Carbon dioxide clean-up for coal
Recognising that coal will continue to be a major long-term fuel for power generation, the Babcock & Wilcox Company (B&W) is investigating how best to clean up the emissions from coal-fired power generation plants.
Its latest investment is in collaboration with American Air Liquide Inc (AAL) looking at a promising new technology to help capture carbon dioxide (CO2), a major contributor to global warming.
Oxy-coal combustion utilises pure oxygen for the combustion of coal in electricity generating plants. In this system, nitrogen that comes in with the air for the combustion process is eliminated. As a result, the exhaust gas is a relatively pure stream of CO2 that is ready for long-term storage operations.
AAL will help B&W modify its existing 30MWth Clean Environment Development Facility (CEDF) in Alliance, Ohio. Proving the oxy-coal technology is planned for June 2007. AAL will provide engineering and chemistry know-how related to combustion, as well as proprietary equipment and sensors for the safe and efficient handling of liquefied oxygen.
Don Langley, B&W vice president and chief technology officer says: Finding ways to capture and store CO2 emissions from power plants is paramount if the United States is going to address greenhouse gas concerns and use our national energy resources. Because oxy-coal technology builds on pulverized coal combustion technologyit will complement most of the world's coal-fired power plants.”
B&W will evaluate several types of coalincluding coal imported from SaskatchewanCanadathe site of a proposed near-zero emissions power plant that will use this technology at commercial scale. Air Liquide provides industrial and medical gases and related services and offers innovative solutions based on constantly enhanced technologies based on sustainable development.
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