces product gas by
introducing the pulverized coal produced by the coal pulverizer 1
and the oxygen gas and nitrogen gas separated at the air separator
3.
[0024] The coal pulverizer 1 is a device that uses highly
pyrophoric, low-grade coal as raw material and produces pulverized
coal by pulverizing the raw material in an environment into which
low-oxygen-concentration drying gas has been introduced. The
low-oxygen-concentration drying gas used here has a low oxygen
concentration, at or below 13 vol %, and a high gas temperature of
about 200 to 350.degree. C.
[0025] The gasification furnace 2 is an oxygen-blown furnace into
which the pulverized coal, oxygen gas, and nitrogen gas are
introduced and produces product gas by combusting the pulverized
coal. Note that, nitrogen gas is introduced into the gasification
furnace 2 only when needed.
[0026] The air separator 3 is a device into which air is introduced
from the atmosphere, that separates it into oxygen gas and nitrogen
gas, and that supplies them to the gasification furnace 2.
[0027] The above-described coal pulverizer 1 requires
low-oxygen-concentration gas for drying the pulverized coal and, by
receiving a supply of excess nitrogen gas from the air separator 2,
uses air diluted with nitrogen as the source of this
low-oxygen-concentration gas. Because the air used here is
introduced from the atmosphere, the temperature thereof is low, and
moreover, to be used as drying gas, the temperature of excess
nitrogen gas is also low. As a result, with regard to the
low-oxygen-concentration drying gas, which is the air diluted with
the excess nitrogen gas, the temperature thereof needs to be
increased to a desired temperature to be suitable for drying
gas.
[0028] Therefore, the gasification furnace apparatus Ga is provided
with an air heater 5 as a heater for raising the temperature of the
drying gas. This air heater 5 is a heat exchanger that performs
heat exchange between the drying gas at the source of the
low-oxygen-concentration gas in which the air and the excess
nitrogen gas are mixed at a desired proportion and the vapor whose
temperature is raised upon passing through the gasification furnace
2, to thereby raise the temperature of the drying gas. In the
illustrated configuration, a heat exchange portion 2a of the
gasification furnace 2 absorbs heat, and the heat is radiated at a
heat exchange portion 5a of the air heater 5. Note that, with
regard to the vapor used at the air heater 5 for heating, the
supply source thereof is not particularly limited.
[0029] In the thus-configured gasification furnace apparatus Ga,
because low-oxygen-concentration air diluted with the excess
nitrogen gas, whose supply is received from the air separator 3, is
used as the source of the low-oxygen-concentration gas for drying
the pulverized coal and, furthermore, because the air heater 5 that
heats the low-oxygen-concentration drying gas with the vapor whose
temperature is raised with the heat held by the gasification
furnace 2 is provided, by effectively using the gasification
furnace 2 and the air separator 3, which are existing devices, the
low-oxygen-concentration gas for drying the pulverized coal can be
obtained without requiring fuel consumption.
[0030] That is, because the air heater 5 heats the low-temperature
drying gas to the temperature at which drying can be performed,
without combusting fuel, by performing heat exchange between the
vapor whose temperature is raised upon passing through the
gasification furnace 2 and the low-temperature drying gas,
high-temperature drying gas can be obtained by effectively using
the heat held by the gasification furnace 2. In other words,
because the excess nitrogen gas generated at the air separator 3 is
effectively used for diluting the oxygen concentration of the air
and, furthermore, because heat generated at the gasification
furnace 2 due to production of the product gas is effectively used
for raising the temperature of the drying gas, the air heater 5,
which is a simple heat exchanger that consumes no fuel, can be
employed instead of the combustion furnace 4 that generates
combustion gas, which serves as high-temperature
low-oxygen-concentration drying gas, by consuming fuel.
[0031] Next, a modification of the embodiment of the
above-described gasification furnace apparatus Ga will be described
on the basis of FIG. 2. Note that, the same reference signs are
given to the portions similar to the above-described embodiment,
and a detailed description thereof will be omitted.
[0032] In a gasification furnace apparatus Gb of the modification
shown in FIG. 2, instead of the air heater 5 that uses the vapor as
a heating medium, serving as the heater for raising the temperature
of the drying gas to a desired temperature at which drying can be
performed, the excess nitrogen gas supplied from the air separator
3 is guided to the gasification furnace 2, and the excess nitrogen
gas is directly heated by the heat held by the gasification furnace
2 to raise the temperature thereof. That is, the heater in this
case is the gasification furnace 2 that raises the temperature of
the excess nitrogen gas that passes therethrough, and the oxygen
concentration in the air is diluted with the nitrogen by mixing the
high-temperature excess nitrogen gas and the low-temperature air;
therefore, the temperature of the low-oxygen-concentration gas can
be raised to the temperature at which drying can be performed by
effectively using the heat held by the gasification furnace 2. In
other words, the gasification furnace 2 is configured to include a
heat exchange portion 2b for heating the excess nitrogen gas.
[0033] In the thus-configured gasification furnace Gb, the excess
nitrogen gas generated at the air separator 3 is effectively used
for diluting the oxygen concentration of the air; furthermore, the
heat generated at the gasification furnace 2 due to production of
the product gas is effectively used for directly heating the excess
nitrogen gas, and the temperature of the drying gas is raised to a
usable temperature by mixing the excess nitrogen gas and the air.
Therefore, high-temperature, low-oxygen-concentration drying gas
can be ensured without consuming fuel.
[0034] In this way, in the gasification furnace apparatuses Ga and
Gb of the present invention described above, because the excess
amount of nitrogen gas generated at the air separator 3 for
producing the product gas at the gasification furnace 2 is used
effectively and, furthermore, because the heat held by the
gasification furnace 2 is also effectively used, the
low-oxygen-concentration gas for drying the pulverized gas can be
obtained without requiring fuel. As a result, in the gasification
furnace apparatuses Ga and Gb equipped with the coal pulverizer 1
that obtains the pulverized coal by pulverizing highly pyrophoric,
low-grade coal, the low-oxygen-concentration drying gas, which is
required when producing the pulverized coal, can be obtained
without having to provide the combustion furnace 4 that generates
combustion gas by using fuel.
[0035] Incidentally, in the above-described embodiment, although
the gasification furnace apparatuses Ga and Gb have been described
as being chemical gasification furnace apparatuses, the present
invention is not limited thereto, and it should be naturally
appreciated that application to other types of gasification furnace
apparatuses without sources of low-oxygen-concentration drying gas
is possible.
[0036] Note that, the present invention is not limited to the
above-described embodiment, and appropriate alterations are
permissible within a range that does not depart from the gist of
the present invention.
REFERENCE SIGNS LIST
[0037] 1 Coal pulverizer [0038] 2 Gasification furnace [0039] 3 Air
separator [0040] Air heater [0041] Ga, Gb Gasification furnace
apparatus
* * * * *