japanfs.org: Hitachi Ltd. announced on August 30, 2012, that it had received an order for major systems -- coal gasification equipment and integrated electricity generating equipment -- for the Osaki Cool Gen Project, a large-scale verification test of integrated coal gasification combined cycle (IGCC) technology.
Thanks to its stable supply and low cost, coal has been widely used as fuel for thermal power generation, but because of its high carbon dioxide (CO2) emissions there is a need to improve the efficiency of power generation systems and reduce emissions.
This project will achieve improved efficiency of integrated power generation by combining the coal gasification cycle to produce gas from coal and an integrated generation cycle using gas turbines and steam turbines. In addition, it aims to reduce CO2 emissions by incorporating into the IGCC technology a CO2 separation-and-capture system that collects the CO2 emitted during the burning of gas.
Related JFS article:
Toshiba to Build Pilot Plant to Test CO2 Capture Technology
J-Power to Develop Carbon Capture Technology for Coal Gasification Process