Engineering Controls Database
Coal Gasification and Liquefaction: Control Technology Assessment
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The principal objective of the coal conversion industry is to convert coal to gaseous or liquid products which are more valuable on a per unit energy basis than the coal feedstock. In 1981, the National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH) initiated a study ("Control Technology Assessment for Coal Gasification and Liquefaction Processes") of the control technologies that were available to prevent occupational exposures in coal conversion plants. The NIOSH division of Physical Sciences and Engineering (DPSE) contracted (No. 210-78-0084) with Dynamac Corporation of Rockville, MD to conduct the site visits and evaluations of the gasification plants and liquefaction facilities. A total of seven facilities were evaluated: • Caterpillar Tractor Company Gasification Facility, York, PA (report # 119-22a) • CAN-DO Anthracite Coal Gasification Plant, Hazelton, PA (report # 119-23a) • Westinghouse Fluidized-Bed Coal Gasification Process Development Unit, Waltz, Mill, PA (report # 119-24a) • Tennessee Valley Authority National Fertilizer Development Center, Coal Gasification and Purification Unit, Muscle Shoals, AL (report # 119-27a) • Rockwell International Molten Salt Coal Gasification Process Development Unit, Santa Susana, CA (report # 119-28a) • Tosco Corporation Rocky Flats Research Center TOSCOL coal Pyrolysis Process, Golden, CO (report # 119-29a) • Dravo Corporation, Pittsburgh, PA (report # 119-30a) |
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Many of the process streams associated with coal gasification and liquefaction operations contain potentially hazardous chemical and physical agents. Each stage of the process may have distinct occupational hazards [NIOSH 1978]. For example, coal dust may be generated and cause respiration problems or may be explosive during the initial stages of the process. Examples of other hazards that may be generated during the process streams include the following: • carbon monoxide (asphyxiation) • hydrogen sulfides • sulfur dioxide • noise • high temperatures and pressures • flammable/explosive product gases • dusts (e.g., respirable sodium sulfate) |
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| A two part discussion of each process area in the different plants that were evaluated during this study is provided. The first part consists of an area process description. The second part is a discussion of the potential hazards associated with each stage of the process and the engineering controls used to mitigate those hazards. The term engineering control is defined by NIOSH to mean the use of control equipment (e.g., ventilation systems); the modification of existing equipment (e.g., the substitution of mechanical seals for packing, or the use of special metallurgy); or changes in the process design (e.g., recycling a stream that was formerly discharged) to eliminate or reduce an occupational safety or health hazard. Work practices, including administrative controls, personal protective equipment, personal hygiene, and workplace monitoring that supplement the engineering controls used to control exposure to these hazardous physical and chemical agents are discussed. In addition, monitoring programs and health and safety programs as a means of mitigating occupational safety and health hazards are also discussed in each report. | |
| 119-22A; 119-23A; 119-24A; 119-27A; 119-28A; 119-29A; 119-30A; | |
| NIOSH [1978]. Criteria for a recommended standard: Occupational exposures in coal gasification plants. Cincinnati, OH. U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, Public Health Service, Center for Disease Control, National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health, DHHS (NIOSH) publication 78-191. | |
| 211111 | |
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coal gasification coal gasification coal liquefaction coal liquefaction coal pyrolysis coal pyrolysis explosive gases explosive gases gas production gas production respirable dust respirable dust |