System Aspects of Black Liquor Gasification A review of existing reports ER 2008:25 Acknowledgement The author wishes to express his gratitude to Niklas Berglin, STFI-Packforsk AB, Anna von Schenck (Isaksson), STFI, Tomas Ekbom, Nykomb Synergetics, Gunnar Modig, LTH, Karin Pettersson, Chalmers, Eva Andersson, Chalmers, Lillemor Madeyski, Chalmers, and Lil Falkensson, Chalmers for valuable help and discussions. The Author also wishes to thank the Swedish Energy Agency for financial support. The books and reports published by The Swedish Energy Agency can be ordered By telefax: +46 (0)8-505 933 99 By e-mail: [email protected] © The Swedish Energy Agency ER 2008:25 ISSN 1403-1892 Forord Energimyndigheten har under 2000-talet finansierat teknisk forskning om svart- lutsforgasning inom programmet Svartlutsforgasning. Samtidigt har myndigheten uppmarksammat behovet av mer systeminriktade insatser inom detta omrade. Under hosten 2005-varen 2006 genomfordes projektet ” System Aspects on Black Liquor Gasification ”, vid Chalmers tekniska hogskola. Projektet omfattade en litteraturgenomgang av projekt med denna inriktning, som har genomforts under perioden 1996-2005. Projektets slutrapport sags som sa intressant att den borde komma till kannedom for en vidare krets, varfor Energimyndigheten ger ut den i sin rapportserie. Svartlutsforgasning ar ett teknikomrade som utifran olika utgangspunkter har varit intressant under en langre tid. Mojligheten att ersatta sulfatmassafabrikernas soda- pannor med sakrare teknik (undvika explosionsrisken), liksom potentialen att vasentligt hoja elproduktionen vid bruket har varit betydelsel^lla drivkral^er. Pa senare ar har mojligheten att framstalla fornybara drivmedel fran gasen vackt stort intresse. Rapporten ar skriven pa engelska och riktar sig till beslutsfattare, forskare, konsulter och ovriga aktorer som har ett intresse for systemutvecklingen inom svartlutforgasningsomradet. Rapporten har skrivits av professor Thore Berntsson, Chalmers tekniska hogskola. Birgitta Palmberger Avdelningschef Preface The Swedish Energy Agency has financed technical research regarding black liquor gasification within the programme Black Liquor Gasification (BLG programme). The agency has also identified a need for systems related studies within this field. In the years 2005-2006, the project “System Aspects on Black Liquor Gasification ” was carried out at Chalmers Institute of Technology. The project included a literature review of completed projects directed to this aim, which had been carried out during the decade 1996-2005. The final report of the project was considered to be of interest for a wider audi­ ence and therefore the Swedish Energy Agency has decided to publish it in its report series. Black liquor gasification is a technology which for several reasons has been of interest for a long time. The possibility to replace the furnace of kraft pulp mills with a more secure technology (avoiding explosion risk) and also to increase the potential to produce electricity at the mill have been important driving forces. In later years the option to produce renewable motor fuels from the gas has aroused significant interest. The report is written in English and is intended for decision makers, governmental agencies, researchers, consultants and other stakeholders, with an interest in this field. The principal author of the report is professor Thore Berntsson, Chalmers Institute of Technology. Birgitta Palmberger f Head of department Swedish Energy Agency Contents 1 Introduction 7 1.1 Background ............................................................................................7 1.2 Aims.......................................................................................................7 1.3 C ontents of the Report ...........................................................................7 1.4 Projects with System Aspects of BLG....................................................8 2 Basics and Principles for the high-temperature BLG technology 9 2.1 Introduction ............................................................................................9 2.2 BLGCC..................................................................................................9 2.3 Process integration ...............................................................................11 2.4 Performance .........................................................................................12 2.5 BLGMF................................................................................................12 3 Important System Aspects 15 3.1 Process Integration ................................................................................15 3.2 System consequences in a pulp mill and a pulp and paper mill, respectively ..........................................................................................15 3.3 Product or mix of products from a BLG...............................................16 3.4 Environmental aspects ..........................................................................16 3.5 COz Capture (CCS)..............................................................................16 3.6 Economy ..............................................................................................16 4 Potentials for energy efficiency in pulp mills 17 5 BLG Programme 19 6 Efficient Upgrading of Biofuel by Integrated Biorefinery Operations in Future Pulp Mills 21 6.1 Introduction ..........................................................................................21 6.2 Aim......................................................................................................21 6.3 Reference mill......................................................................................22 6.4 Environmental evaluation ....................................................................24 6.5 Economic evaluation .......................................................................... 25 7 Black Liquor Gasification - an Assessment from the perspective of the Pulp and Paper Industry 27 8 Black Liquor Gasification with Motor Fuel Production - BLGMFII 33 9 System Aspects of Black Liquor Gasification - Consequences for both Industry and Society 37 10 A Cost-Benefit Assessment of Biomass Gasification Power Generation in the Pulp and Paper Industry 45 10.1 Reference mill......................................................................................45 10.2 Black liquor gasification plants .......................................................... 46 10.3 Steam conditions ..................................................................................46 10.4 Energy balances .................................................................................. 47 10.5 Environmental evaluation ....................................................................48 10.6 Economic evaluation .......................................................................... 48 10.7 Regional and national impacts ............................................................ 49 11 The KAM Programme (2003) 51 11.1 Effects on recausticizing ......................................................................52 11.2 Energy balances ...................................................................................53 11.3 Black Liquor Gasification Combined Cycle Systems..........................58 11.4 Investment and Operating Costs..........................................................60 11.5 Conclusions.......................................................................................... 63 12 Pulp Mill Energy Systems with Black Liquor Gasification - a Process Integration Study 65 13 Flexible and Efficient Biomass Energy Systems in the Pulp Industry and opportunities for Efficient Use of Biomass in the Pulp and Paper Industry 73 13.1 Introduction ..........................................................................................73 13.2 Power Generation Using advanced Gas Turbine Technologies............ 73 13.3 Potential Power Production Using Black Liquor and Bark..................74 13 .4 Transportation fuel production with black liquor gasification............. 75 13.5 C02 Reduction .....................................................................................78 13.6 Comparison of combined Cycle and Steam-Injected Gas Turbine Cycle....................................................................................................81 14 Synthesis of earlier work 83 15 Need for Further Work 89 References 91 Attachment: Historical development of BLG technologies 95 1 Introduction 1.1 Background Black liquor gasification (BLG) is one of the high-prioritized R&D areas in Sweden. Research work is going on in the national program BLG-Programmet. The first period of this Program ended in December 2005. In this program R&D on system aspects of BLG is very limited. At the same time several projects have been carried out, in which system aspects on different system levels have been studied. They have been performed as individual projects or as part of other R&D programs. From the Swedish Energy Agency (e.g. Lars Tegner) and from the BLG Program participants, a high interest to include more system oriented research in the new period of the program, if financing for this period can be achieved, and to summarize earlier work in this area has been expressed. For these reasons the Swedish Energy Agency has granted a senior project for Thore Berntsson, Heat and Power Technology, Chalmers. 1.2 Aims The main aims with the project are to: