Clean+Combustion+Technologies+--+Brian+and+Davi

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Background:

In every country around the world energy is needed by the people that live there so they can have electricty running throughout their house so they can have heat and lights. As of now, there is one main way to create at this energy, and that is by using coal combustion technologies. 41% of the worldwide energy production is fueled by coal (http://www.worldcoal.org/pages/content/index.asp?PageID=108). The coal is burned and the thermal heat that comes off, turns a steam turbine, which ultimately creates the electricty. In the diagram below shows the process now that is needed to take coal and turn it into electrictiy.

In the process of creating electricity by using coal, there is only an efficiency of approximately 38% at its maximum. The gasification process doesn't only create CO 2 it also creates nitrogen-oxide and sulfur-dioxide. These two gases are two main reasons that the ozone layer is depleating and one of the main elements in acid rain (http://public.ca.sandia.gov/crf/research/combustionProcesses/coalResearch.php). New Technologies:

One new type of combustion technology is the Fluidised Bed Combustion (FBC). This new type of combustion technology is able to use almost any material that is combustiable such as coal, biomass or general waste. One important aspect of this technology it is able to prevent up to 90% of the emissions of nitrogen-oxide and sulfur-dioxide. Fluidised Bed Combustion systems are able to efficently heat the materials at a lower temperature so that less energy is used in the creation of the new energy. This system works by the burning of the coal on a bed, which gas pumped in keeps the fuel at a turbulent state (http://www.worldcoal.org/pages/content/index.asp?PageID=420). By doing this it makes for an easier recovery of waste materials, and allows a higher pressure gas stream to create the energy. The efficency of this system is about the same as the orginal way of creating electricity. media type="youtube" key="Z0lLl1svrLI" height="364" width="445" Another new combustion technology is Supercritical & Ultra-supercritical systems. This system works at higher temperatures and pressures allow for higher effiencies and lower Carbon dioxide emission. This system of clean combustion has been used in many countries for many years. Now that the research has shown the advantages to using it, commercial coal-burning plants have been deciding to use this system then the original coal burning system. Also the research shows that the efficeny has gone up to around 50% instead of the original 38% (http://www.worldcoal.org/pages/content/index.asp?PageID=421).

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The last mainly used new combustion technology is Intergrated Gasification Combined Cycle (IGCC). This system uses a gasifier to convert carbon materials into a syngas. This syngas is used to turn the combined cycle turbine.

In this system, coal is mixed with oxygen and steam in the gasifier, and the combination of these things create the syngas. This syngas is composed of mainly hydrogen dioxide and carbon monoxide. The syngas, after being purified, turns a gas turbine to create electricity, and the waste heat that is produced is used to turn a steam turbine which creates more electricity. The Carbon monoxide is transfromed into Carbon dioxide which can then be captured and stored. The effiency of this system is around 50%(http://www.worldcoal.org/pages/content/index.asp?PageID=422). media type="youtube" key="f02wyhNCENg" height="364" width="445"