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Siemens to Demonstrate POSTCAP Technology

ControlGlobal.com
07/20/2010

Siemens is awarded USD 8.9 million grant from Department of Energy to build its first CO₂ capture project for coal-fired power plants in the U.S.A. This project will demonstrate new POSTCAP technology, utilizing salt as a solvent for CO₂ absorption.

Siemens Energy plans to design, install, and operate a pilot plant for treating a slipstream (1 MW equivalent) at the Tampa Electric Big Bend Station to demonstrate POSTCAP technology for post-combustion CO₂ gas capture. The primary goal of this project is to reduce the large amounts of energy traditionally needed to operate carbon capture technologies. Siemens' POSTCAP technology utilizes an amino acid salt formulation as a solvent for CO₂ absorption. The usage of this non-toxic, biodegradable solvent results in a more environmentally friendly process.

The new carbon capture demonstration to be installed in Tampa Electric's coal-fired power plant is expected to treat a slipstream of the flue gas and to capture 90% of its CO₂. This demonstration will be installed downstream of an existing Siemens Wet FGD System (processing 890 MW of Flue Gas in a single absorber). The piloting plant is scheduled to be in operation in 2013.

The Obama Administration has made a goal of developing cost-effective deployment of CCS technologies within 10 years, with an objective of bringing five to ten commercial demonstration projects online by 2016. This pilot plant was one of ten selected by the DOE aimed at developing advanced technologies for capturing carbon dioxide from coal combustion. It will focus on improving efficiency and reducing the added costs to electricity at power plants with carbon capture systems to less than 30% for a new pulverized coal plant and to 10% for a new advanced gasification plant as required by DOE.