RWE’s Scrubbing Pilot Plant in Cooperation with BASF and Linde

Facts:

In addition to the IGCC CCS demonstration plant, RWE also agreed on a cooperation with BASF and Linde Group, for the development of a CO2 scrubbing pilot plant at the power plant Niederaussem. The project entails the construction and operation of a pilot plant, which started in July 2009. At the pilot plant all aspects of CO2 scrubbing are to be trialed for 18 months under real power plant conditions to examine their functioning state and gain experience for later commercial scale systems. The aim of the project is to reduce efficiency losses and costs associated with post combustion technologies to €30/t of CO2 through energy optimised Amine scrubbing solvents supplied by BASF, and improvements in the process and plant technology.

Linde is responsible for engineering and the construction of the pilot plant and has been constructing the pilot at the 1,000-MW lignite-fired unit BoA 1. BoA 1 is with a net efficiency of over 43% the most advanced and efficient lignite-fired unit worldwide. It is equipped with optimized plant technology and is the forerunner to the two power plant units BoA 2&3 being built at the Neurath site. In Niederaussem, the carbon capture technology to be developed can thus be adapted to this type of power plant in an ideal manner.

The height of the pilot CO2 scrubbing plant (40 m) corresponds to that of the future commercial plant. The plant also comprises all individual components of large plants, but on a smaller scale. The diameter of the absorber column was limited to the size required to obtain representative results.

To operate the pilot plant a small amount of the flue gas ( 0.05%) is diverted from the BoA unit and fed into the pilot plant. Depending on the set test parameters, up to 300 kg CO2 per hour can be separated from a flue gas bypass (corresponds to a capture rate of 90 %). The scrubbed CO2 is fed back into the fluegas stream of the BoA unit, since currently no storage options exist at the site.

The cost of the project mount to € 9 million, to which the Federal Ministry of Economics and Technology is contributing 40%. Provided that the pilot phase is completed successfully, it is planned to have a demonstration phase immediately afterwards, during which a demonstration plant is to be built. Current plans involve a 30 to 40 MW plant with capture and storage.

The project will be linked to other pilot projects undertaken at the site such as the WTA process developed by RWE in order to compensate for the efficiency losses associated with capture. The goal is to make carbon capture technology utilizable for the retrofit of existing modern plants or new power plants by 2015.

Timing:

Started construction 2009, 18 month test period.