Clean Coal: U.S. Emerging Technologies, R&D and Next Generation Equipment

Clean Coal: U.S. Emerging Technologies, R&D and Next Generation Equipment

Coal is expected to provide at least half of electricity in the US over the next 15 years, despite coal’s association with pollution and greenhouse gas emissions. And the US Energy Information Agency projections forecast an additional 87 gigawatts of new coal-fueled generation will be constructed by 2025. To meet this demand, the US government’s Clean Coal Power Initiative is providing government co-financing for new coal technologies that can help utilities cut sulfur, nitrogen and mercury pollutants from power plants.

Some early clean coal projects are demonstrating technologies to reduce greenhouse emissions by boosting the efficiency by which coal plants convert coal to electricity or other energy forms. Coal gasification electric power plants are now operating commercially in the United States and in other nations, and many experts predict that coal gasification will be at the heart of future generations of clean coal technology plants.

Among the opportunities that are emerging from clean coal research, development and commercialization, in August 2009, the U.S. Department of Energy (DoE) announced that it will invest a total of $27.6 million in 19 projects to evaluate the potential risks of storing carbon dioxide (CO2) in geologic formations.

This report includes advanced coal cleaning, combustion, gas separation, and the CO2 capture & sequestration technologies, markets and forecasts. It also presents the latest trends and prospects for the industry. The report contents include:

1. Introduction: Clean Coal Technologies and Equipment
2. US National Clean Coal Policy Considerations
3. US Coal Production and Consumption Including New Coal-Fired Power Plants and Market Outlook
4. Clean Coal Technology: Now and Tomorrow
5. Advanced Combustion and Carbon Sequestration Technology
6. Advanced Boiler and Gas Separation Technology
7. Clean Coal Corporate Profiles and Activity
8. US Clean Coal R&D Projects
9. Outlook for Clean Coal Production and New Generation Equipment
10. Venture Capital Investment in Clean Coal Technology

Executive Summary

1. Introduction: Clean Coal Technologies and Equipment

2. US National Clean Coal Policy Considerations

2.1 The 1986-93 Clean Coal Technology Program
2.2 Current Clean Coal Policy
2.2.1Cooperative Clean Coal Programs Funded by US Government
2.2.2Clean Coal Power Initiative
2.2.3Power Plant Improvement Initiative
2.2.4Clean Coal Technology Demonstration Program
2.2.5Clean Coal Technology Roadmap
2.2.6FutureGen Program
2.3 Policy Under Obama Administration
2.3.1Innovations for Existing Power Plants
2.3.2Reducing Mercury Emission of the Existing Fleet
2.3.3Gasification Technology R&D
2.3.4Environmental Benefits
2.3.5Efficiency Benefits
2.3.6Advanced Research Program
2.3.7Biomimetics
2.3.8Coal Utilization Science (CUS)
2.3.9Computational Energy Science (CES)
2.3.10 High Performance Materials
2.3.11 University Research (UCR & HBCU-OMI)
2.3.12 New Projects

3. US Coal Production and Consumption Including New Coal-Fired Power Plants and Market Outlook

3.1 Coal Production and Consumption Through 2010
Table 3-1: U.S. Coal Supply and Consumption for Electric Power, 2003 – 2010
3.2 US Coal Production Outlook Through 2030
3.2.1Outlook: Total Coal Production Increases at a Slower Rate than in the Past
Table 3-2: Total US Coal Supply and Consumption, 2006-2030
3.2.2Long-Term Production Outlook Varies Considerably Across Cases
Table 3-3: Projected US Coal Production Through 2030 (in quadrillion Btu) in Three Key Scenarios
3.2.3Coal-Fired Electricity Consumption
3.2.3.1 Coal-Fired Power Plants Provide Largest Share of Electricity Supply
Table 3-4: Total Electricity Generation by Source in Three Scenarios Through 2030
3.2.3.2 Most New Capacity Uses Natural Gas as Fewer Coal-Fired Plants Are Added
Table3-5: US Electricity Generation Capacity Additions by Fuel Type, 2008-2030
3.2.3.3 Least Expensive Technology Options Are Likely Choices for New Capacity
3.3 US Coal Price Trends
Table 3-6: US Coal Prices, 2004-2008
3.4 New Coal-Fired Power Plant Capacity Trends
Table 3-7: Current Coal-Fired Capacity Projects, 2007 and 2009
Table 3-8: Coal-Fired Capacity Additions, 2010-2018
3.5 New Technologies Driving New Power Plant Construction
Table 3-9: Proposed Technologies for New Coal-Fired Plants
3.6 Market Outlook for Clean Coal Projects Through 2015
Table 3-10: US New Coal Plant Market Outlook
3.6.1Market Forecast for Clean Coal Technologies
Table 3-11: Total market forecast through 2020
3.6.2Technologies and Applications
3.6.3Market outlook for clean coal technology
Table 3-12: Market outlook for clean coal technology by technology, 2007-2020
Table 3-13: Market outlook for clean coal technology by application, 2007-2020
3.6.4Outlook for Clean Coal R&D Investment Through 2015
Table 3-14: US DoE R&D Budget for Clean Coal Technologies, 2009-2010
3.6.5R&D Expenditures for Clean Coal Technology
Table 3-15: Total clean coal-related R&D forecast through 2015
3.6.6Clean coal R&D Spending by Technology
Table 3-16: Total clean coal-related R&D forecast through 2015 by technology
Table 3-17: Total clean coal-related R&D forecast through 2015 by application

