Chilled ammonia to capture CO2

29 February 2008

Alstom and US partners the Electric Power Research Institute (EPRI) and We Energies have launched a pilot project that uses chilled ammonia to capture carbon dioxide (CO₂) from coal-fuelled power plants.

Alstom designed, constructed and will operate the 1.7MW system that captures CO₂ from a portion of coal-fired boiler flue gas at We Energies’ Pleasant Prairie Power Plant, a 1,224MW coal-fired generating station in Wisconsin.

Alstom says its process uses chilled ammonia to capture CO₂ and isolates it in a highly concentrated, high-pressure form. In laboratory testing it has demonstrated the potential to capture more than 90 per cent of CO₂ at a cost that is far less than other carbon capture technologies. Once captured, the CO₂ can be used commercially or sequestered in suitable underground geologic sites.

EPRI will conduct an engineering and environmental performance and cost analysis during the project, which will last at least one year. Through EPRI’s collaborative research and development program, more than 30 organisations representing a large portion of the coal-fuelled utilities in the United States have committed to support this project.