Alstom's Chemical Looping Combustion Prototype for CO₂ Capture from Existing Pulverized Coal-Fired Power Plants

Abstract

Alstom's Limestone Chemical Looping (LCL™) process has the potential to capture CO 2 from new and existing coal-fired power plants while maintaining high plant power generation efficiency. This new power plant concept is based on a hybrid combustiongasification process utilizing high temperature chemical and thermal looping technology. This process could also be potentially configured as a hybrid combustion-gasification process producing a syngas or hydrogen for various applications while also producing a separate stream of CO 2 for use or sequestration. The targets set for this technology is to capture over 90% of the total carbon in the coal at cost of electricity which is less than 20% greater than Conventional PC or CFB units. Previous work with bench scale test and a 65 kWt Process Development Unit Development (PDU) has validated the chemistry required for the chemical looping process and provided for the investigation of the solids transport mechanisms and design requirements.The objective of this project is to continue development of the combustion option of chemical looping (LCL-C™) by designing, building and testing a 3 MWt prototype facility. The prototype includes all of the equipment that is required to operate the chemical looping plant in a fully integrated manner with all major systems in service. Data from the design, construction, and testing will be used to characterize environmental performance, identify and address technical risks, reassess commercial plant economics, and develop design information for a demonstration plant planned to follow the proposed Prototype. A cold flow model of the prototype will be used to predict operating conditions for the prototype and help in operator training. Operation of the prototype will provide operator experience with this new technology and performance data of the LCL-C™ process, which will be applied to the commercial design and economics and plan for a future demonstration plant. -ixDecember 13, 2013 List of Tables Executive SummaryAlstom Power Inc. (Alstom) is in the process of developing a novel, ultra-clean, low cost, high efficiency power plant for the global power market. This new power plant concept is based on a hybrid combustion-gasification process utilizing high temperature chemical and thermal looping technology. The process consists of the oxidation, reduction, carbonation, and calcination of calcium-based compounds which chemically react with carbon containing fuels such as coal, biomass, or opportunity fuels in two chemical loops and one thermal loop. In its most advanced configuration, this new concept offers the promise to become the technology link from today's Rankine Cycle steam power plants to tomorrow's clean coal power plants Background

Mechanism Investigation of Enhancing Reaction Performance with CaSO4/Fe2O3 Oxygen Carrier in Chemical-Looping Combustion of Coal

“…A calcium-based oxygen carrier, CaSO 4 , has been attractive as a potential oxygen carrier for CLC of solid fuels. Alstom Power Co. Ltd. , proposed its hybrid combustion–gasification chemical looping system. Wang and Anthony also proposed a CO 2 -based gasification-coupled chemical looping process for the clean fuel combustion with the CaSO 4 oxygen carrier.…”

Controlling the Solid Circulation Rate and Residence Time in Whole Loops of a 1.5 MWth Chemical Looping Combustion Cold Model

“…In 2001, Lyngfelt et al designed a CLC unit and built a test platform, which marked the development of CLC technology from theoretical analysis to experimental study. Then, the first operation using solid fuel in a 10 kW CLC unit was demonstrated, and subsequently, a large number CLC pilot plants were constructed and operated, such as the 10 kW th and 100 kW th units at Chalmers University of Technology, the 50 kW th unit at Instituto de Carboquímica–Consejo Superior de Investigaciones Cientifícas (ICB–CSIC), the 25 kW th unit at The Ohio State University, the 10 kW th unit at Tsinghua University, the 10 kW th unit at IFP Énergies nouvelles, the 10 kW th and 50 kW th units at Southeast University, the 50 kW th unit at Huazhong University of Science and Technology, the 200 kW th unit at the University of Utah, the 1 MW th unit at Darmstadt University of Technology, and the 3 MW th unit of Alstom USA, etc. The autothermal operation of CLC is still a big challenge .…”

Modeling of the Reduction of Hematite in the Chemical Looping Combustion of Methane using Barracuda

“…potential to be the lowest-costc ommercial technology for simultaneous energy productiona nd CO 2 separation. [2][3][4] Researchers at GE-Alstom have reported [2,3] that CLC and gasification are the two lowest-cost technologies in aC O 2 -constrained world.W ork at NETL [4] has shown that the CLCofnatural gas has alower cost than conventional natural gas combustion with CO 2 control but that carrier durability is apotential issue.…”