Performance evaluation of heavy residual oils in the 500 MW IGCC plant

Abstract

As a way to evaluate the performance of the IGCC process with fuels from petroleum refineries, heating values of the raw gas as well as the plant efficiency were simulated by employing the static process simulation technique. Fuels chosen were visbreaker residue, butane asphalt and a asphalt from one Korea Refinery. In order to verify the simulation technique, simulated results of a visbreaker residue were compared first with actual demonstration plant data published from Shell Co. and then the simulation technique was applied to the cases of other fuels, butane asphalt and a Korean refinery asphalt. At the gasifier temperature of 1300℃, simulation results showed that heating value of raw gas produced from residual oils was in the range of 2,750-2,800 kcal/m3 with the plant efficiency over 43%. The results exhibit the technical and economical viability of using heavy residual oils from petroleum refineries as successful fuels in IGCC power plants.