THE US-DEPARTMENT-OF-ENERGYS COMBUSTION-2000-PROGRAM - CLEAN, EFFICIENT ELECTRICITY FROM COAL

The United States Department of Energy's Pittsburgh Energy Technology Center, under its Combustion 2000 program, is working with private ind ustry to develop two kinds of advanced, coal-fired electric power gene ration systems that will have significantly higher thermal efficiency, superior environmental performance and a lower cost of electricity th an current coal-fired plants. The low emission boiler system (LEES) is a highly advanced pulverized-coal-fire power plant which will be read y for commercial introduction before the year 2001. LEES uses supercri tical steam conditions and substantial low-level heat recovery to achi eve an efficiency of 42%. Very low emissions are realized by using adv anced combustion technology and pollution controls that are integrated with the boiler. The high performance power system (HIPPS) is based o n indirectly fired combined-cycle technology that is capable of 47-50% efficiency. This system uses a gas turbine driven by a clean air work ing fluid separately heated in a novel high-temperature furnace. Energ y recovered from the turbine exhaust drives a steam cycle. HIPPS is pl anned to be commercially available by 2005. This paper describes the C ombustion 2000 program and the technologies being developed for LEES a nd HIPPS.