New Partnership to Help Build New Coal Gasification Plant in Illinois

Emerson Process Management (USA) has formed a strategic relationship with Secure Energy, Inc. to help build a 575 million Euro alternative energy plant in Decatur, Illinois, USA, the first coal gasification-to-synthetic natural gas plant to be constructed in the United States in two decades.

According to this strategic relationship, Emerson will serve as the main automation contractor (MAC), responsible for managing and digitally automating the Secure Energy plant that will convert 1.27 million tonnes/year of Illinois coal into 595 million cubic metres of pipeline quality natural gas. The modular facility is a template for four additional clean coal plants that Secure Energy intends to construct in other parts of the United States. Emerson will establish automation and process control protocols that can be modified as necessary to create plants that are coal-to-diesel, coal-to-gasoline, coal-to-fertiliser or other clean coal processes.

Emerson has committed significant resources and expertise to help alternative energy companies translate their technologies into large-scale commercial production of eco-friendly fuels. In addition to Secure Energy, Emerson is working with nearly a dozen other alternative fuel companies. Secure Energy will rely upon Emerson’s engineering expertise and digital automation technology to integrate the plant’s five process “islands” - air separation, gasifier, CO shift/hydrolysis, acid gas removal, and methanation - within the clean coal plant.

“Emerson provides the glue to confidently engineer and start up this modular project,” said Jack Kenny, Secure Energy Co-Founder. “We have five major engineering firms delivering the various processes of our plant, so we need Emerson’s expertise to make sure all the process automation is correct and unified.” Secure Energy chose Emerson as its main automation contractor because of the company’s proven success in digitally automating coal gasification plants and multi-plant projects worldwide.

“We needed to minimise risk through consistent control and communication in the control room,” Kenny said. “Emerson’s experience with coal gasification in Canada and China made them a tremendous candidate for this strategic partnership.” ”Our MAC relationship will help provide certainty and predictability during commercial pursuit and during the project phase,” commented Steve Sonnenberg, president of Emerson Process Management. “We will collaborate with Secure Energy and its other suppliers to realise lower project risk, better cost control, seamless integration of all control and safety packages, long-term maintenance and
operational savings, and improved logistics and inventory management.”

Emerson will supply Secure Energy with its best-in-class product range and services that comprise PlantWeb® digital plant architecture, a leading global automation approach that networks intelligent field instruments and valves with systems and software to deliver efficient operations and predictive maintenance that maximises plant availability. The intelligent PlantWeb network includes Fisher® Fieldvue® digital valve controllers and valves, Rosemount® transmitters, Rosemount Analytical analysers, Daniel® flow meters, and Micro Motion® Coriolis flow meters. Also supplied will be PlantWeb process control and asset optimisation technologies including DeltaV™ digital automation systems and AMS® Suite predictive maintenance software, as well as its digital safety system, DeltaV SIS. In addition to the wired digital installation, many of the devices also use Smart Wireless technology for installation savings and easy access to remote or difficult locations.

Emerson will also support this strategic relationship with multiple Emerson technologies and expertise beyond process management, including U.S. Electrical Motors, Liebert products, and Ridgid Tools.