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Frontiers of Chemical Science and Engineering >> 2010, Volume 4, Issue 2 doi: 10.1007/s11705-009-0237-y

Techno-economic assessment of pulverized coal boilers and IGCC power plants with CO 2 capture

1.University of Ulster, Centre for Sustainable Technologies, Co. Antrim, BT37 0QB, Northern Ireland, UK; 2.IEA EPL Gemini House, London SW15 6AA, UK;

Available online: 2010-06-05

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Abstract

The current studies on power plant technologies suggest that Integrated Gasification Combined Cycle (IGCC) systems are an effective and economic CO capture technology pathway. In addition, the system in conventional configuration has the advantage of being more “CO capture ready” than other technologies. Pulverized coal boilers (PC) have, however, proven high technical performance attributes and are economically often most practical technologies. To highlight the pros and cons of both technologies in connection with an integrated CO capture, a comparative analysis of ultrasupercritical PC and IGCC is carried out in this paper. The technical design, the mass and energy balance and the system optimizations are implemented by using the ECLIPSE chemical plant simulation software package. Built upon these technologies, the COcapture facilities are incorporated within the system. The most appropriate CO capture systems for the PC system selected for this work are the oxy-fuel system and the postcombustion scheme using Monoethanolamine solvent scrubber column (MEA). The IGCC systems are designed in two configurations: Water gas shift reactor and Selexol-based separation. Both options generate CO-rich and hydrogen rich-gas streams. Following the comparative analysis of the technical performance attributes of the above cycles, the economic assessment is carried out using the economic toolbox of ECLIPSE is seamlessly connected to the results of the mass and energy balance as well as the utility usages. The total cost assessment is implemented according to the step-count exponential costing method using the dominant factors and/or a combination of parameters. Subsequently, based on a set of assumptions, the net present value estimation is implemented to calculate the breakeven electricity selling prices and the CO avoidance cost.

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