Research and Development of a New Wet Desulfurization Process for Coal Gasification Combined Cycle (IGCC)

Abstract

Pilot testing of a new wet desulfurization process using dimethyl propylene urea, a polar heterocyclic aprotic solvent, with COS hydrolysis catalyst has been carried out using a high sulfur coal based syngas. This process, named Polar-1^TM has demonstrated the superior performance for IGCC economics, such as simultaneous absorption of organic and inorganic sulfur compounds and high selectivity of sulfur compound absorption over CO2 absorption. The investigation of testing data has also been extended to acid gas specification, solvent degradation and effect of trace components in syngas.
A comparative modified MDEA solvent has also been tested in the same pilot plant, and Polar-1TM process has demonstrated the superiority over modified MDEA process in the principal process performance for IGCC economics. This innovative desulfurization process, “Polar-1^TM” is suggestive to overwhelm the existing wet desulfurization processes by deleting upstream gaseous COS converter and making compact design of sulfur recovery plant, for coal based IGCC application in terms of the overall investment and utilities consumptions.