CE IGCC Repowering Project: Use of the Lockheed Kinetic Extruder for coal feeding; Topical report, June 1993

ABB CE is evaluating alternate methods of coal feed across a pressure barrier for its pressurized coal gasification process. The Lockheed Kinetic Extruder has shown to be one of the most promising such developments. In essence, the Kinetic Extruder consists of a rotor in a pressure vessel. Coal enters the rotor and is forced outward to the surrounding pressure vessel by centrifugal force. The force on the coal passing across the rotor serves as a pressure barrier. Should this technology be successfully developed and tested, it could reduce the cost of IGCC technology by replacing the large lockhoppers conventionally used with a much smaller system. This will significantly decrease the size of the gasifier island. Kinetic Extruder technology needs testing over an extended period of time to develop and prove the long term reliability and performance needed in a commercial application. Major issues to be investigated in this program are component design for high temperatures, turn-down, scale-up factors, and cost. Such a test would only be economically feasible if it could be conducted on an existing plant. This would defray the cost of power and feedstock. Such an installation was planned for the CE IGCC Repowering Project in Springfield, Illinois. Due to budgetary constraints, however, this provision was dropped from the present plant design. It is believed that, with minor design changes, a small scale test version of the Kinetic Extruder could be installed parallel to an existing lockhopper system without prior space allocation. Kinetic Extruder technology represents significant potential cost savings to the IGCC process. For this reason, a test program similar to that specified for the Springfield project would be a worthwhile endeavor