SYNGAS COOLER

SYSTEMS FOR
GASIFICATION
PLANTS

INTRODUCTION

Hydrocarbons accompany us in all areas of life in a variety

of chemical compounds such as plastics, fertilizers, paints,
lubricants and fuels. The dominant basis for their production
is still formed by natural gas and oil.
However, the industrial gasification of
coal, refinery wastes, e.g. petroleum
coke, and biomass is also steadily growing in importance in this context.

Synthesis
Gas
Steam
Feed
Water

breaks down virtually any carbon-based

feedstock into its basic constituents.

Gasification, a chemical process,

converts hydrocarbon material by
substoichiometric incineration under
intense temperatures and often high
pressure to synthetic gas, or syngas.
Syngas is composed primarily of carbon
monoxide, hydrogen and carbon dioxide
and serves as a starting point for the
production of a variety of chemical
compounds, fertilizers, pure hydrogen,
methane or liquid transportation fuels.
It can also be used directly for electric
power generation, for example by firing
gas turbines.
Gasification technology represents an
alternative feedstock-based chemical
and fuel production system. Gasification

This enables the separation of pollutants and greenhouse gases to generate

clean gas for the production of chemicals, clean liquid fuels and electricity.
Gasification vastly expands the fuel
base beyond natural gas and oil to
include more abundant and lower cost
resources, e.g. locally available coal and
refinery waste.
The flexibility to co-produce multiple
chemical commodities and different
fuels makes the technology economically attractive for a broad range of
industrial applications.
Excellent energy efficiency, lower
emissions and the potential of waste
recycling are clear advantages of gasification technology.

MP Steam

Oxygen
Steam
Pulverized
Coal

SYNGAS
COOLER

Slag

Figure 2: Dry-feed
entrained slagging
gasifier
Oxygen

Coal Slurry
HP Steam

Feed
Water
MP Steam
Steam
Synthesis
Gas
Slag

SYNGAS
COOLER

Figure 3: Slurry-feed
downflow gasifier

Synthesis Gas

Coal
Limestone
Steam

Steam

SYNGAS
COOLER
Ash

Air/Oxygen

Slurry Plant
EntrainedFlow Gasifier

Oxygen
Plant

HP Steam

Figure 4: Circulating bed

reactor concept

Raw Syngas

Coal
Slurry
O2

Synthesis Gas

Syngas

Gasifier
Feed Water
Radiant
Syngas Cooler

Slag Crusher

Raw
Syngas

Steam

Gas Cleanup

Convectice
Syngas Cooler

Coal Slurry

Clean

Sulfur
Removal

Coal Slurry

N2

Syngas

SYNGAS
COOLER

Combuster
Generator

Char

Air
Oxygen

High-Pressure Steam
Steam
Black Water
Recycled

Combustion
Turbine

Sulfuric
Acid

Slag Disposal

Sulfuric
Acid Plant

Slag

Hot
Exhaust
Gas

Heat Recovery
Steam
Generator

Figure 5: Slurry-feed
upflow entrained
slagging gasifier
Stack

Steam
Steam Turbine

Figure 1: Flow diagram of a typical IGCC gasification process

Generator

THE SCHMIDTSCHE SCHACK COMPANY

ARVOS | SCHMIDTSCHE SCHACKs area of excellence is process heat transfer

technology in the high temperature and pressure range, often combined with
additional challenges like high dust loads or aggressive operation conditions.
The internationally renowned company is a leading developer, designer and fabricator of apparatuses for the chemical, petrochemical and metallurgical industries.
Based on mature design concepts, customized to meet process and customer
requirements, SCHMIDTSCHE SCHACK supplies Schmidtsche Transfer Line
Exchangers, Reactors, Schack Fired Heaters and Convection Banks.
Chemical process improvement is always accompanied by the development of
new, increasingly powerful apparatuses. The excellent reputation of SCHMIDTSCHE
SCHACK stems to a vast extent from the ability to furnish the most suitable and
reliable heat exchange equipment solutions for innovative new processes, e.g.
reactors for catalytic processes, syngas cooling systems for gasification processes,
reaction gas heating systems, superheaters for high temperatures and special
designs for coal, shale oil/gas and heavy oil refinery residue.
SCHMIDTSCHE SCHACKs decade-long experience in meeting technological
challenges from the basic idea to the finished product manufactured in its
own specialized workshops makes the difference. Optimal quality and performance
are thus ensured and allow our customers to focus on economic excellence.
Individual service support assures trouble-free plant operation.

