DOE Invests $44M in Carbon Capture Technologies Projects

“These projects will advance competitive operation of our nation’s fossil-based power-generation infrastructure by reducing energy consumption and capital costs associated with next-generation carbon capture systems,” the DOE statement said.

The projects will target one of two areas: engineering scale testing of transformational solvent- or membrane-based carbon dioxide (CO₂) capture technologies or designing a commercial-scale, post-combustion CO₂ capture system at an existing coal-fueled generating unit. The National Energy Technology Laboratory (NETL) will manage the selected projects.

The following four projects were selected under Scaling of Carbon Capture Technologies to Engineering Scales Using Existing Host Site Infrastructure:

• Scale-up and Testing of Advanced Polaris Membrane CO₂ Capture Technology – Membrane Technology and Research Inc. (MTR), Newark, California, will scale up next-generation Polaris membranes and modules to a final form for commercial use and validate their potential in an engineering-scale field test at the Technology Centre Mongstad in Norway. The DOE funding for this project is $7.43 million. The total value of the project is $9.83 million.

• Engineering-Scale Testing of Transformational Non-Aqueous Solvent-Based CO₂ Capture Process at Technology Centre Mongstad – RTI International (Research Triangle Park, North Carolina) will advance its non-aqueous (water lean) solvent-based CO₂ capture technology and tests will be performed using the existing large-scale pilot infrastructure at the Technology Centre Mongstad in Norway. This project expands on work conducted with DOE in both the Office of Fossil Energy’s and the Advanced Research Projects Agency-Energy’s portfolios. DOE funding for this project is $10 million. The total value of the project is $23 million.

• Engineering-Scale Demonstration of Mixed-Salt Process for CO₂ Capture – SRI International, Menlo Park, California, will demonstrate its mixed-salt process at engineering scale, using the existing infrastructure at the Technology Centre Mongstad in Norway. The objectives are to address concerns related to scale-up and integration of the technology in coal-based power plants. The DOE funding is $8.3 million. Total value for the project is $10.4 million.

• Membrane-Sorbent Hybrid System for Post-Combustion Carbon Capture – TDA Research Inc., Wheat Ridge, Colorado, will design, construct, and operate an engineering-scale 1 megawatt-electric post-combustion, hybrid carbon-capture system. This system consists of a polymeric membrane and a low-temperature physical adsorbent to remove CO₂ from the flue gases generated by coal-fired power plants. The membrane, developed by Membrane Technology and Research Inc. will be responsible for bulk CO₂ removal, while the TDA-developed sorbent will extract additional levels to achieve an overall 90% system removal. DOE funding is $8 million and the total value is $10 million.

The following three projects were selected under Initial Engineering, Testing, and Design of a Commercial-Scale, Post-Combustion CO₂ Capture System:

• Initial Engineering Design of a Post-Combustion CO₂ Capture System for Duke Energy’s East Bend Station Using Membrane-Based Technology – Electric Power Research Institute Inc., Palo Alto, California, will produce an engineering design and cost estimate of a membrane-based post-combustion CO₂ capture system on Duke Energy’s East Bend Station in Kentucky. The project team will create a model that replicates the station’s performance and will be used to estimate the impacts of retrofitting CO₂ capture to the plant.
DOE funding is $1.63 million and total value is $2.03 million.

• ION Engineering Commercial Carbon Capture Design and Costing – ION Engineering LLC, Boulder, Colorado, will provide a detailed design and cost estimate for a retrofitted, 300-megawatt-equivalent, commercial-scale CO₂ capture facility. The facility is located at Nebraska Public Power District’s Gerald Gentleman Station Unit 2, in Sutherland, Nebraska. DOE funding is $2.8 million and total value is $3.5 million.

• Initial Engineering, Testing, and Design of a Commercial-Scale, Post-Combustion CO₂ Capture System on an Existing Coal-Fired Generating Unit – The University of North Dakota, Grand Forks, North Dakota, will design and determine the cost of installing a post-combustion CO₂ capture system at the Milton R. Young Station, owned by Minnkota Power Cooperative. The project will design a fully integrated post-combustion CO₂ capture system; test a solvent on coal-derived flue gas; and conduct a techno-economic and pre-front-end engineering and design (FEED) analysis of the system. DOE funding is $6 million and total value is $7.5 million.

The Office of Fossil Energy funds research and development projects to reduce the risk and cost of advanced fossil energy technologies and further the sustainable use of the Nation’s fossil resources, the DOE said.