Integrated Gasification Combined Cycle (IGCC) Units: History, State-of-the Art, Development Prospects (Review)

Integrated gasification combined-cycle (IGCC) units, which use solid fuels (coal, petroleum coke, etc.) for combined-cycle power generation, have been under development for approximately half a century. At present, the countries of the Asian region show the greatest interest in this type of power plants. Two large IGCC power units entered into commercial operation at Nakoso and Hirono thermal power plants (TPPs) in Japan; in addition, the Osaki CoolGen project is advancing greatly. The People's Republic of China and the Republic of Korea are also improving their IGCC projects. Development of more efficient technologies for generator gas cleaning and application of the next generation of gas-turbine units (GTUs) at new IGCC units have cut down harmful emissions and increased the efficiency up to 48%. The 21st century has brought increased interest in IGCC units due to the ability of their equipment to capture CO2. Besides the above-mentioned advantages, IGCC units also have disadvantages, the biggest of which is their high cost. That is why, despite many IGCC projects to be deployed in the 2000s, most of these projects were subsequently canceled, and the plants built in the 1990s are being gradually decommissioned. The promising direction for future application of IGCC units is the production of hydrogen for fuel cells with simultaneous CO2 capture. The polygeneration technology already used at some facilities, which enable the generation and delivery to the consumer of not only electricity but also gasification by-products, will also render support to the solution of the economic problems of IGCC units.