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BCIA announced $650,000 awarded towards a research project which will combine CSIRO carbon dioxide capture innovation with that of major Japanese technology vendor, IHI Corporation.
The project targets a 40% reduction in the energy usage of current plant post combustion capture (PCC) processes for Victorian brown coal-fired power plants.
Capturing carbon dioxide requires power and consequently increases energy costs. There are currently about 25 pilot-scale PCC processes operating throughout the world seeking to reduce this energy penalty.
BCIA CEO Phil Gurney said: “This research project is targeting a 40% reduction in energy use of current post combustion capture processes and will see the installation of a $1 million Japanese-built PCC pilot plant at AGL Loy Yang Power station; the first in Victoria to operate around the clock. The expected reduction in energy usage – as targeted by this project – would lead to savings in the cost of energy supplied to the consumer compared to implementing carbon capture using first-generation PCC plant.
“This project entails a two-year evaluation of two advanced liquid absorbents, two advanced process designs and an advanced gas/liquid contactor. The combination of these three aspects represents a step forward in PCC technology application for Victorian brown coal-fired power stations.
Additionally, this research project is unique because it denotes a major collaboration between internationally renowned technology provider, IHI Corporation, and Australia’s national research institute; CSIRO.”
The project, selected in BCIA’s 2013/14 competitive R&D funding round, also aims to slash the capital and operational costs for large-scale carbon capture plants – arguably the greatest challenge facing global deployment of carbon capture for fossil fuel power generation.
BCIA has received multi-million dollar funding from the Victorian Government and the Australian Government via a relationship agreement with Australia National Low Emissions Coal Research and Development.
The relationship agreement provides for BCIA to manage its partner’s brown coal energy research portfolio.
