Technologies for CCS on Natural Gas Power
Systems
Satish Reddy
April 2104
Presentation Focus

This presentation focuses on:
– Solvent based Carbon Capture from Natural Gas based
power plants
– Commercial and demonstration experience
– Energy consumption minimization
– Environmental impact
2
Introduction

There are several technologies available for solvent
based Carbon Capture

To name a few:
– Alstom
– Aker Solutions
– Cansolv
– Fluor
– MHI
– Siemens

Few of these companies have demonstrated on natural
gas power systems
3
Fluor’s Econamine FG+SM Experience
CO2 Capture Experience

Fluor has several decades of experience in CO2
projects and facilities, including:
– Capture
 Pre- and post-combustion including Fluor's Econamine
FG+ technology
 Gas processing: Removal of CO2 from synthesis gas &
natural gas; over 400 units
– Transport
 Pipelines, piping systems, compression and pumping
 Drying
5
Fluor’s Econamine FG+SM Experience

One of the most proven post-combustion CO2 capture
process available:
– Vast body of commercial experience
– 28 plants to date
– Fluor has been active in post-combustion capture since
the late 1980s

Suitable for a range of O2 and CO2 containing gas
streams
– CO2 : 3% to 20% by volume
– O2 : 1 to 15% by volume
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Fluor’s Econamine FG+SM Experience

Commercially proven on gas
– Bellingham NGCC Power Plant
– Several Gas Engines in Power Generation

Demonstrated on coal
– Wilhelmshaven Econamine FG+ Demonstration Plant

Commercially proven on low-grade fuel oil
7
Commercial Experience on Gas Turbine
Exhaust
Project Profile: Bellingham, MA
Capacity 360 tons/d
 40 MW flue gas flow from NGCC power plant
 CO2 Concentration: 3.5% v/v

O2 Concentration: 13 to 14% v/v
 100% air cooled
 Product Usage: Food-grade CO2
 Continuous commercial operation from 1991 to

2005 (14 years)
 98.5% on-stream factor in 2004

Shutdown due to high natural gas price
9
History of EFG+ - Bellingham Plant
Aerial View
Ground View
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Challenges and Mitigation Strategies
Column Scale-up

Columns of 20 m or 60 ft are not common

Proper gas and liquid distribution

At the same time, pressure drop needs to minimized
12
Large Column Example

Fluor’s DGA Plant in Ulthamaniyah, Saudi Arabia
Absorber with large diameter
13
Large Column Example

Large diameter vacuum column being delivered to a
Fluor in the USA.
14
Column Scale-up
15
Column Scale-up

Mitigation Strategies
– Build absorption system in multiple trains: Downside is
higher CAPEX
– Conduct CFD analysis and use proven scale-up
measures
– Learn from other applications where large columns have
been deployed
16
Energy Consumption

Typical electric load for a NGCC capture unit:
– Capture 35%
– Compression 65%

Compression is a mature technology.
– Efficiency is very high: Approximately 85% to 88%
– Not much room for improvement

Room for improvement in capture energy consumption
– Steam demand is between 2.6 to 2.8 GJ/t
– Many claims of lower steam demand have not been
substantiated
17
Emissions

Typical emissions include the following species:
– Ammonia
– VOCs
– Solvent vapor

With some processes: nitrosamines

Measurement techniques including online analyses
have considerably improved
18
Summary

It is time for large scale natural gas based demo plants
to be built in the US

Useful demonstration scale is 200 to 250 MW

Proven solvents should be considered instead of
“chasing the rainbow”

There is much more to building a robust and energy
efficient plant that just pure chemistry

Systematic quantification of environmental performance
is required.
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Questions
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