The invention provides method and equipment for gasifying coal, relating to a coal chemical industry technique and gasification furnace equipment. The invention is characterized in that a fluidized bed gasification furnace is designed into a three-section working mode, the upper section is a suspended preheating section, the middle section is a turbulent flow pyrolyzing section, the lower sectionis a bubbled gasifying section, a plasma torch is arranged at the bubbled gasifying section, and water vapor is heated to be greater than 4000 DEG C in the plasma torch, is decomposed into active chemicals H., O., H2., HO., O2. and then is directly sprayed to carbon coke of the bubbled gasifying section for chemical reaction to generate synthesis gas of CO and H2 and release heat; and pyrolysis gas, the water vapor and fluidized gas in the furnace are mixed, are discharged out of the furnace through an outlet of the suspended preheating section and then return the bubbled gasifying section ofthe gasification furnace through a fluidized air pipe and a fluidized fan, and soot, gaseous tar, CmHn and CH4 in the pyrolysis gas react with the water vapor to generate the synthesis gas of the CO and the H2. Compared with the conventional coal gasification technique, the invention reduces the consumption of coal resources and the discharge of greenhouse gases.