Method for the operation of a power plant featuring integrated gasification, and power plant

A method for operating a power plant with an integrated gasification device, comprising:

• gasifying a fuel containing carbon and feeding the gasified fuel as syngas to a burner associated with a gas turbine for combustion purposes;
• separating oxygen from air by a membrane at a process temperature such that oxygen-depleted air is formed;
• partially feeding the separated oxygen to the gasification device in order to react with the fuel;
• and
• feeding heating energy to the membrane to maintain the required process temperature,
• wherein the heating energy is obtained in part from the syngas and in part from the oxygen and/or the oxygen-depleted air in heat exchange with the air, and
• wherein the heated air is fed to the membrane.

A power plant, comprising:

• a gas turbine;
• a combustion chamber with at least one burner being associated to the gas turbine;
• a fuel system connected upstream of the combustion chamber;
• a gasification device with a fuel feed pipeline for fossil fuel and a gas pipeline that branches from the gasification device and ends in the combustion chamber;
• a membrane unit with a membrane for separating oxygen from air, the membrane unit being connected by its oxygen-side removal side to the gasification device via an oxygen pipeline;
• a first heat exchanger;
• a second heat exchanger;
• and
• a third heat exchanger,
• wherein, at a primary side, the gas pipeline that branches from the gasification device is connected to the first heat exchanger such that, at a secondary side, the air which is fed to the heat exchanger is heated to a process temperature and fed to the membrane unit, and
• wherein the second heat exchanger is connected at the primary side into the oxygen pipeline and at the secondary side upstream of the membrane unit, such that the air that is fed to the second heat exchanger is heated, and/or
• wherein the third heat exchanger is connected at the primary side into a waste air pipeline that branches from the membrane unit and at the secondary side upstream of the membrane unit, such that the air that is fed to the third heat exchanger is heated.