DISCUSSION WITH CHARBONNAGE DE FRANCE
The Charbonnage de France has many activities and interests in common with the U.S. Bureau of mines. The new testing station in Verneuil, which has been substantially completed and was being occupied during our visit, has facilities for studying carbonization, gasification, briquetting, coal washing, coal dust explosions, gaseous explosions, mining explosives, and Diesel min locomotives. Very few of these facilities were in full operation during our visit. Equipment is being erected to study fluidized techniques in carbonization and gasification.
The Charbonnage de France is purchasing a Koppers gasifier on a firm guarantee basis, as follows:
|
Base coal cost |
3100 francs/metric ton ($7.88/ton) |
|
Base O2 cost |
3.950 francs/M3 (31.4¢/M cu.ft.) |
|
Base gas cost |
3.00 francs /M3 CO+H2 1:1 ratio 2.76 fancs/M3 of CO+H2 ration of CO to H2=1.6:1 |
If the coal contains 22.5% ash and 1.5% H2O, the price charged for coal is reduced to 2200 francs/ton. With the franc at 0.28¢, the guaranteed cost for materials would be about 22.8 to 24.7¢/M cu. ft. of CO+H2, depending on the ratio.
It can be calculated that on the basis of the base coal and oxygen the following material consumptions would fulfill the guarantee conditions for 1CO:1H2 gas:
|
lb. coal/M cu. ft. (CO+H2) |
cu. ft. O2/M cu.ft. CO+H2 |
|
40 |
284 |
|
35 |
250 |
|
30 |
413 |
Charbonnage de France is also interested in the Panindco process which is a modification of the Winterschall-Schmalfeldt process except that some oxygen is used. This oxygen is admitted after the primary reaction of air and coal.
A unit of 1 ton/hour capacity is to be operated at Rouen. (It was learned later from Kurt Baum that the unit was started up in August, 1950). The fuel to be gasified in the first trials is to be lignite, although the French are interested in gasifying lower volatile coals. The unit will have a gas contact time of 10 seconds and operate on coal of such size that 50% passes through a 200-mesh screen. The unit is 7 ft. in diameter and 35 ft. high, and will operate at atmospheric pressure. It is anticipated that a relatively high percentage of the coal will be unburned but will be available for other combustion uses.
The cost of the modified Schmalfedlt will be $120,000 and for the Koppers, having double the capacity, $800,000. (According to the Koppers Company, the capacity of the unit is 100 tons/day, or 4 times the capacity of the modified Schmalfeldt.)
The French are not doing any work on pressure gasification nor is any work contemplated.