CO2CRC- Cooperative Research Centre for Greenhouse Gas Technologies
The Cooperative Research Centre for Greenhouse Gas Technologies (CO2CRC) is one of the world’s leading collaborative research organisations focused on carbon dioxide (CO2) capture and storage (CCS), or geosequestration, to reduce greenhouse gas emissions to the atmosphere. CO2 is the most significant man-made greenhouse gas emitted worldwide and CCS will be an important part of reducing those emissions, along with energy efficiency and renewable energy technologies.
Through the Centre, more than 200 researchers in Australia and New Zealand are collaborating to develop safe and economical CCS technologies that will make deep cuts in Australia’s greenhouse gas emissions.
The three main CO2CRC research programs are:
- Storage of CO2 - researchers are studying sedimentary basins and identifying regions and sites in Australia and New Zealand that are best suited to the safe, deep sub-surface storage of CO2.
- Capture of CO2- scientists research, develop and aim to demonstrate technologies that will reduce the costs of capturing carbon dioxide by 75 to 80 per cent.
- Demonstration and Pilot Projects - demonstrating that geosequestration is a viable option for carbon dioxide emission mitigation in Australia.
Storage Research Overview:
Successful storage of carbon dioxide requires identification of storage sites suitable for significant volumes. This effort comprises mainly geological and engineering evaluation of the applicable storage system (e.g. saline formations, depleted or near depleted oil and gas reservoirs and/or coal systems) to various levels of detail. The objective of such studies is the understanding of the storage capacity, the injectivity and the containment potential of each prospective site. In addition, suitable monitoring technologies need to be employed, and the potential risks and uncertainties need to be recognised and quantified.
The CO2CRC Otway Project is the country’s first demonstration of the deep geological storage or geosequestration of carbon dioxide. The project provides technical information on geosequestration processes, technologies and monitoring and verification regimes that will help inform public policy and industry decision-makers while also providing assurance to the community.
For more information on the Storage Program and the Otway Project go to:
Capture Research Overview:
CO2 capture constitutes up to 80 per cent of the cost of CCS. For CCS to be a viable technology enabling deep cuts in global CO2 emissions from fossil fuels without excessive increases in power costs, significant reductions in capture costs are necessary.
The CO2CRC capture program aims to research, develop and deploy technologies that can achieve cuts in capture costs of up to 80 per cent and provide Australia with a research and education capability to support industries using these technologies. A framework of economic evaluation is used to measure and validate research directions and integrate both with energy-production issues and storage infrastructure.
The strategy of our capture activities is to weave together three threads of activity - basic laboratory research, pilot and demonstration projects and future large scale designs - into a coherent outcome of low cost commercial capture.
The main activities over the past year have been the capture demonstration projects in both post-combustion and pre-combustion, supported by the Victorian Government Energy Technology Innovation Strategy (ETIS). The ETIS projects involve demonstrating the range of capture techniques (in three different separation technologies) developed over the last few years, in real power plant settings. University of Melbourne researchers are key contributors to the projects which represent a unique combination of conventional and novel capture techniques in a single research program.
Capture Demonstration Research Programs:
Enhanced Solvent Based Systems:
Project Leader: Professor Geoff Stevens
Email: gstevens@unimelb.edu.au
Department of Chemical & Biomolecular Engineering, The University of Melbourne
Aims: To evaluate solvent and solvent-hybrid systems to examine their cost effectiveness in the removal of CO2 from a range of applications. These evaluations will include energy, impurity and equipment factors that impact the overall cost of capture. The project will provide a watching brief on international solvent developments.
Research Overview:
This work is made up of two activities:
- “Performance of novel equipment for solvent absorption systems”, which aims to test and evaluate solvent absorption systems for CO2 removal, equipment comparisons, impurity tolerance and heat integration studies of CO2 recovery systems.
- "Gas-liquid membrane contactors" aims to develop new cost-effective membrane materials that are more resistant to solvent degradation.
For more information on solvents in pre-combustion CO2 capture:
http://www.co2crc.com.au/dls/factsheets/CO2CRC_factSheet_11.pdf
For more information on solvents in post-combustion CO2capture:
http://www.co2crc.com.au/dls/factsheets/CO2CRC_factSheet_14.pdf
For information on the chemistry of solvent absorption of CO2 :http://www.co2crc.com.au/dls/factsheets/CO2CRC_factSheet_17.pdf
Innovative Membrane Systems:
Project Leader: A/Professor Sandra Kentish
Email: sandraek@unimelb.edu.au
Department of Chemical & Biomolecular Engineering, The University of Melbourne
Aim: To evaluate gas separation systems to examine their cost-effectiveness in the removal of CO2 from a range of applications. These evaluations will include energy, impurity and equipment factors that impact the overall cost of capture.
Research Overview: This project includes the design and performance testing of a range of membranes to cover a range of physical and chemical conditions such as elevated temperatures, gas separation, gas-liquid separation and separation in hot moist gas streams.
For more information on membranes in pre-combustion CO2 capture:
http://www.co2crc.com.au/dls/factsheets/CO2CRC_factSheet_12.pdf
For more information on membranes in post-combustion CO2 capture:
http://www.co2crc.com.au/dls/factsheets/CO2CRC_factSheet_15.pdf
Innovative Pressure Swing Adsorption Systems:
Project Leader: Professor Paul Webley
Email: paul.webley@eng.monash.edu.au
Department of Chemical Engineering Monash University
Aims: To evaluate pressure swing adsorption systems to examine their cost-effectiveness in the removal of CO2 from a range of applications. These evaluations will include energy, impurity and equipment factors that impact the overall cost of capture. As well as Pressure Swing Adsorption systems other variants using adsorbent techniques will be covered. The full range of adsorbent cycles and materials development will be drawn together to develop complete CO2 capture processes.
