(61a) Clean Coal - the Greatest Mass Transfer Equipment Challenge

Clean coal carbon capture, by the post combustion absorption of CO2, and by IGCC, is the greatest challenge ever faced to select and apply optimum mass transfer equipment to economically meet the needs of a single application. It surpasses all previous applications, such as high vacuum styrene distillation, process absorption of CO2 and air distillation, all of which advanced equipment design for column packing. Clean coal CO2 capture will need to integrate with existing or new flue gas treatments for SO2, NOx, etc, and face some common difficulties. Carbon capture combines all of the previous most difficult to achieve mass transfer equipment needs in one application: obtaining the lowest pressure drop per unit of efficiency; reducing the overall size and cost of the equipment; achieving reliable performance in extremely large diameter towers; and providing the best resistance to fouling. The parasitic energy load that carbon capture pressure drop places on power generation demands unprecendeted optimization. Fouling and solids have caused a very high percentage of all mass transfer equipment problems and application failures. Column packing and trays for IGCC plants and for conventional coal fired plant CO2 absorption in ammonia, amine and other solutions will need to tolerate solids. We'll look at tests and results of existing devices in fouling services. We'll seek vendor and third party test results, results from IGCC and CCS demonstration plants, to look at the most promising equipment solutions to the greatest mass transfer challenge of all time.