6 PLLINOTS AUDUBONABULT eee 
tizer and the gasifier. After devol- 
atilization, the residual feedstock 
passes into the gasifier where it 
contacts the steam. The acceptor 
and char are recycled and the air 
is added to calcine the dolomite. 
The product gas is purified and 
methaned to produce _ pipeline 
quality gas. 
A two stage high pressure pro- 
cess called Bi-Gas was developed 
by Bituminous Coal Research, Inc., 
Monroeville, Pennsylvania. (Figure 
4) Coal and steam are introduced 
into the upper section of a reactor 
(stage two) where the volatile por- 
tion of the coal is converted to 
methane at temperatures of 1700- 
1800° Fahrenheit and at pressures 
of 1000 psi or over. Unreacted coal 
in the gas is separated in a cyclone 
and recycled into the bottom part 
of the reactor (stage one). Coal not 
carried over by gas stream, falls 
directly into stage one. Stage one 
is a Slagging gasifier in which the 
residual char is reacted with oxy- 
gen and steam in order to pro- 
vide the hydrogen-rich gas neces- 
sary to produce methane in stage 
two. Product gas from the cyclone 
passes through gas purification and 
methanation steps to produce a 
high-BTU gas. 
The Synthane process is utilized 
in a Bureau of Mines pilot plant 
in Bruceton, Pennsylvania. (Figure 
5) This process is designed to use 
caking coals directly to obtain a 
high methane yield from the gasi- 
fier. The coal feedstock is intro- 
duced into the top of the gasifier 
along with steam and oxygen. The 
coal goes through a free-fall zone 
in which the caking characteristics 
of the coal are destroyed. It then 
enters a dense fluid bed, the resi- 
due is gasified in a lower, dilute 
fluid bed where additional steam 
and oxygen are introduced. The 
product gas is scrubbed, the hydro- 
gen and the CO ratio adjusted in 
a shift converter, contaminants are 
removed, and the steam is meth- 
anated to produce a high-methane 
pipeline gas. 
These plants could be combined 
in a coalplex where power genera- 
tion could be an offshoot of the 
SNG production. Combined plant 
efficiencies of from 50 to 60 percent 
could be realized, whereas the best 
steam plants on line presently con- 
vert less than 40 percent of their 
heat into useful energy. 
In conclusion, one may reason- 
ably state that in addition to en- 
couraging exploration for natural 
gas by enacting less restrictive 
regulation, one should encourage 
coal gasification plants. In this 
way, our nation’s energy require- 
ments in the years to come can be 
met. 
Said the robin to the sparrow 
“I! would surely like to know 
Why these anxious human beings 
Rush about and worry so.” 
Said the sparrow to the robin 
“Friend, | think that it must be 
That they have no Heavenly Father 
Such as cares for you and me.” 