Research Overview: This work is made up of two focal points – material development and process development. The first area is involved with developing new materials that can be used to separate CO2 in Pressure Swing Adsorption systems. This includes a range of adsorbents including amines, metal organic frameworks, zeolites, inorganic/ organic hybrid membranes and high capacity adsorbent carbons.
For more information on adsorbents in pre-combustion CO2 capture:
http://www.co2crc.com.au/dls/factsheets/CO2CRC_factSheet_13.pdf
For more information on adsorbents in post-combustion CO2 capture:
http://www.co2crc.com.au/dls/factsheets/CO2CRC_factSheet_16.pdf
CO2CRC/HRL Mulgrave Capture Demonstration Project
Background:
Brown coal is the cheapest source of fossil fuel for power generation in Australia, but it produces the highest level of greenhouse gases when burned in conventional boilers in power plants. To ensure its viability in the longer term , where greenhouse gas- driven climate change is an accepted fact, we should be looking at ways of making coal burning more efficient.
Improved efficiency can be accomplished in many different ways, such as overall energy integration in the power plant and/or adopting new technologies. Coal gasification at high temperature and pressure is one of the best routes to more efficient burning.
Advanced technologies such as Integrated Gasification Combined Cycle (IGCC) will enable higher thermal efficiencies - up to 50 per cent in the future - through a combined cycle which uses a gas turbine followed by a steam turbine to generate electricity.
Pre-combustion CO2 capture is highly suitable in plants with new coal burning technologies such as IGCC as they have a concentrated CO2 stream. In the gasification process, coal is brought into contact with air, making a combustible gas of mostly hydrogen and carbon monoxide (known as syngas). Syngas contains a reasonable amount of CO2 and a significant amount of nitrogen from the air used. This gas mixture is the feed gas for the capture plant.
Pre-combustion capture trials at HRL’s research gasifier, Mulgrave
The key objective of this project is to reduce the technical risk and cost of pre-combustion capture for Victorian coal-fired stations with new coal burning technologies employing gasification.
The trials will evaluate pre-combustion CO2 capture technologies to identify the most cost-effective for application to coal gasification power-generation technology. This project will also allow CO2CRC to leverage the existing research base of its capture activities in Victoria. The University of Melbourne is responsible for developing solvent and membrane technologies while Monash University performs R&D on adsorption technology.
In more detail, the program will:
- Identify and quantify the impact of realistic pre-combustion gas contaminants (H2S, CH4, CO) and water on the performance of each of the separation technologies;
- Identify and quantify the impact of pre-combustion gas temperature and concentration variations on the performance of the separation media and separation processes;
- Optimise process operating parameters;
- Develop engineering solutions at a scale at which confidence can be established for full scale plant design and assessment;
- Assess the pre-combustion capture process and energy integration options; and
- Review the technical and economic viability of the commercial use of pre-combustion capture for new Victorian brown-coal power stations using the gasification process route.
For more information on the CO2CRC/HRL Mulgrave Capture Demonstration Project :
http://www.co2crc.com.au/dls/brochures/CO2CRC_Mulgrave_brochure.pdf
CO2CRC H3 Capture Demonstration Project:
Why post-combustion capture?
Brown coal, or lignite, is the cheapest source of fossil fuel for power generation in Australia. Australia has enough coal for hundreds of years. Significant improvements in how we burn brown coal for power, as well as the ability to capture carbon dioxide from coal-fired power plants, will mean we can continue to use this abundant resource in a carbon-constrained world.
Post-combustion capture involves the removal of CO2 after the coal is burned. Given the large number of coal-fired power plants in Australia and in the world, post-combustion capture offers an opportunity to make significant cuts in greenhouse gas emissions.
Post-combustion capture has the advantage that it can be retrofitted to existing plants, integrated into new plants, has high operational flexibility – as it can be added in stages and operated independently of the power station – and, importantly for this project, has significant development potential through process improvements, new sorbents and new technologies.
By demonstrating the technology at scale, this project will reduce the technical risk and cost of post-combustion capture for coal-fired power stations around the world.
Post-combustion capture at International Power’s Hazelwood Power Station:
The purpose of the CO2CRC H3 Capture Project is to better understand the performance of various CO2 capture technologies with Australian brown coal flue gases and to evaluate the performance of three technologies for larger scale capture. This will reduce the technical risk and cost of post-combustion capture for Victorian coal-fired stations.
The CO2CRC H3 Capture Project will allow CO2CRC to leverage the existing research base of its capture activities in Victoria. The University of Melbourne is developing solvent and membrane technologies while Monash University performs research and development on adsorbents. The project will utilise the solvent capture plant installed by International Power as part of the Hazelwood Carbon Capture Project.
The project aims to:
- determine the effects of the operating parameters of CO2 concentration, moisture content, SOx and NOx concentration and fly ash properties on the behaviour of solvent systems and other novel separation technologies;
- assess a post-combustion capture process and energy integration options for Hazelwood Power Station; and
- review the technical and economic viability of the commercial use of post-combustion capture for existing and new Victorian brown-coal power stations.
The CO2CRC H3 Capture Project is Australia’s most comprehensive CO2 capture research facility.
The project is part of the Latrobe Valley Post-Combustion Capture Project and is supported by the Victorian Government, through their Energy Technology Innovation Strategy (ETIS) Brown Coal R&D funding. The majority of funding for the CO2CRC H3 Capture Project is provided by CO2CRC and International Power.
For more information on the CO2CRC H3 Capture Demonstration Project:
http://www.co2crc.com.au/dls/brochures/CO2CRC_H3_brochure_A4.pdf
Further information
For more information on the CO2CRC please visit our web site: http://www.co2crc.com.au/