2.1  R&D AND DESIGN AT

SCHMIDTSCHE SCHACK
SCHMIDTSCHE SCHACKs R&D excellence
combines practical experience with an
outstanding command of the underlying theoretical physics. This is the
product of numerous apparatuses built
and recalculated with operation data
in order to verify the calculation results
and to refine the calculation methods.
Flow and thermodynamic process simulation in gases and fluids is often carried
out in combination with solid particle
contents. This forms the basis of stress
analyses in linear and non-linear complexes and vibration investigations.
SCHMIDTSCHE SCHACK experts closely
cooperate with process developers on
new concepts in order to find optimal
technical solutions.
Page 4

Figure 6: Large particle

flow true the funnel
shaped tube inlet

2.2 QUALITY
The quality focus is a guiding principle
through all stages from process and
layout calculation and basic engineering
through to detail and manufacturing
engineering and fabrication. A strict
quality assurance procedure is defined
and secured. SCHMIDTSCHE SCHACK is
certified according to ISO 9001.
Design and fabrication take place in
conformity with customer requirements,
according to all common national standards and in-house know-how acquired
over decades.

SCHMIDTSCHE SCHACK fabricates all

sophisticated heat transfer components
in its own specialized workshops in
Kassel, Germany and with well-proven
fabrication methods.
SCHMIDTSCHE SCHACKs outstanding
heat transfer equipment quality ensures
customer value through highest availability, best performance and longest
service life.

2.3 FABRICATION

Figure 7: SCHMIDTSCHE SCHACK fabrication shop in Kassel birthplace of Schmidtsche Syngas Coolers

COOLING SYSTEMS FOR

GASIFICATION PLANTS
Through exothermic chemical reactions
of feedstock with an oxygen/steam
mixture, hot syngas is generated in a
gasifier.
The syngas needs to be cooled before
entering the gas cleaning stages,
comprising a syngas scrubber and the
downstream sulphur removal system.
This task is performed by the syngas
cooler, which acts as a heat exchanger,
receiving the hot raw gas from the gasifier and cooling it by transferring the
reaction heat to the cooling medium,
water/steam.
The syngas cooler is one of the most
crucial and highly loaded components
in the gasification plants. Convective
syngas coolers operate in a gas inlet
temperature range between 1,400 C and
400 C and gas-side pressures up to 70
bar. The high operation parameters and
harsh operating conditions, such as corrosive raw gas components (H2S, HCl, H2)
and high dust loads, impose challenging
requirements on the design and material
selection. SCHMIDTSCHE SCHACK thus
applies its unique Schmidtsche design
principle with Double Tube/Oval Header
System which is in operation in more
than 7,000 Schmidtsche Transfer Line
Exchangers in the ethylene industry.
The syngas cooler operates as a steam
generator in natural circulation mode.
SCHMIDTSCHE SCHACK has developed
special Schmidtsche Convection Syngas
Coolers for fixed bed, fluidized bed or
entrained flow gasification processes.

Figure 8: 3D CAD model of a Schmidtsche Syngas

Cooler with Double Tube/Oval Header System
for a gasification plant in India. On top with steam
drum and interconnecting piping

Page 6

3.1 DOUBLE TUBE SYSTEM

The SCHMIDTSCHE SCHACK design has
various key features ensuring long,
durable and reliable operation of the
syngas cooler.

Riser Header

Refractory

Top Oval
Header

Water/Steam Outlet
Inner Tube with
Funnel Shaped Inlet
Outer Tube
Downcomer
Distributor

Figure 9: Basic design principles

Refractory
Water Inlet
Bottom Oval Header

3.1.1 FUNNEL SHAPED TUBE INLET, NO FERRULES!

The Schmidtsche Double Tube/Oval Header System has no
tube sheets in the classical sense, which would need to be
refractory lined, nor do they need ferrules for the tube inlets.
Aerodynamically optimized tube inlets together with intensively cooled oval headers have been shown by experience to
offer the best protection against tube inlet erosion and the
formation of gas-side deposits, see figure 10.
The high velocities on the water/steam side maintain the
tube wall temperature at safe levels. The Schmidtsche
design thus avoids the use of ferrules, resulting in the most
reliable technology for this application.
The funnel shaped tube inlet reduces the propensity for deposits forming due to eddy currents, thus minimizing erosion of
the tubes by managing the velocity profile at the tube inlet.
Furthermore, high alloy composite tubes can be used for the
inner tubes and all gas bearing surfaces can be clad with alloy
material in order to avoid high temperature H2S corrosion.

