Assessment of pressurized fluidized-bed combustion power plants using high sulfur coal

Results of an EPRI engineering and economic study confirm that pressurized fluidized bed combustion (PFBC) power plants have lower capital costs than other advanced fossil technologies. The operating costs are shown to be sensitive to coal properties, particularly the sulfur content. Lower sulfur content coals result in lower sorbent and ash disposal costs and a correspondingly lower cost of electricity. These sensitivity studies indicate that for medium to low sulfur coals the levelized cost of electricity from PFBC power plants is lower than from integrated gasification combined cycle (IGCC) plants. Even though a low sulfur coal potentially offers the lowest cost of electricity, if it has to be transported any distance it may be more economic to use a local high sulfur coal. To test this hypothesis, costing were carried out for a utility-scale bubbling PFBC power plant located somewhere in the USA. The cost of electricity was determined for a local high sulfur bituminous coal and three low sulfur coals, two Appalachian bituminous coal, and a Wyoming subbituminous coal. The resulting costs of electricity were very similar. The closer the plant is the low sulfur coal producing regions the less economically attractive will be the high sulfur coal. Means of making the high sulfur coal more competitive are discussed. 18 refs., 3 figs., 8 tabs