The Background: Coal Gasification Gains Increasing Industrial Attention in India
India holds one of the world’s largest coal reserves, which remains a significant domestic resource for power generation and industrial fuel. At the same time, the country’s chemical and petrochemical sectors rely heavily on imported liquefied natural gas (LNG) and natural gas as feedstock for producing fertilizers, methanol and other downstream chemical products. This dependence on imported feedstock has contributed to growing interest in coal gasification, a process that converts coal into synthesis gas (syngas) composed mainly of hydrogen and carbon monoxide that can serve as both a cleaner fuel and an intermediate for chemical production.
Coal gasification has attracted growing government support in recent years. Financial support programs for coal and lignite gasification projects have been announced, and government agencies have collaborated with industry associations to organize outreach activities that present available technology routes and support early-stage project development. The Ministry of Coal, together with the Federation of Indian Chambers of Commerce and Industry (FICCI), has conducted roadshows focused on surface and underground gasification technologies to facilitate engagement among industrial users and commercial stakeholders. A national target of 100 million tonnes of coal gasification per year by 2030 has also been outlined, reinforcing the growing emphasis on expanding gasification capacity and accelerating technology adoption across industrial sectors.
The Challenges: Process Variability and Gas Quality Instability in Coal Gasification
- Water-gas reaction: C + H2O → CO + H2
- Partial oxidation: C + 1/2O2 → CO
- Boudouard reaction: C + CO2 → 2CO
- Water-gas shift equilibrium: CO + H2O ⇌ CO2 + H2
These reactions determine the formation of hydrogen and carbon monoxide. Their balance depends on the heat released in the gasification zone and the distribution of oxygen, steam and reactant flows. Fluctuation in oxygen input can alter temperature profiles and shift reaction equilibria, leading to rapid changes in syngas composition.
For instance, reduced-temperature regions can develop within the gasification zone when heat release declines, and under reduced-temperature conditions methanation (C + 2H2 → CH4) becomes thermodynamically favorable. Increased methanation consumes hydrogen, reduces carbon conversion efficiency, and elevates methane concentration in the gas stream, directly affecting both calorific value and short-term gas quality stability. Additionally, variations in CO2 concentration arising from shifts in reaction equilibria and partial oxidation behavior modify the relative proportion of combustible components in the syngas, contributing to additional fluctuations in gas quality.
Limited access to real-time gas composition data creates operational challenges in coal gasification. Shifts in H₂, CO, CO2, CH4 and O2 concentrations often occur within seconds, long before temperature readings or alarms indicate abnormal behavior. Delayed sampling prevents timely recognition of deviations and allows reaction imbalances to propagate, altering heat-release patterns, burner performance and overall conversion efficiency. Such changes directly affect combustion stability and the reliability of downstream thermal processes. Sustained gasification performance requires immediate measurement of key gas components, especially when feed quality, oxygen distribution and reaction pathways fluctuate over short intervals.
Cubic Instruments Solutions: Real-Time Syngas Analysis for Coal Gasification Processes
Cubic Instruments, a leading manufacturer of gas sensors and gas analyzers, extends its specialized measurement technologies to the field of coal gasification. By applying mature expertise in multi-gas detection and industrial process monitoring, Cubic provides real-time syngas analysis solutions that support reaction control, gas quality assessment and stable operation across gasification and coal-to-chemicals processes.
One of the major challenges in coal gasification is obtaining stable, real-time gas composition measurement under harsh operating conditions. High temperatures, condensable tar fractions and particulate loading can lead to condensation and contamination of sensing pathways. At the same time, rapid shifts in reaction equilibria may cause sudden changes in CO, CO2, CH4 and H2 levels, creating variability that requires continuous, real-time monitoring to evaluate accurately.
To meet the monitoring requirements of coal gasification, Cubic Instruments has developed the Gasboard-9021 Infrared Syngas Analysis System, integrating multi-component analytical capabilities with a system architecture adapted to coal-gasification conditions:
• Pretreatment design: To support stable gas analysis under coal-gasification conditions, Gasboard-9021 incorporates a pretreatment design adapted to high-temperature syngas containing tar vapors, moisture and particulates. Straight-tube or steam-heated sampling probes can be selected according to tar loading to prevent condensation and blockage within the sampling line, ensuring continuous gas delivery to the analytical system. Sample conditioning is achieved through particulate filtration and moisture removal, providing clean and dry sample gas to the analytical unit. This pretreatment approach helps maintain measurement stability and accuracy during long-term online operation.
• Automated system operation: A PLC-based control unit automates routine operating sequences including sampling control, water replacement and fault handling, reducing manual intervention and enabling unattended operation.
• Data integration and operational visibility: Gasboard-9021 supports data transmission to plant-level distributed control systems (DCS) or centralized monitoring platforms through standard communication interfaces. Local operational status and measurement performance are clearly presented through the system interface, allowing operators to verify analyzer condition and data validity during routine inspection. Combined with low routine-maintenance requirements, this design supports long-term operational reliability in coal-gasification applications.
By combining proven sensing technology platforms with a robust sampling–conditioning design and streamlined integration, Gasboard-9021 provides a practical and reliable syngas monitoring solution that supports stable operation, consistent gas quality and efficient process control across coal-gasification applications.
Why Choose Cubic Instruments
As industrial sectors continue moving toward higher efficiency, cleaner operation and greater automation, dependable gas-measurement capability has become an essential element of modern process management. Accurate and stable gas analysis supports process transparency, operational consistency and safety in systems that rely on controlled combustion, chemical conversion or fuel-gas utilization.
Cubic Instruments advances this capability through long-term specialization in gas sensing technologies. Its portfolio of NDIR, NDUV, TDLAS, and Laser Raman technology platforms has been validated in demanding operating environments, enabling reliable measurement performance under conditions involving thermal variation, fluctuating gas loads and complex gas mixtures.
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