Carbon Capture project case studies
The Ferrybridge Carbon Capture Pilot, Renfrew Oxyfuel (Oxycoal 2) Project and China Advanced Power Plant Carbon Capture Options (CAPPCCO).
Ferrybridge Carbon Capture Pilot (CCPilot100+)
Following completion of its construction phase, the Ferrybridge Carbon Capture Pilot (CCPilot100+) was launched on 30 November 2011 as a collaborative project between Government and industry. The project will test amine based post combustion capture (PCC) technology on a real working power station. The test programme will run during 2012 and 2013 to optimise the process and components, and develop performance models.
Much of the Ferrybridge capture plant has been built using components from a British supply chain. It uses real flue gases from Scottish and Southern Energy’s (SSE) Ferrybridge coal and biomass power station, capturing up to 100 tCO2 per day.
As the largest carbon capture plant of any type in the UK at present, Ferrybridge is a significant step forward in the world of CCS as a critical bridge between research and commercialisation.
The aim of the project is to prove the application of the amine solvent post combustion capture process under realistic operating conditions. It will also enable us to gain knowledge that will be invaluable in the near-term scale up and deployment of CCS and move us closer to our long term aim: cost competitive CCS deployment by the 2020s.
Ferrybridge Key Facts
- Project partners: Scottish and Southern Energy PLC, Doosan Babcock and Vattenfall
- Technology: Solvent (amine) based post combustion capture
- Fuel: coal /small proportion of biomass
- Capacity: Extracts up to 100 tCO2 / day from a power station flue gas stream equivalent to 5MW electrical power. Total power station output = 2000MW electrical.
- Efficiency: Around 90% of CO2 removed from flue gas
- Project Budget: more than £20 million
- Public Funding: more than £6 million from DECC, TSB and Northern Way
Renfrew Oxyfuel (Oxycoal 2) Project
The Oxyfuel (Oxycoal 2) pilot project at Doosan Power System’s Clean Combustion Test Facility in Renfrew, Scotland started in December 2007. The project, a test rig adapted specifically for testing oxyfuel capture technology (on pulverised coal) and applicable to both new and retrofit supercritical boilers, completed the test programme in early 2011.
Testing of the 40MW oxyfuel burner took place under realistic operating conditions and included testing adaptation from air firing to oxyfuel firing. Following the successful test programme, it was concluded that the technology could be used on commercial scale plants. Key findings of the project include:
- increased knowledge, capacity and confidence in oxyfuel technology in the UK
- costs of an oxyfuel system are similar to an air firing plant
- no major furnace or boiler design changes are needed to adapt air firing to oxyfuel
- operating performance achieved was satisfactory for commercial scale plants
Renfrew Oxyfuel Key Facts
- Project partners: Doosan Babcock (lead), Imperial College London, University of Nottingham, Scottish and Southern Energy PLC, Air Products PLC, DONG Energy, Drax Power Limited, EDF Energy PLC, EON UK PLC, Scottish Power Limited, Vattenfall AB, and UK Coal PLC.
- Technology: Oxyfuel combustion
- Fuel: Pulverised coal
- Capacity: 40MW oxyfuel burner test rig
- Project Budget: £8.2 million
- Public Funding: £1.6 million from DECC
CAPPCCO
The China Advanced Power Plant Carbon Capture Options (CAPPCCO) project started in December 2007 to assess and develop carbon capture options for pulverised coal power plants in China. Project objectives included creating a carbon capture characteristics database for existing and planned plants; developing options to enable rapid carbon capture retrofit of existing coal plants as well as capture options for planned plants; assessing performance of carbon capture on Chinese coals; stakeholder engagement and knowledge transfer and; investigating options for financing capture ready and capture retrofit, including private finance.
CAPPCCO has been funded by DECC, China’s Ministry of Science and Technology (MOST), and the UK Environmental Transformation Fund. Project participants include (among others): UK and Chinese universities/ research organisations including Imperial College London, University of Cambridge and the Harbin Institute of Technology (China); Chinese and UK industry and; the Yuanbaoshan Power Plant (China).
Project findings have been presented at prominent conferences and reports have been well received and widely disseminated. CAPPCCO also complements the work of other EU and UK initiatives with China, including the joint UK-China Near Zero Emissions Coal (NZEC)[External link]initiative and the COACH project (COoperation Action within CCS CHina-EU).[External link]The project completed in 2011 and includes a final summary report.