| Coal-to-liquids (CTL) process involves gasification of coal to produce syngas which is then catalytically converted into liquid fuels in a Fischer-Tropsch (FT) reactor. Two general configurations of CTL plants are possible --- liquids-only and co-production. In the liquids-only configuration the unconverted syngas from the FT reactor is recycled to the reactor to increase the productivity of the liquids. In the co-production configuration, the unconverted syngas from the FT reactor, instead of being recycled, is combusted in a gas turbine steam turbine combined cycle power plant to generate electricity. The byproduct electricity can be sold to the grid.;It was found that, depending on various factors, the costs of liquid product from both liquids-only and co-production plants are in the range of ;In this thesis, techno-economic models are developed to evaluate the performance and costs of CTL plants using different component technologies and process configurations and under different carbon constraints. The results are used to study the implications of large-scale deployment of CTL plants on the environment and resource consumption, particularly in terms of: (1) Emissions of CO2; (2) Consumption of resources such as coal, water and land; (3) Economic benefits/costs of transport fuels derived from coal. |
