Coal

COAL

A U.S. and Global Perspective

Coal Production

Production & combustion

Acid rain (sulfur dioxide)

Mercury Emissions = Coal fired power plants

Coal-Steam Fire

CO2 Emissions

"One of the most significant challenges in addressing global climate change is reducing greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions resulting from the use of coal"

roughly 50 percent of the electricity generated in the United States is from coal.

Clean Air Act

EPA projects that the Clean Air Act Amendments will prevent over 230,000 early deaths by 2020

EPA issued the nation's first standards limiting mercury emissions and other toxins from coal-fired power plants.

It has also taken steps to begin regulating carbon dioxide emissions.

Pennsylvania families are suffering the consequences of harmful air pollution

Facilities have until March 1, 2013 to demonstrate compliance with the rule

Slashes millions of tons of pollution that can lead to premature death, heart attacks, bronchitis and asthma.

Coal will surpass oil as the world’s most popular fuel source within 10 years.

"Coal is a combustible, sedimentary, organic rock, which is composed mainly of carbon, hydrogen and oxygen. It is formed from vegetation, which has been consolidated between other rock strata and altered by the combined effects of pressure and heat over millions of years to form coal seams."

Coal Formation-Buried Sunshine

Who wants a lump in their stocking?

Coal in New Zealand

Coalification

All energy sources will be needed

Reserves are in excess of 15 billion tonnes. 80% is Southland lignite

Kate Maisel. Erik Blekht. Josh Carey. Jake Simon.

Coal is on the rise in developing nations.

Growth in India and China

A Background on Coal

Of the 5.3 million tonnes of coal produced 2 million tonnes were exported

What is coal?

Growing infrastructure and population

Looking Ahead

Coal in developing nations

How does it form?

Across the world there are 1.3 billion people without access to electricity

Ever increasing demand worldwide

In 2007

What are the different types?

Progress on Coal

Decreasing demand in the U.S

A rocky future for coal?

What kind of coal is found in New Zealand?

China is the new testing grounds for clean coal initiatives

Clean coal for the future

As demand increases globally...

Obama + shale gas = less coal

In the United States

http://www.google.com/publicdata

17th Century England

Cavemen

A greener future on the foundation of coal?

Romans

Hopi Indians

Wood

http://www.c2es.org/science-impacts/basics/fact-sheets/coal-facts

Charcoal

New Zealand Energy Greenhouse Gas Emissions by Fuel Type

Coal

"Greenhouse gas emissions." Ministry of Business, Innovation & Employment. Med.Gov, 13 Dec. 2012. Web. 27 Feb. 2013.

CO2 EMISSIONS

http://www.c2es.org/science-impacts/basics/fact-sheets/coal-facts

Fossil Fuel Energy Consumption (%)

The Steam Engine

http://www.google.com/publicdata

CHINA

86 percent of world coal demand by 2030 will come from China and India.

*Underground Coal

China’s coal output doubled from 2000-2005

from 1.3 billion tons to 2.23 billion tons

Half of China’s coal use is for electricity

China added over 90 gigawatts of new coal-fired power plant in 2006 alone – the equivalent of almost 2 large coal power plants a week

INDIA

3RD largest producer

http://www.c2es.org/science-impacts/basics/fact-sheets/coal-facts

68 percent of India’s CO2 emissions are from coal.

"Coal & The Environment." WorldCoal. World Coal Association, 2012. Web. 22 Feb. 2013. <http://www.worldcoal.org/coal-the-environment/coal-use-the-environment/improving-efficiencies/>.

India’s coal consumption increased 5.5% per year for 5 years (from 360 million tons to 460 million tons)

http://www.c2es.org/science-impacts/basics/fact-sheets/coal-facts

James Watt

Social Costs

Pradhan, Bibhudatta. "Taj Mahal Losing Sheen." Bloomberg. N.p., 15 May 2007. Web. 16 Feb. 2013. <http://www.bloomberg.com/apps/news?pid=newsarchive&sid=adP0B.2YzIF4&refer=canada>.

Child labor

with the coal powered lamp, work day and night

Pollution

History of Coal

Early coal use

Centralia, Pennsylvania

In 1962, a fire started in a mine beneath the town and ultimately led to the town being abandoned.

over years and it is still burning.

Other uses of coal in America

50

Rubinkam, Michael. "Fire Still Burns after 50 Years." Centralia, Pennsylvania. Huffington Post, 25 May 2012. Web. 18 Feb. 2013. < http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2012/05/25/centralia-pennsylvania-fire_n_1546552.html>.

Salt brines

The timber crisis

Environmental Impacts

Street lamps

Coal in England

In New Zealand...

LOCAL VS GLOBAL IMPACT

Followed suit with England

Tom Thumb locomotive

The Steam Engine and the Industrial Revolution

Electricy

coal powered steam engine ships

Emissions

Carbon Footprint

Mountain Top Removal

Regulations

New Zealand vs US

Offloading coal imported from Australia

Coal in the U.S. and New Zealand

CARBON FOOTPRINT

PER CAPITA

Electricity Power Generation

Tomas Edison

Coal became the dominant fuel for America's power generation

google.com/publicdata

Future for Regulation

More Energy Conscious

Limit Energy Use

simple...lights & water

ANY IDEAS?

lots of people STILL don't have access

FUTURE?....

Hobet Mine, WV

Mountain Top Removal

Underground Mining

wikipedia.com/mountaintopremoval

• 2 types
• Room and Pillar
• Long Wall Mining

NZ

WHAT CAN DO?

