Today, gasification technology is used in various power systems including Integrated Gasification Combined Cycle (IGCC) power plants. The first stage of the IGCC process is gasification where coal (or another feedstock) is fed into a gasifier, which is basically a container in which materials or particles react. Inside the gasifier the coal reacts with steam, oxygen, and pressure to produce syngas. The syngas is cooled and processed into electricity. Because of the high temperatures in the gasifier, the non-combustible, inorganic materials in the coal are melted into a glassy slag that is removed from the bottom of the gasifier. The syngas produced is cooled and cleaned as it is too hot to use directly from the gasifier and it contains contaminants that can damage downstream equipment.

	Click the diagram below for a larger view.
	Gasification Unit

The second stage takes the cleaned syngas and burns it in a conventional gas turbine (similar to a jet engine) to generate electricity. The hot exhaust gases from the gas turbine are recovered and used to boil water to create steam. This steam is then used to turn a second turbine also used to generate electricity.  In a typical plant, about 65% of the electricity produced comes from the gas turbines and 35% comes from the steam turbines.

Refer to the diagram below showing what goes into the gasification unit, the conditions inside, and the end products.