Go to Home Page

Why Gasification?

Air Products Syngas Solutions delivers advantages for refiners, petrochemical companies, power generators, and coal-mining companies.

Gasification is a clean, reliable and flexible way to create synthesis gas (syngas) from low-value feedstocks for the production of high-value products and power.

Air Products Syngas Solutions deliver advantages for:

Refiners

Are you worried about diminishing fuel oil markets? Do you need more hydrogen to maximize high-margin, ultra-low-sulfur-fuel yields? Are you prevented from processing opportunity crudes by emission and residue concerns? An integrated Air Products Gasification Technology unit can help you to:

  • Improve product quality and value while reducing plant emissions
  • Produce hydrogen for processing today’s clean fuels
  • Adapt processing facilities as fuel oil demand diminishes
  • Reduce demand for natural gas
  • Use bottom-of-the-barrel oil for clean power, with the option of carbon dioxide for carbon capture and storage
  • Reduce operating costs through the production of high-pressure process steam
  • Provide carbon dioxide for enhanced oil recovery

Petrochemical companies 

Are rising natural gas prices reducing your methanol–olefins margins? Do you have access to low-cost coal? Petrochemical companies are using Air Products Gasification Technology to convert coal and refinery residue to syngas for the production of ammonia, methanol, oxo-alcohols and other chemicals. 

 

In one example, a fertilizer plant used Air Products Gasification Process technology with a coal feedstock to:

 

  • Improve ammonia production costs by more than 30%
  • Reduce reliance on expensive feedstock imports

Power generators 

Are you concerned about natural gas availability and price volatility? Do you have access to coal, petcoke or refinery residue? Are you under pressure to cut emissions and improve local air quality? Do you want to diversify the energy mix? Across the world, highly efficient Air Products solids or residue gasification technologies are converting solid and liquid feedstocks to syngas for integrated gasification combined-cycle (IGCC) power generation.

Saudi Aramco is building the world’s largest residue gasification unit. Syngas from multiple gasifiers will generate up to ~2.4 GW of electricity for the Jazan refinery and Saudi Arabian power grid through an IGCC plant.

The advantages of IGCC plants include:
  • Lower natural gas dependence;
  • Production of concentrated carbon dioxide for carbon capture and storage
  • Improved environment performance compared with traditional coal-burning plants through lower levels of:
    - Particulates
    - Heavy metals
    - Sulphur oxides
    - Nitrogen oxides

Coal-mining companies 

Are your coal reserves far from potential markets? Is the quality of your remaining coal diminishing? Coal companies are using Air Products Syngas Solutions Solids Gasification Technology to convert coal to syngas to produce high-value products and clean power. The technology can handle high-ash coal and provides an alternative to the costly transport or relatively high-emissions burning of coal. Companies can also take advantage of petcoke and biomass opportunities.

Air Products Gasification Process technology is designed to be easily scaled up utilizing fewer larger units, which helps to lower capital and operating costs. For example, the Shanxi Lu’an Coal Mine Group is constructing four 3,200-t/d Air Products Gasification Process gasifiers. These units will create high-value synthetic hydrocarbons liquids from the company’s coal reserves.

Air Products Syngas Solutions™ formerly: Shell Coal Gasification Process (SCGP) and GE Energy's gasification technology

RESOURCE CENTER