The Cross-State Air Pollution Rule (CSAPR)

Long Wall Mining

Regulations

"Clean Air Act." EPA. N.p., 17 Feb. 2012. Web. 24 Feb. 2013. <http://www.epa.gov/air/caa/>.

YOU

"The Legacy of Mountaintop Removal." Leveling Appalachia. Yale.Edu, 13 Oct. 2009. Web. 27 Feb. 2013.

Surface Mining

• Mechanical shearers remove coal from face of seam
• Face can be up to 3-4 km long
• 75% coal extraction
• Hydraulic supports used to hold roof

• Recovers more coal than underground mining, up to 90%
• Large equipment used
• ex) Drag-line Excavator
• Over burden lossened with explosives
• Coal then fractured and mined

Crown Minerals Act (1991)

emission limits & The Coal Administration of NZ

Room and Pillar

Future?

Ideas?

Regulations

• Large Rooms are dug out
• Pillars of coal left to support roof
• 60% coal recovery

"New Zealand Coal Association." World Coal Association Country Profile. Clean Coal, n.d. Web. 21 Feb. 2013

Recovery

• Two types of mining
• Surface mining
• Underground mining

Obama still under old administration

Technologies

Jones, Enesta. "EPA Isues First Mercury Pollution ." Yosemite. EPA, 21 Dec. 2011. Web. 26 Feb. 2013. <http://yosemite.epa.gov/opa/admpress.nsf/1e5ab1124055f3b28525781f0042ed40/bd8b3f37edf5716d8525796d005dd086!OpenDocument>.

Erik's Video

1. Recovery and Processing

-Mining Methods

-Post mining processing

2. Conversion Methods

-Pulverized Coal

-Gasification

-Fluidized Bed Combustion

-Super-Critical Systems

-CCS

3. Transportation

Coal Processing

Transportation

1. Cracking and Breaking

• Roll crushers and rotary breakers breakdown coal to acceptable size

2. Sizing

• Coal is seperated by size with a sifter

3.Density Seperation

• Seperates higher density refuse from low density organic matter

4. Froth Floatation

• For fine particles, air bubbles used to collect organic matter
• Dried after

5. Refuse waste

• Collected and moved to a suitable land fill via pipeline

• Methods
• Train
• Water Vessel
• Truck

lbs CO2/kWh Calulation

Conversion Methods

Assumptions:

• 2.6*10^7 BTU/ton coal
• 70% C content
• 33% plant efficiency
• 3412 BTU/kWh

• Pulverized Coal
• Integrated Gasifacation Combined Cycle
• Fluidized Bed Combustion
• Super-critical Technologies
• CO2 Sequestration

http://www.worldcoal.org/coal-the-environment/coal-use-the-environment/improving-efficiencies/

Calculation:

(26,000,000 BTU/1 ton coal) * (1 kWh/3412 BTU) * (1 ton coal/2000 lb coal) * 33% * (1 lb coal/.7 lb C) * (1 lb C/3.67 lb CO2) = .49 kWh/lb CO2

2.0 lbs CO2/kWh

Combustion of Coal

http://www.che.utexas.edu/course/che359&384/lecture_notes/topic_3/Chapter4.pdf

photo credit Nasa / Goddard Space Flight Center / Reto Stöckli

• Coal combusted in boiler
• Boiler depends on type of coal
• Specialized boilers are cheaper than broad coal boilers
• Steam is created which turns a turbine

http://energyseminar.stanford.edu/node/399

www.fossil.energy.gov

Pulverized Coal

• Coal crushed to fine powder
• Increases surface area which increases reaction with oxygen
• Efficiency depends on:
• thermo cycle design, steam temp/pressure, coal particle size, air to fuel ratio, etc.
• 1% increase in efficiency reduces CO2 by 2-3%
• Global plant efficiency average 28%, 45% max
• Co-generation Plants

Integrated Gasification Combined Cycle

• Converts coal to syngas using a gasifier
• Coal, O2,and steam combined to produce H2 and CO, and then cleaned
• Powers a gas turbine/steam turbine combined cycle
• Mid 40's% efficiency
• More expensive than traditional plants
• H2 can be processed and used for fuel cell technologies

Fluidized Bed Combustion

• Reduces SO2 and NOx emissions by 90%
• Allows for wide variety of fuels
• Preheated air stream keeps sand particles suspended and turbulent
• Sand scrapes away at combusted coal
• Improves combustion efficiency
• Two types
• Non-pressurized (atmospheric)
• 30-40% efficiency
• Pressurized (elevated pressures)
• Drives a gas turbine, >40% efficient

Super-critical Technologies

• Operate at elevated temperatures and pressures
• Reduces emissions and increases efficiency
• Ultra-critical could reach up to 50% efficiency
• R and D in the works

Carbon Capture and Storage

Post-Combustion Capture

• Fuel is burned as usual
• N2 and CO2 in flue gas is separated by solvent
• Heated to reverse reaction
• CO2 compressed and sequestered

• 4 steps
• Capture
• Compress
• Transport via pipeline
• Sequester into rock formation
• Methods
• Post-Combustion Capture
• Oxy-Combustion
• Pre-Combustion Capture

Oxy Combustion

• N2 and O2 separated before combustion
• O2 is combusted with fuel
• CxHy + O2 -> CO2 + H20
• No N2
• Easier to capture CO2

Pre-Combustion Capture

• N2 and O2 are seperated
• Gasification of Coal with O2
• Creates CO and H2 aka syngas
• Steam added further oxidizes CO to CO2
• H2 is used as fuel in fuel cells or combustion turbine
• CO2 is then compressed