4. Clean Coal Technology: Now and Tomorrow

4.1 Pre-Combustion Technology
4.1.1Coal Cleaning
4.1.2Coal Upgrading Technologies
4.1.3Coal Treatment Technologies
4.1.4Benefits of Using Pre-combustion Technologies
4.2 Primary Coal Cleaning Technologies
4.2.1Wet Cleaning
4.2.1.1 Fine Coal Flotation
4.2.1.2 Reverse Flotation
4.2.1.3 Ken-Float Column
4.2.1.4 Microbubble Column Flotation
4.2.1.5 Air-Sparged Hydrocyclone
4.2.1.6 Dry Cleaning
4.2.1.7 Electrostatic Separation
4.2.1.8 Rare Earth Magnetic Separators (REMS)
4.2.1.9 Pneumatic Accelerator
4.2.1.10 High Gradient Magnetic Separation (HGMS)
4.2.1.11 TriboElectroStatic Separation (TESS) Process
4.2.1.12 Chemical or Microbial Cleaning
4.2.1.13 Oxidative Desulfurization Process
4.2.1.14 Mercury Catalytic Oxidation
4.2.1.15 Coal Cleaning by Leaching Reaction
4.2.1.16 Microwave Desulfurization
4.2.1.17 Chlorinalysis
4.2.1.18 Microbial Coal Cleaning
4.3 Emerging Coal Cleaning Technologies
4.3.1Hyper Coal
4.3.2Low Quality Coal Reforming Technology
4.3.2.1 Binderless Coal Briquetting (BCB) Process
4.3.2.2 Upgraded Brown Coal (UBC) Process
4.3.2.3 “Coal 2.0”
4.3.2.4 Lignite Fuel Enhancement System (LFES)
4.3.2.5 K-Fuel
4.3.2.6 SynCoal Advanced Coal Conversion Process (ACCP)
4.3.2.7 Nu-Fuel
4.3.2.8 Reductive Thermal Process (RTP)
4.3.2.9 White Coal Technology
4.4 Activities of Key Players
Common Research Item:
-Maker
-Location
-Application & Technology
-Activity

4.1.1 CoalTek
4.1.2 Confluence Coal Combustion
4.1.3 Cowboy Coal / FMI NewCoal Inc
4.1.4 Evergreen Energy Inc
4.1.5 Great River Energy
4.1.6 Headwaters Inc/ Covol Engineered Fuels
4.1.7 MicroCoal Inc
4.1.8 Syncoal Partners Inc
4.1.9 Vertus Technologies
4.1.10 White Energy

