Co-production of fuels, chemicals and electric power using gas turbines
A method and system for co-production of electric power, fuel, and chemicals in which a synthesis gas at a first pressure is expanded using a stand-alone mechanical expander or a partial oxidation gas turbine, simultaneously producing electric power and an expanded synthesis gas at a second pressure after which the expanded synthesis gas is converted to a fuel and/or a chemical.
1. A method for co-production of fuels, chemicals, and electric power comprising the steps of:
generating a pressurized synthesis gas having a first pressure and having a first temperature in a range of about 2200° F. to about 2500° F.;
expanding said pressurized synthesis gas at said first temperature using a stand-alone mechanical expander or a partial oxidation gas turbine, simultaneously producing electric power and an expanded synthesis gas at a second pressure and a second temperature; and
converting said expanded synthesis gas to at least one of a fuel and a chemical.
2. The method of claim 1 , wherein said second pressure is less than said first pressure.
3. The method of claim 2 , wherein said second pressure is greater than about 1 atm.
4. The method of claim 1 , wherein said pressurized synthesis gas is produced from a fuel and an oxidant introduced into a reactor vessel.
5. The method of claim 4 , wherein said oxidant is mixed with CO 2 .
6. The method of claim 5 , wherein a CO 2 /O 2 molar ratio is in the range of about 0.1 to about 2.0.
7. The method of claim 6 , wherein said CO 2 /O 2 molar ratio is in the range of about 0.9 to about 1.1.
8. The method of claim 4 , wherein said oxidant is selected from the group consisting of air, oxygen, oxygen-enriched air, steam, and mixtures thereof.
9. The method of claim 1 , wherein said converting of said expanded synthesis gas produces a tail gas.
10. The method of claim 9 , wherein said tail gas is employed in a bottoming cycle.
11. The method of claim 1 , wherein said first pressure is greater than about 60 psig.
12. The method of claim 11 , wherein said first pressure is greater than about 1500 psig.
13. The method of claim 1 , wherein said fuel is a Fischer-Tropsch liquid fuel.
14. The method of claim 13 , wherein a portion of said liquid fuel is introduced into a second partial oxidation reactor and converted to additional syngas, which additional syngas is recycled to a Fisher-Tropsch reactor used to produce said liquid fuel.
15. The method of claim 1 , wherein said synthesis gas is introduced into a combustor and heated to an inlet temperature of said stand-alone mechanical expander or said partial oxidation gas turbine.
16. A method for co-production of fuels, chemicals, and electric power comprising the steps of:
introducing a fuel, an oxidant, and CO 2 into a reactor vessel, producing pressurized synthesis gas at a first pressure having a temperature in a range of about 2200° F. to about 2500° F.;
expanding said pressurized synthesis gas at said temperature, simultaneously producing electric power and an expanded synthesis gas at a second pressure less than said first pressure and greater than one atmosphere; and
converting said expanded synthesis gas to at least one of a fuel and a chemical.
17. The method of claim 16 , wherein said oxidant is selected from the group consisting of air, oxygen-enriched air, oxygen, steam, and mixtures thereof.
18. The method of claim 16 , wherein said first pressure is greater than about 60 psig.
19. The method of claim 18 , wherein said first pressure is greater than about 1500 psig.
20. The method of claim 16 , wherein said pressurized synthesis gas is expanded in a stand-alone mechanical expander or a partial oxidation gas turbine.
21. The method of claim 20 , wherein said pressurized synthesis gas is introduced into a combustor prior to expansion and heated to an inlet temperature of said stand-alone mechanical expander or said partial oxidation gas turbine.