Figure 10: Smooth velocity

profile at the funnel shaped
tube inlet

COOLING SYSTEMS FOR

GASIFICATION PLANTS

3.1.2 REGISTER
The basic element of the Schmidtsche
Double Tube/Oval Header Heat
Exchanger is the double tube register.
This element consists of a row of double
tubes (tube within a tube), which are
welded to oval headers at either end to
form the double tube register as shown
in figure 11. Double tube registers with
different numbers of tubes are assembled to form one body by gas-tight welding of the adjacent oval headers. The
ends of the oval headers are connected
to downcomer distributors and headers
for connection to the water circulation
system. The cylindrical connections for
the gas inlet and outlet chambers are
welded to both tube sheets formed by a
row of oval headers.

Steam is generated in the annulus at

pressures up to 140 bar. The water/
steam mixture flows to the top oval
header and returns to the steam drum
through the risers.

The process gas at temperatures up

to 1,400 C flows through the inner
tube and is cooled by the water/steam
mixture that flows through the oval
headers and the annulus between the
inner and outer tubes.

Proprietary software developed

in-house is used to calculate water flow
conditions in each set of double tubes
based on individual process-side input
data. The result of the calculation provides specific operational data for each
process tube as well as the aggregate
performance data for the exchanger as
a whole.

The water side of the exchanger operates

in natural circulation. Water from the
steam drum is fed through the downcomer to individual bottom oval headers
for distribution to the annulus between
the inner and outer tubes.

Page 8

Since each process gas tube (inner tube)

in the Schmidtsche Double Tube/Oval
Header Heat Exchanger has its own
cooling element provided by the annular
gap between the inner and outer tubes,
the amount of cooling required for each
process tube is individually determined
by the heat input, thereby self-adjusting
to the heat load in each tube.
This is an important advantage of the
system which is able to compensate for
uneven gas flow distribution.

Water/Steam
Outlet

Top Oval Header

Inner Tube with

Funnel Shaped Inlet

Outer Tube

Bottom
Oval Header
Water Inlet

Figure 11:
Register:
Key element of
Schmidtsche Double
Tube System

COOLING SYSTEMS FOR

GASIFICATION PLANTS

3.1.3 ADVANTAGES OF DESIGN PRINCIPLES

High flow velocities in the top and bottom oval headers and in the annulus
between the inner and outer tubes
ensure maximum cooling of the oval
headers and each process tube. It also
ensures removal and transport of particles carried over by the feedwater or
that may settle during shutdowns.
High velocities and turbulent flow in
the oval headers and in the annulus
between the inner and outer tubes
provide for high heat transfer coefficients. This maximizes the cooling of
the tubes and protects the high heat
flux areas by keeping the gas-side
metal skin temperature as low as
possible. In addition the high turbulence and the defined flows within the
oval headers ensure disturbance-free
removal of the steam bubbles and
prevent the undesired formation of
steam cushions.

The oval header acts as a flexible

membrane that compensates for
the difference in thermal expansion
between the inner and outer tubes,
in effect reducing the mechanical
stresses on the system.
Mechanical and thermal stresses
are reduced by using thin-walled
oval headers, inner and outer tubes.
Athin-walled system is mechanically
more flexible and assures a lower
temperature gradient across the wall
thickness.
By effectively mitigating and/or eliminating high thermal and mechanical stresses, the magnetite layer on
the process tubes is protected and
ensures the operational longevity of
the Schmidtsche Double Tube/Oval
Header System.

High turbulence

Figure 12: Stable magnetite protection layer, mandatory for long durability, due to low tube wall temperature
amplitudes

High mass flow rate

Page 10

High steam bubble dislodgement in water tube boilers and

Schmidtsche TLEs

The Schmidtsche Double Tube Design

with Oval Headers is a unique heat management system for cooling gases on
one side and generating high pressure
steam on the other. This design principle
has been applied successfully for more
than 60 years worldwide to cracked
gas coolers, so-called Schmidtsche
Transfer Line Exchangers in ethylene
plants (more than 7,000 units have been
delivered). And for more than 20 years
this type of heat exchanger has been
successfully operating in various coal
and biomass gasification processes.

