GTL Energy has completed a low-rank coal upgrading plant in North Dakota that it will use to validate the scalability of its technology.
Construction of the plant in South Heart, North Dakota, began in October 2008 and was finished in March ahead of its commissioning last month. The new plant can produce up to 250,000 short tons/yr (226,796 metric tonnes/yr), said Blake Williams, GTL's chief financial officer. The plant is a single module, so its capacity can be increased by adding more modules, he said.
The company has processed small lots of lignite from basins as far away as New Zealand, Indonesia and Australia at a pilot plant in Golden, Colorado, and has shipped back hundreds of tons to utilities including eastern US generator and partner Solid Energy New Zealand.
Our low temperature drying process has now been proven to be effective in preserving lignite coal characteristics. We produce high energy, mechanically strong briquettes without binders and without creation of environmentally hazardous waste streams, said Robert French, GTL chief executive.
GTL is one of several companies in the coal beneficiation segment whose goal is to increase the heat content of sub-bituminous and lignite coals, particularly in the Powder River Basin (PRB) and Indonesia, where producers are shifting to lower-heat reserves.
GTL's proprietary process uses low temperature steam produced by a boiler to dry coal. Pilot tests reduced the moisture of the New Zealand lignite by an average of 65pc, raising its heat content from 6,500 Btu/lb to 10,000 Btu/lb. A PRB test raised its heat value from 8,600 Btu/lb to 10,800 Btu/lb. Testing results for Indonesian lignite ranged from a 33-64pc increase in heat content.
The plant's location also positions it to take advantage of North Dakota, which has an estimated 351bn st of lignite, the single largest deposit of lignite in the world, according to the state geologist. Great Northern Properties, the largest private owner of coal reserves in the US, and Allied Syngas have leased the technology for use in a proposed gasification plant in southwest North Dakota.
Construction of the plant in South Heart, North Dakota, began in October 2008 and was finished in March ahead of its commissioning last month. The new plant can produce up to 250,000 short tons/yr (226,796 metric tonnes/yr), said Blake Williams, GTL's chief financial officer. The plant is a single module, so its capacity can be increased by adding more modules, he said.
The company has processed small lots of lignite from basins as far away as New Zealand, Indonesia and Australia at a pilot plant in Golden, Colorado, and has shipped back hundreds of tons to utilities including eastern US generator and partner Solid Energy New Zealand.
Our low temperature drying process has now been proven to be effective in preserving lignite coal characteristics. We produce high energy, mechanically strong briquettes without binders and without creation of environmentally hazardous waste streams, said Robert French, GTL chief executive.
GTL is one of several companies in the coal beneficiation segment whose goal is to increase the heat content of sub-bituminous and lignite coals, particularly in the Powder River Basin (PRB) and Indonesia, where producers are shifting to lower-heat reserves.
GTL's proprietary process uses low temperature steam produced by a boiler to dry coal. Pilot tests reduced the moisture of the New Zealand lignite by an average of 65pc, raising its heat content from 6,500 Btu/lb to 10,000 Btu/lb. A PRB test raised its heat value from 8,600 Btu/lb to 10,800 Btu/lb. Testing results for Indonesian lignite ranged from a 33-64pc increase in heat content.
The plant's location also positions it to take advantage of North Dakota, which has an estimated 351bn st of lignite, the single largest deposit of lignite in the world, according to the state geologist. Great Northern Properties, the largest private owner of coal reserves in the US, and Allied Syngas have leased the technology for use in a proposed gasification plant in southwest North Dakota.
