EARLY ENTRANCE COPRODUCTION PLANT

Abstract

The overall objective of this project is the three phase development of an Early Entrance Coproduction Plant (EECP) which uses petroleum coke to produce at least one product from at least two of the following three categories: (1) electric power (or heat), (2) fuels, and (3) chemicals using ChevronTexaco's proprietary gasification technology. The objective of Phase I is to determine the feasibility and define the concept for the EECP located at a specific site; develop a Research, Development, and Testing (RD&T) Plan to mitigate technical risks and barriers; and prepare a Preliminary Project Financing Plan. The objective of Phase II is to implement the work as outlined in the Phase I RD&T Plan to enhance the development and commercial acceptance of coproduction technology. The objective of Phase III is to develop an engineering design package and a financing and testing plan for an EECP located at a specific site. The project's intended result is to provide the necessary technical, economic, and environmental information needed by industry to move the EECP forward to its detailed design, construction, and operation. The partners in this project are Texaco Energy Systems LLC (TES) (a subsidiary of ChevronTexaco), General Electric (GE), Praxair, and Kellogg Brown & Root (KBR). The work was under cooperative agreements with the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE). TES is providing the gasification technology and the Fischer-Tropsch (F-T) technology developed by Rentech Inc., GE is providing the combustion turbine technology, Praxair is providing the air separation technology, and KBR is providing overall engineering. Each of the EECP's subsystems was assessed for technical risks and barriers in Phase I. A plan was identified to mitigate the identified risks (Phase II RD&T Plan, October 2000). The RD&T Plan identified catalyst/wax separation as a potential technical and economic risk. To mitigate risks to the proposed EECP concept, Phase II RD&T included tests for secondary catalyst/wax separation systems as part of Task 2.3--Catalyst/Wax Separation. The LCI Scepter{reg_sign} Microfiltration system was determined to be best suited for producing a filtrate that met the EECP secondary catalyst/wax separation standards of producing F-T wax containing less than10 ppmw solids. As part of task 2.3, micro-filtration removal efficiencies and production rates for two FT feeds, Rentech Inc. bubble column reactor (BCR) product and LaPorte Alternative Fuels Development Unit (AFDU) product, were evaluated. Based on comparisons between the performances of these two materials, the more readily available LaPorte AFDU material was judged an acceptable analog to the BCR material that would be produced in a larger-scale F-T synthesis. The present test was initiated to obtain data in an extended range of concentration for use in the scale-up design of the secondary catalyst/wax separation system that would be operating at the EECP capacity.