5. Advanced Combustion and Carbon Sequestration Technology

5.1 Integrated Coal Syngas Compression Power Generation Technology (IGCC)
Table 5-1: US IGCC Projects Permitted
(Plant, Location, Net Power, Primary Fuel, Permit Status, Construction Status)
Table 5-2: Key IGCC Technology Owners
Common Research Item
-Location
-Process
-Technology Package
GE Energy
ConocoPhillips
Shell
Siemens
KBR
5.2 Coal Gasification
Table 5-3: World Gasification-based Power Generating Capacity
5.2.1Entrained flow gasifier
5.2.2Fixed Bed Gasifier
5.2.3Fluidized Bed Gasifier
5.2.4Multi-Purpose Coal Gas Manufacturing Technology (EAGLE: coal Energy Application for Gas, Liquid and Electricity / EAGLE Pilot Plant System)
5.2.5Next Generation High Efficiency Coal Syngas Compression Power Generation (A- IGCC, A-IGFC)
Table 5-4: Comparison between existing IGCC and A-IGCF
5.2.6HyPr-RING Process Technology (Hydrogen Production by Reaction Integrated Novel Gasification Process)
5.2.7Coal Syngas Co-Production Technology
5.2.8Dimethyl Ether Manufacturing Technology (DME)
5.2.9Next Generation Coke Manufacturing Process (SCOPE 21)
5.3 Underground Coal Gasification Technology (UCG)
5.4 Coal-to-Liquid Technology
5.4.1Activities of Key Companies in Coal-to-Liquid Technology
(Company, Location, Activity)
5.5 Advanced Coal Gasification Technologies
Table 5-5: Advantages of Advanced Coal Gasification Technologies
5.5.1Bluegas (Hydromethanation)
5.5.2HydroMax (molten bath technology)
5.5.3Calderon Process
5.5.4Wiley Process
5.5.5Ze-gen Process
5.5.6High Temperature Hydrogasification Process (HTHG)
5.6 Global Environment Protection Technology
5.6.1Post-combustion Carbon Capture (PCC)
5.6.2Oxy-combustion capture
Table 5-6: Advantages and disadvantages of oxy-fuel combustion
5.7 Pre-combustion carbon capture
5.8 Post-combustion capture (PCC) Technology
5.8.1Current Status of PCC Technology
5.8.2Activities of other amine technologies
(Company, Location,Technology)
5.8.3Enhanced Coal Bed Methane (ECBN)
5.9 CO2 Underground Storage Technology (Geologic Carbon Sequestration, GCS)
Table 6-4: Commercial coal-based CCS electric power plants in the US
5.10 Underground Storage Technologies
5.10.1 CO2 Storage in Oil and Gas Reservoirs
5.10.2 CO2 Storage in Unmineable Coal Seams
5.10.3 CO2 Storage in Saline Formations
5.10.4 GEO-SEQ Project
5.10.5 Regional Carbon Sequestration Partnerships Program
5.10.6 Monitoring, Mitigation, and Verification

6. Advanced Boiler and Gas Separation Technology

6.1 Advanced Pulverized Coal (PC) Boiler Technology
6.1.1Ultra-Super Critical Combustion Technology
6.1.2Ultra-Supercritical PC Boiler Technology (USC)
6.1.3Advanced Ultra-Supercritical Compression Boiler Technology (A-USC)
6.2 Ultra-Supercritical Circulating Fluid Bed Boiler (USC CFB)
Table 6-1: US Circulating Fluidized Bed Boilers for Power Generation
6.2.1Flexi-BurnTM CFB Boiler
6.3 Fluidized-bed Combustion
6.4 Gas Separation Technology
6.5 Membranes and Related Post-Combustion Technology
Table 6-2: Post-combustion capture R&D pathways
6.5.1Absorption Technology
6.5.1.1 Amines
6.5.1.2 Ammonia
6.6 Adsorption Technology
6.6.1Physical sorbents
6.6.2Chemical sorbents
6.7 Membrane-based Separation Technology
6.7.1Membrane Absorption
6.7.2Biomimetic Technology
6.8 Next-Generation Membrane R&D
6.8.1Metal-Organic Frameworks
6.8.2Functionalized Fibrous Matrices
6.8.3Poly (Ionic Liquids)
6.8.4Liquid Crystals
6.8.5Ionic Liquids
Table 6-3: Carbon Capture Projects Funded by DoE/NETL

7. Clean Coal Corporate Profiles and Activity

7.1 Company
Common Research Item
-Location/Contact
-URL
-Year Established
-Public or Private
-Revenue
-Number of Employees
-Business Line
-Clean Coal Application
-Focus on Clean Coal Technology
-R&D Activity
-Strategic Partners

