By April 2011, KSB Aktiengesellschaft will deliver a total of 44 process pumps as well as various auxiliary systems and frequency inverters for a coal gasification plant in India. The gasification process involves the application of high-pressure air and hot water to coal, producing hydrocarbons in the form of syngas. This gas can either be used as a fuel or further processed to obtain petrochemical products. Coal gasification has considerable potential to offer countries that lack oil and gas resources a new economic outlook. To ensure economic profitability it is necessary that the facilities are run continuously for many years. The pumps employed in these plants must be robust as some of the media to be handled are hot and extremely aggressive. They also contain considerable amounts of solids with particles of up to 6 mm in size.
The new plant built in the countryside in the east Indian state of Orissa will use the synthesis gas obtained from the gasification process to produce pig iron. Employing this process in a steel mill is a global first, and is significantly more environmentally friendly than conventional methods. A further benefit is that steel mill operators can use a lower-quality coal as a feedstock unsuitable for the production of coke or for combustion. Commissioning of the entire system is planned for 2012.
Share:
