[LFEE seminars] Oct. 13 Seminar - "Coal-Based Electric Power Generation in a Carbon Constrained World"
Karen Gibson
kgibson at MIT.EDU
Fri Oct 8 14:31:54 EDT 2004
Environment and Sustainability Seminar Series
Sponsored by the MIT Laboratory for Energy and the Environment (LFEE)
Coal-Based Electric Power Generation in a Carbon Constrained World
János M. Beér
Department of Chemical Engineering
Massachusetts Institute of Technology,Cambridge, MA.,USA
Wednesday, October 13
12:00 - 1:30 pm
E40-496
Coal as an energy source has the advantages of broad availability
with large reserves in several countries over the world, safe and
secure supply, low cost, and economic utilization by mature
technologies. The disadvantages are due mainly to
combustion-generated pollution. The pollutants of concern are oxides
of sulfur, nitrogen, and carbon, and fine organic and inorganic
particulates. Remedial technologies fall into the broad categories
of combustion process modifications, post combustion clean-up, and
improvement of the cycle efficiency of power generation. Merits,
limitations and prospects of clean and efficient power cycles are
discussed.
The distant (2020) goal is the development and application of coal
gasification with combined cycle co-production of electricity and
hydrogen, at higher than 60% cycle efficiency, and with CO2 capture
and sequestration. It is expected, however, that more than 12 GW coal
based power generation will be installed before such a system may
become commercial and ready for implementation. In the intervening
period supercritical steam pulverized coal plants, if chosen instead
of conventional, subcritical pressure steam plants, could reduce
pollutant emissions by about 14%, and avoid more than 100 million
tons of CO2 emissions during their lifetime. Because of the
marginally higher first costs, incentives are necessary for
investments in clean and high efficiency coal burning electric power
plants to be built in the near future.
_________________________________________________________________
Part of a series of brown bag talks on issues of energy, environment,
and sustainability sponsored by the MIT Laboratory for Energy and the
Environment. Bring your lunch - cookies and drinks will be provided.
If you would like to be added to or removed from this mailing list,
please contact Karen Gibson, kgibson at mit.edu.
--
_________________________________
Karen L. Gibson
Program Assistant
MIT Laboratory For Energy and the Environment
77 Massachusetts Avenue, E40-469
(1 Amherst St., E40-469 - for DHL and FedEx)
Cambridge, MA 02139 USA
Tel: 1 (617) 258-6368; Fax: 1 (617) 258-6590
http://lfee.mit.edu
http://globalsustainability.org
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