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 detailed design, construction, and operation. The partners in this project are Texaco Energy Systems LLC or TES (a subsidiary of ChevronTexaco), General Electric (GE), Praxair, and Kellogg Brown & Root (KBR) in addition to the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE). TES is providing gasification technology and Fischer-Tropsch (F-T) technology developed by Rentech, GE is providing combustion turbine technology, Praxair is providing air separation technology, and KBR is providing engineering. Each of the EECP subsystems was assessed for technical risks and barriers. A plan was developed to mitigate the identified risks (Phase II RD&T Plan, October 2000). Phase II RD&T Task 2.6 identified as potential technical risks to the EECP the fuel/engine performance and emissions of the F-T diesel fuel products. Hydrotreating the neat F-T diesel product reduces potentially reactive olefins, oxygenates, and acids levels and alleviates corrosion and fuel stability concerns. Future coproduction plants can maximize valuable transportation diesel by hydrocracking the F-T Synthesis wax product to diesel and naphtha. The upgraded neat F-T diesel, hydrotreater F-T diesel, and hydrocracker F-T diesel products would be final blending components in transportation diesel fuel. Phase II RD&T Task 2.6 successfully carried out fuel lubricity property testing, fuel response to lubricity additives, and hot-start transient emission tests on a neat F-T diesel product, a hydrocracker F-T diesel product, a blend of hydrotreater and hydrocracker F-T diesel products, and a Tier II California Air Resources Board (CARB)-like diesel reference fuel. Only the neat F-T diesel passed lubricity inspection without additive while the remaining three fuel candidates passed with conventional additive treatment. Hot-start transient emission tests were conducted on the four fuels in accordance with the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) Federal Test Procedure (FTP) specified in Code of Federal Regulations, Title 40, Part 86, and Subpart N on a rebuilt 1991 Detroit Diesel Corporation Series 60 heavy-duty diesel engine. Neat F-T diesel fuel reduced oxides of nitrogen (NO{sub x}), total particulate (PM), hydrocarbons (HC), carbon monoxide (CO), and the Soluble Organic Fraction (SOF) by 4.5%, 31%, 50%, 29%, and 35%, respectively, compared to the Tier II CARB-like diesel. The hydrocracker F-T diesel product and a blend of hydrocracker and hydrotreater F-T diesel products also reduced NO{sub x}, PM, HC, CO and SOF by 13%, 16% to 17%, 38% to 63%, 17% to 21% and 21% to 39% compared to the Tier II CARB-like diesel. The fuel/engine performance and emissions of the three F-T diesel fuels exceed the performance of a Tier II CARB-like diesel. Phase II RD&T Task 2.6 successfully met the lubricity property testing and F-T diesel fuel hot-start transient emissions test objectives. The results of the testing help mitigate potential economic risks on obtaining a premium price for the F-T diesel fuel in the marketplace. The F-T diesel fuel superior properties of low sulfur, low aromatics, and high cetane resulted in lower emissions yields if compared to conventional diesel fuels.