Method for combined cycle electrical power generation

Claim 1

A method for combined cycle electrical power generation comprising: (a) introducing a coal/water slurry into a gasifier; (b) passing steam through said gasifier to react with said coal/water slurry to form a hot char and a first gaseous product, wherein the heat necessary for said reaction is supplied by a heat-transfer material; (c) removing the hot char and first gaseous product from the gasifier; separating the hot char from the first gaseous product; and introducing at least a portion of the hot char into a combustor; (d) removing the heat-transfer material from said gasifier; and introducing at least a portion of the heat-transfer material into the combustor; (e) heating the heat-transfer material to an elevated temperature in said combustor by combusting the char with air to form a combusted char and a second gaseous product, and contacting the heat-transfer material with the combusted char; (f) recycling at least a portion of said heat-transfer material to said gasifier as a source of heat-transfer material; (g) removing the combusted char and the second gaseous product from the combustor and separating the second gaseous product from the combusted char; (h) feeding said first gaseous product and said second gaseous product to a gas turbine to drive said gas turbine, wherein said gas turbine drives an electrical generator to produce electrical power; and (i) exhausting said first gaseous product and said second gaseous product from said gas turbine, and passing said first gaseous product and said second gaseous product through a waste heat boiler which produces steam which drives a steam turbine, which in turn drives an additional electrical generator to produce electrical power, wherein at least some of the first gaseous product separated from said hot char is passed through a second waste heat boiler which produces additional steam to drive said steam turbine.

Claim 2

A method for combined cycle electrical power generation comprising: (a) introducing a coal/water slurry into a gasifier; (b) passing steam through said gasifier to react with said coal/water slurry to form a hot char and a first gaseous product, wherein the heat necessary for said reaction is supplied by a heat-transfer material; (c) removing the hot char and first gaseous product from the gasifier; separating the hot char from the first gaseous product; and introducing at least a portion of the hot char into a combustor; (d) removing the heat-transfer material from said gasifier; and introducing at least a portion of the heat-transfer material into the combustor; (e) heating the heat-transfer material to an elevated temperature in said combustor by combusting the char with air to form a combusted char and a second gaseous product, and contacting the heat-transfer material with the combusted char; (f) recycling at least a portion of said heat-transfer material to said gasifier as a source of heat-transfer material; (g) removing the combusted char and the second gaseous product from the combustor and separating the second gaseous product from the combusted char; (h) feeding said first gaseous product and said second gaseous product to a gas turbine to drive said gas turbine, wherein said gas turbine drives an electrical generator to produce electrical power; and (i) exhausting said first gaseous product and said second gaseous product from said gas turbine, and passing said first gaseous product and said second gaseous product through a waste heat boiler which produces steam which drives a steam turbine, which in turn drives an additional electrical generator to produce electrical power, wherein at least some of the first gaseous product separated from said hot char is passed through a second waste heat boiler which produces additional steam to drive said steam turbine.