Business
Library
Explore our Library
The Electric Power Research Institute, Inc. (EPRI) has teamed with Washington University in St. Louis (WUSTL), Doosan Babcock Limited, and American Air Liquide to optimize a conceptual staged, pressurized oxy-combustion (SPOC) system developed by WUSTL to reduce the cost of electricity under both full- and part-load conditions. The SPOC system utilizes two or more pressurized boilers in series to control the temperature and heat transfer throughout the oxy-combustion process. Key work includes defining an optimized layout of oxy-coal combustion systems, heat transfer surfaces, and flue gas recycle. Part-load operation strategies will be developed to provide turndown and operational flexibility for the SPOC power plant, which could be a critical differentiator of the technology. Experimental quantification of combustion characteristics defined during the optimization process and verification of the operating range of the combustor will be achieved using WUSTL’s 100-kWth pressurized oxy-combustion test unit. Estimates of capital and operating costs for a commercial SPOC power plant will be developed via an updated economic analysis and compared to a baseline pulverized coal (PC) plant. This work will leverage research in WUSTL’s current DOE sponsored project DE-FE0009702.
The project team will develop an optimized conceptual design of a commercial-scale SPOC coal power plant, which has the potential to provide better performance and cost than a baseline PC power plant with post-combustion carbon capture. The SPOC system design enables reduced gas volumes and oxygen demand, increased radiative heat transfer, increased CO2 purity entering the compression and purification unit, and minimization of other combustion temperature control processes. The project goal is to achieve these benefits through oxy-combustion boiler/combustor development, heat management, and integration for efficient steam generation, while minimizing heat loss and optimizing the SPOC process.
