Test results from a pilot unit equipped with Powerspan Corp.’s (Portsmouth, N.H.; www.powerspan.com) ECO2 carbon-dioxide-capture technology met performance goals, the company announced today.
Set up in a real-world operating environment at FirstEnergy Corp.’s (Akron, Ohio; www.firstenergycorp.com) plant in Shadyside, Ohio, the coal-fired, 1-MW test unit captured greater than 90% of the carbon dioxide from a slipstream of fluegas. The performance data collected from the test unit allow Powerspan to move forward with commercial-scale demonstration systems.
In extended runs, the pilot unit was able to average more than 90% CO2 capture at design-inlet CO2 conditions with regeneration energy of less than 1,200 Btu/lb after heat integration, Powerspan says. As part of the test, product CO2 was purified to meet industrial pipeline specifications using equipment that was part of the pilot installation.
Commercial cost estimates based on pilot plant performance data suggest the cost for CO2 capture and compression is less than $50 per ton, Powerspan announced.
In early 2010, Powerspan plans to publish an independent review of pilot test results along with an independent assessment of commercial cost implications.