LINC Energy, an Australian provider of clean coal technology, recently installed three Boge SL481 screw compressors at a coal tenement site in Queensland.
Assisting Linc Energy in the extraction of syngas, the Boge compressors supply a constant stream of air which powers the Underground Coal Gasification process.
Three Boge SL481's were installed at the Queensland Coal Tenement. Linc Energy has also installed three of the same screw compressors where Underground Coal Gasification (UCG) is underway at one coal tenement in Queensland.
As part of a drive to economically convert Queensland’s vast “stranded” coal deposits into ultra clean liquid fuels, Linc Energy is well advanced on its work towards bringing together two proven production processes - Underground Coal Gasification (UCG) and Coal To Liquid (CTL).
At one coal tenement in Queensland, Linc Energy installed three state-of-the-art Boge SL481 screw compressors where UCG is underway.
“Compressed air forms an integral part of the UCG process. When this new site was chosen for UCG it was agreed that investing in a new compressed air system would be more economical than hiring equipment,” Linc Energy project engineer Mariano Minotti said.
“Our local compressed air supplier, Premiair Compressor Services Pty in NSW, introduced us to Boge compressors. Although the brand is still relatively new in Australia, we were impressed with the quality of this German engineered product which also came in at a competitive price.”
Consequently, three Boge SL481 screw compressors were installed.
The gasification is done in situ by injecting high pressure air as oxidant into the previously ignited coal seam.
The Boge SL481 screw compressors constantly supply air at 10 to 12 bar to keep the process running.
The chemical reactions underground produce a syngas that is then collected on the surface through “production” wells. This syngas is then cleaned up and used in a Gas To Liquids (GTL) demo plant to produce liquid fuels (diesel) through the Fischer-Tropsch process.
The SL series, which forms part of the established and award winning Boge S series screw compressor product range, is said to represent an economic and reliable choice for the larger compressed air user.
As a direct coupled compressor with no belt drive or gears, the SL series virtually eliminates transmission losses, according to Boge.
The resulting specific power characteristics of these large direct coupled units (kW consumed per cubic metre produced) assures Linc Energy of an economical energy efficient installation, Boge said.
“We only recently installed the Boge compressors and we are still in the process of ramping up production; however, so far we have been impressed with the Boge product with no operational problems to report,” Minotti said.
The SL series is available in the standard pressure of 8, 10 and 13 bar.
Output capacities range from 33 to 43.7 m3/min, motor power 200 to 355 kW.
BOGE Compressors Ltd
aus@boge.com