Review on the water-gas shift process for a coal SNG project

Coal gasification is considered as one of the most prospective technologies in energy field since it can be utilized for various products such as electricity, SNG (Synthetic Natural Gas or Substitute Natural Gas) and other chemical products. Among those products from coal gasification, SNG is emerging as a very lucrative product due to the rising prices of oil and natural gas, especially in Asian countries. The process of SNG production is very similar to the conventional IGCC in that the overall process is highly dependent on the type of gasifier and coal rank. However, there are some differences between SNG production and IGCC, which is that SNG plant requires higher oxygen purity from oxygen plant and more complex gas cleanup processes including water-gas shift reaction and methanation. Water-gas shift reaction is one of the main process in SNG plant because it is a starting point for the latter gas cleanup processes. For the methanation process, syngas is required to have a composition of H₂/CO = 3. This study reviewed various considerations for water-gas shift process in a conceptual design on an early stage like a feasibility study for a real project. The factors that affect the design parameters of water-gas shift reaction include the coal properties, the type of gasifier, the overall thermal efficiency of the plant and so on. Water-gas shift reaction is a relatively proven technology compared to the other processes in SNG plant so that it can reduce technological variability when designing a SNG project.