B&W Captures CO2 in Coal-Fired Pilot Plant Tests
Babcock & Wilcox Power Generation Group, Inc. researchers have captured carbon dioxide (CO2) emissions from a pilot-scale, coal-fired boiler using advanced solvents and a proprietary process developed at the group’s research center in Barberton, Ohio. B&W PGG is an operating unit of The Babcock & Wilcox Company.
The group has conducted its first demonstration on flue gas from a coal-fired boiler at its Regenerable Solvent Absorption Technology (RSATTM) Pilot Plant. Researchers were able to continuously remove more than 90 percent of the CO2 from the Small Boiler Simulator II’s flue gas stream using a fully integrated process. Researchers are now evaluating proprietary solvents and characterizing their performance at this scale.
The RSAT process uses a liquid solvent in an absorber vessel to remove CO2 from a plant's flue gas stream. The CO2 can then be removed from the solvent and prepared for long-term storage or other uses, such as enhanced oil recovery, while the solvent is recycled and reused.
B&W PGG President and Chief Operating Officer Richard L. Killion, said, “These tests reinforce our belief that the RSAT process offers substantial promise as an economical and efficient post-combustion CO2-capture technology.”
Pilot-scale testing of solvents began in June 2009 and will continue throughout 2010.