The National Carbon Capture Center at the Power Systems Development Facility

Technical Report · Tue Dec 30 00:00:00 EST 2014

DOI:https://doi.org/10.2172/1234431· OSTI ID:1234431

The National Carbon Capture Center (NCCC) at the Power Systems Development Facility supports the Department of Energy (DOE) goal of promoting the United States’ energy security through reliable, clean, and affordable energy produced from coal. Work at the NCCC supports the development of new power technologies and the continued operation of conventional power plants under CO₂ emission constraints. The NCCC includes adaptable slipstreams that allow technology development of CO₂ capture concepts using coal-derived syngas and flue gas in industrial settings. Because of the ability to operate under a wide range of flow rates and process conditions, research at the NCCC can effectively evaluate technologies at various levels of maturity and accelerate their development path to commercialization. During its first contract period, from October 1, 2008, through December 30, 2014, the NCCC designed, constructed, and began operation of the Post-Combustion Carbon Capture Center (PC4). Testing of CO₂ capture technologies commenced in 2011, and through the end of the contract period, more than 25,000 hours of testing had been achieved, supporting a variety of technology developers. Technologies tested included advanced solvents, enzymes, membranes, sorbents, and associated systems. The NCCC continued operation of the existing gasification facilities, which have been in operation since 1996, to support the advancement of technologies for next-generation gasification processes and pre-combustion CO₂ capture. The gasification process operated for 13 test runs, supporting over 30,000 hours combined of both gasification and pre-combustion technology developer testing. Throughout the contract period, the NCCC incorporated numerous modifications to the facilities to accommodate technology developers and increase test capabilities. Preparations for further testing were ongoing to continue advancement of the most promising technologies for future power generation processes.

• Research Organization: Southern Company Services Incorporated, Wilsonville, AL (United States)
• Sponsoring Organization: USDOE
• DOE Contract Number: NT0000749
• OSTI ID: 1234431
• Country of Publication: United States
• Language: English

Related Subjects

01 COAL, LIGNITE, AND PEAT
32 ENERGY CONSERVATION, CONSUMPTION, AND UTILIZATION