Clean low-calorific fuel gas from coal: a case study of the Caterpillar Tractor Company Coal Gasification Plant

In the fall of 1979, Caterpillar Tractor Company started up the first commercial coal gasification plant in the U.S. to produce cold, clean, desulfurized fuel gas from bituminous coal. The project represent a seven-year effort by the company to find another fuel supply for its York (PA) facility. Startup was followed by several months of debugging, which resulted in modifications to both equipment and operating procedures. The facility has been making low-calorific fuel gas (producer gas) on a continuous basis since April 1980, and is using it -- 24 hours a day, seven days a week -- in its heat-treating furnaces. This paper presents a technical and economic review of this successful project.