Application of K2CO3 catalysts in the coal gasification process using nuclear heat

Conventional gasification processes use coal not only as feedstock to be gasified but also for supply of energy for reaction heat, steam production, and other purposes. With a nuclear high temperature reactor (HTR) as a source for process heat, it is possible to transform the whole of the coal feed into gas. This concept offers advantages over existing gasification processes: saving of coal, as more gas can be produced from coal; less emission of pollutants, as the HTR is used for the production of steam and electricity instead of a coal-fired boiler; and a lower production cost for the gas. However, the process has the disadvantage that the temperature is limited to the outlet temperature (950 °C max) of the helium cooling gas of the HTR. Therefore the possibility of catalytic steam gasification was examined. Model calculations based on experimental results show that use of 3–4 wt% relative to coal of K²CO³ catalyst increases the throughput of a large scale nuclear gasification plant by ≈65%, while gas production costs decrease by ≈15%. Corrosion by catalysts is not significant at low concentration (< 5 wt%) and low temperature (< 900 °C).