Gasification: new life for an old technology

Gasification technologies are now flourishing at a time when oil and gas are readily available at low prices. A number of factors are attracting more CPI companies to the processes - among them, the ability to get value and avoid disposal costs for waste products, including heavy or waste oil, or petroleum coke; the opportunity to coproduce hydrogen or other chemical; and the change to cogenerate electric power, a powerful lure in a deregulated, or soon to be deregulated, utility market. However, the major reason for gasification's renewed appeal is improving cogeneration technology, using new and more-efficient gas turbines that can burn the synthesis gas to produce electricity.