Many plants using the Double Tube/

Oval Header design have been running
for over 20 years using the original
equipment and without a single failure.
The longest running exchangers were
taken off line after 35 years of operation
without failure. These exchangers were
replaced during a revamp and redesign.
This record has given Schmidtsche
heat exchangers a worldwide reputation for durability and reliability, which
translates to lowest maintenance costs,
highest productivity and thus optimal
plant operation economy.

Figure 14: Final assembly of Double Tube Registers

to a Schmidtsche Syngas Cooler

Figure 13: Mounting of

a Schmidtsche Syngas
Cooler into steel structure

Figure 15: Arrival of a Schmidtsche Syngas Cooler at site in India

COOLING SYSTEMS FOR

GASIFICATION PLANTS

3.2 SYNGAS COOLER DOWNSTREAM

PARTIAL OXIDATION OF LIQUID
AND GASEOUS FEEDSTOCKS
The development of syngas coolers,
which are installed downstream of partial oxidation reactors, requires a high
level of technological know-how and
practical experience that address the
complex technical and physical issues
of processing heavy residual oil and for
hydrocarbons which are loaded with
heavy metals.

The generated syngas is used as feedstock for IGCC power generation or for
various chemical processes. In addition
to reactors and syngas coolers all other
components such as economizers and
steam superheaters are available from
SCHMIDTSCHE SCHACK.

Steam

Continuous efforts by SCHMIDTSCHE

SCHACK in R&D, engineering and fabrication techniques have permitted higher
operating temperatures and enabled
pressures at the syngas coolers/steam
generators to be increased to as high
as 100 bar on the synthesis gas side and
150 bar on the steam side.

Feedwater

O2

Steam
Feedstock

Figure 16: Special gas inlet nozzles patented by

SCHMIDTSCHE SCHACK avoid erosion and corrosion
at the gas side of the cooled tubes

Syngas

Reactor (Gasifier)

Figure 17: 3D refractory model of catchpot and tube sheet

Page 12

Syngas Cooler
with Catchpot

Figure 18: Reactor and syngas cooler for naphtha gasification

3.3 RADIANT SYNGAS COOLER (RSC)

One of the key elements of the Integrated
Gasification Combined Cycle (IGCC) process is the Radiant Syngas Cooler (RSC),
which generates high pressure steam by
means of heat transferred from the hot
raw gas. Compared to a gasifier without
heat transfer but with direct water
quenching, the syngas cooler increases
the process efficiency by approximately
5 percentage points. The steam produced
can be utilized for process purposes or to
generate electric power.

Advanced radiant and convective

syngas cooler concepts, developed and
supplied by SCHMIDTSCHE SCHACK and
predecessor companies, were put into
operation 2007 in Ningxia the first
coal gasification plants in PRC using
radiant cooler technology in a Coal to
Methanol Plant.

Figure 20: Interior view

of the Radiant Syngas
Cooler with high alloy
heat recovery walls
(for a 300 MW plant)
Figure 21: Computerized flow modelling of a
radiant cooler with slag entering the water sump
(courtesy of GE Energy)

Figure 19: Gasifier with

downstream Radiant
Syngas Cooler

COOLING SYSTEMS FOR

GASIFICATION PLANTS

Raw Gas Inlet

3.4 SCHMIDTSCHE RAW GAS

CLEAN GAS HEAT EXCHANGER
The efficiency of an IGCC can be further
enhanced by installing a Raw Gas
Clean Gas Heat Exchanger in front of
the gas cleaning system. The latent heat
of the raw gas preheats the clean gas
fuelling the gas turbine.
SCHMIDTSCHE SCHACK has developed
a heat exchanger concept based on the
well-proven Schmidtsche Double Tube
System. This special design achieves
highly uniform flow distribution on the
shell side and therefore identical thermal input (load) on all tube surfaces.

Clean Gas Inlet

Clean Gas Inlet

Typical operating conditions are:

Raw gas pressure and clean gas
pressure 10 to 30 bar
Raw gas temperature 600 to 350 C
Clean gas temperature 250 to 530 C

