Coal is one of the most used fuels in the world for the production of electricity, both for its low cost and for its wide distribution in the world.
The coal usually used by plants is only a small part of the coal in the world (the most expensive fraction), since there are large quantities of low ranking coal, at lower cost, which cannot be exploited for its characteristics (high content of ash, high moisture, mercury and sulphur, etc).
The combustion of coal significantly contributes to the global warming as CO2 issued per ton of coal is higher than CO2 produced from the combustion of other fuels such as gas; it is worldwide expected that within the forthcoming years coal power plants will be not only environmentally friendly, but also able to concentrate CO2 and store it in deep underground aquifers (this system is internationally referred to as CCS – carbon capture & sequestration).
The ISOTHERM Pwr® Flameless Technology is one of the most promising technologies for the following benefits:
- Very strong competitive position compared to other CCS technologies and hence a reduced increase in the cost of energy
- Possibility to use coal (low rank) mixed with other “low rank” fuels and/or waste
- Possibility to increase the overall efficiency in the total returns
The development of this application has been realized in the last six years in collaboration with a worldwide player and the realization of the first demonstrative plant in expected in the next coming years.