7.1.1Clean Coal Technologies, Inc.
7.1.2Clean Energy Systems Inc. (CES)
7.1.3DKRW Advanced Fuels
7.1.4Evergreen Energy
7.1.5Babcock Power/ ThermoEnergy
7.1.6American Electric Power
7.1.7Fuel-Tech
7.1.8Full Circle Energy
7.1.9GreatPoint Energy
7.1.10 GTA Energy
7.1.11 Headwaters
7.1.12 InterAmericas
7.1.13 Laurus Energy/Ergo-Exergy Technologies
7.1.14 Luca Technologies
7.1.15 Luminant/ Energy Future Holdings (formerly TXU)
7.1.16 Mirant
7.1.17 Natural Resource Partners
7.1.18 FutureGen
7.1.19 Taggart Global
7.1.20 NeuCo
7.1.21 NRG Energy
7.1.22 Nuclear Solutions/Fuel Frontiers
7.1.23 Physical Sciences, Inc
7.1.24 Reading Anthracite Company
7.1.25 Rentech, Inc
7.1.26 Sasol
7.1.27 Silverado Gold Mines, LTD/ Silverado Green Fuel
7.1.28 Syntroleum Corporation
7.1.29 Tenaska Energy
7.1.30 Hydrocoal
7.1.31 CoalTec Energy
7.2 Universities and Research Institutions
7.2.1Carnegie Mellon
7.2.2Georgia Tech
7.2.3GTI
7.2.4Idaho National Energy and Engineering Laboratory
7.2.5Johns Hopkins University
7.2.6Los Alamos National Laboratory
7.2.7Massachusetts Institute of Technology/ MIT Energy Initiative
7.2.8MIT Reacting Gas Dynamics Laboratory
7.2.9MIT Carbon Management
7.2.10 MIT CO2 Sequestration Project
7.2.11 Ohio State University
7.2.12 Ohio University Coal Research Center
7.2.13 Purdue University
7.2.14 Research Triangle Institute
7.2.15 Southern Illinois State University
7.2.16 Tennessee Technological Institute
7.2.17 Texas A&M
7.2.18 University of Alabama
7.2.19 University of Cincinnati
7.2.20 University of Cincinnati
7.2.21 University of Kansas
7.2.22 University of Kentucky
7.2.23 University of Kentucky Center for Applied Energy Research (CAER)
7.2.24 University of Kentucky
7.2.25 University of Mississippi
7.2.26 University of North Dakota
7.2.27 University of North Dakota
7.2.28 University of North Dakota
7.2.29 University of Texas
7.2.30 University of Utah
7.2.31 University of Washington
7.2.32 University of Wyoming
7.2.33 Virginia Polytechnic Institute
7.2.34 Washington University
7.2.35 Washington University

8. US Clean Coal R&D Projects
Common Research Item
-Company
-Location
-Research Sponsor or Partner
-Application
-Technology
-Description
-Investment (millions)
-Research start date
-Commercialization forecast

9. Outlook for Clean Coal Production and New Generation Equipment

9.1 Comparative Economic Analysis of Advanced Combustion Power Plants
Table 9-1: Current and projected costs and efficiencies of technologies
Table 9-2: Costs of CO2 abatement
9.2 Cost of Geological (underground) carbon storage
Table 9-3: Estimated costs of CO2 capture, transport and UCG storage, 2007 and 2020
9.3 World syngas capacity growth
Table 9-4: World Syngas Capacity Growth, 2000-2015 (in MW thermal equivalent)
9.4 Membrane Technology
9.4.1Market Forecast for Membrane Technology, 2005-2020
Table 9-5: Market forecast for membrane technologies applicable to clean coal, 2005-2020
9.4.2Key Players’ Activity
9.4.2.1 Air Products & Chemicals Inc
9.4.2.2 Membrane Technology & Research Inc.
9.4.2.3 Innovative Membrane Systems (Subsidiary of Praxair Inc)
9.4.2.4 NeoMecs Inc.
9.4.2.5 OUP LLC
9.4.2.6 Air Liquide
9.4.2.7 Eltron Research and Development
9.4.2.8 Carbozyme Inc
9.4.2.9 Research Triangle Institute (RTI)
9.5 Advanced Boiler Technology
9.5.1Market Outlook for Advanced Boiler Technologies, 2009- 2015
Table 9-6: Commercial market forecast for advanced boiler technologies, 200-2015
9.5.2Key Players’ Activity: Boilers (including oxy-combustion)
9.5.2.1 AE&E / von Roll Inova
9.5.2.2 Alstom
9.5.2.3 Babcock & Wilcox
9.5.2.4 Doosan Heavy Industries
9.5.2.5 EPI (Energy Products of Idaho)
9.5.2.6 Foster Wheeler
9.5.2.7 Metso Power USA

10. Venture Capital Investment in Clean Coal Technology

Table 10.1: Venture Capital investment in clean coal, 2006-2009
(Company, Venture Investor, Round, Amount)