Figure 22: Schmidtsche

Raw Gas Clean Gas Heat
Exchanger

Clean Gas Outlet

Clean Gas Outlet

Raw Gas Outlet

Page 14

STEAM SUPERHEATER FOR

GASIFICATION PLANTS

Depending on the type of gasification process the syngas

downstream of the steam generator may be further cooled by
a steam superheater (special SCS design) and economizers.
4.1 SPIRAL COIL STEAM SUPERHEATER
The SCHMIDTSCHE SCHACK Steam Superheater with the
special spiral wound heating surfaces is able to operate
under high steam-side as well as high gas-side pressure and
high dust load. A large number of wound tube spirals are
interlaced to form a compact tube bundle with circumferential gaps. Steam flows through the spiral tubes, whereas the
syngas to be cooled flows through the circumferential gaps to
the outside of the tube bundle.
Due to the high flexibility of the spirally wound tube bundle,
thermal stresses remain at safe levels even at all operating
temperatures. Use of high alloyed steel permits operating
temperatures of up to 850 C on the gas side and 560 C on the
steam side. Down flow arrangement and specially shaped gas
inlet channels, optimized by CFD modelling, allow operation
with gases featuring high dust loads. For such applications or
difficult fouling conditions, SCHMIDTSCHE SCHACK has developed efficient mechanical cleaning devices.

Figure 23: Steam Superheater with spiral heating coils

STEAM SUPERHEATER FOR

GASIFICATION PLANTS

4.2 SCHMIDTSCHE BAYONET-TUBE STEAM SUPERHEATER

Growing demand for SNG (Substitute Natural Gas) is driving
investors interest in the methanation stage behind syngas
generation, mainly from petcoke, coal or biomass gasification.

SATURATED
STEAM
INLET
SUPERHEATED
STEAM OUTLET

The Schmidtsche Bayonet-Tube Steam Superheater based

on its well-proven, reliable and robust tube-in-tube design
principle provides a controlled gas and coolant flow and thus
ensures supremely efficient heat exchange at low pressure
drop. In addition a smooth material temperature distribution
at a moderate level is achieved in the mechanical structure
and the tube sheet.
In consequence, uniform thermal expansion and low thermal
stresses lead to a robust design, which is of particular importance for cyclic operation. The minimal use of inner refractory
and the application of internal cooling ensure low maintenance and high availability.
Operational experience with the Schmidtsche Bayonet
Tube-in-Tube design principle proves the reliability of this
robust concept.

GAS
INLET

GAS
OUTLET

The Schmidtsche Bayonet-Tube Steam Superheater is able to

operate at gas-side temperatures of up to 640 C at 40 bar and
steam-side temperatures of 540 C at 120 bar.

Figure 24: Bayonet-Tube Steam Superheater

design principles

Figure 25: 3D CAD model of a

Schmidtsche Steam Superheater
for a SNG plant in India

Figure 26: Temperature distribution at tube sheet, 60 K temperature difference

between minimum and maximum material temperature

Page 16

BIOMASS GASIFICATION

Syngas from gasified biomass like wood

and straw contains solid particles, tar
and chemical components like chloride
which need to be taken into consideration for dimensioning and material
selection. Heat recovery equipment can
be designed as water tube or fire tube
heat exchangers, with natural or forced
water circulation systems.

Figure 27: Syngas Cooler

for biomass test gasification plant

SCHMIDTSCHE SCHACK designs and manufactures Schmidtsche Syngas Coolers

with Double Tube/Oval Header System
for biomass gasification processes.

BLACK LIQUOR GASIFICATION

Black liquor, a secondary product of the pulp and paper

industries with a high calorific value, is usually incinerated in
special furnaces in order to make use of the thermal heat.
Black liquor can be converted into green liquor by means of
dedicated gasification processes and rerouted into the paper
production process. Downstream of the gasifier, heat transfer
equipment like cooler condensers is installed to collect the
green liquor produced and to recover the heat energy from
the gasification process.

Oxygen

Black Liquor
Gas Outlet

Cooling
Wall

Water
Inlet

Synthesis
Gas

Green Liquor

Figure 28: Gasifier with cooler condenser

PLASTIC GASIFICATION

SCHMIDTSCHE SCHACK implements

highly sophisticated heat transfer
technology and has a wealth of ex
cellent know-how with the radiant
shield cooler. SCHMIDTSCHE SCHACK
also offers suitable products to meet
the continuously growing demand for
plastic waste gasification systems.

Figure 29: Radiant screen cooler

Page 18

SynGas Cooler Systems for Gasification Plants 07/2015

SCHMIDTSCHE SCHACK | ARVOS GmbH

Ellenbacher Strasse 10
34123 Kassel, Germany
Phone +49-561-9527 111
info.shg@arvos-group.com
SCHMIDTSCHE SCHACK | ARVOS GmbH
Parsevalstrasse 9A
40468 Dsseldorf, Germany
Phone +49-211-4726-0
info.schack@arvos-group.com

www.arvos-group.com