Retrofitting an Australian Brown Coal Power Station with Post-Combustion Capture

This presentation includes work performed by Bechtel in executing a study for CO2CRC Limited, Australia, on Post Combustion Capture (PCC) facilities at a reference brown coal power plant in the Latrobe Valley.

The study includes the conceptualization of a modular PCC Plant and associated Order-of-Magnitude Capital (Level 5 AACE).

The base case scope of each PCC module is an open-art absorption/stripping/compression treatment scheme using 40 wt% monoethanolamine (MEA) as absorbent. Fairly uniquely, the use of an open access design means the PCC scheme can be described in detail.

Performance and cost data are detailed for a single PCC module and, importantly, a concept to retrofit all of the units on site is presented. There are four boiler units at the reference plant, each including two exhaust gas flues with one PCC module per flue. Complete retrofits of multi-unit sites will obviously be required in the future, but to date both studies and PCC plants built have concentrated on single units.

Any PCC retrofit study will be specific for the reference site only and will include unique features. In this case the approach used had to allow for features including the absence of FGD units, the particular steam cycle components and layout, and connections to the unit stacks.

Retrofits, particularly for solid fuel plants, must also be supported by thorough pilot-scale testing and an appropriate project development process. This will also be discussed.

While the results of the study apply only to the reference plant, the general approach is of interest for wider application. In particular, the use of open access as an effective way to reduce overall costs of ownership for PCC retrofits will be examined.