Publication Overview
The IEA Greenhouse gas R&D programme has conducted many studies on CO₂ capture from large power stations. Such studies are normally conducted by an experienced contractor and typically cost upwards of £40,000. In order to perform such studies leading to a capital costs estimate within +-30% it is necessary to have a reasonably detailed description of the process and all of the main equipment which is required. In addition the contractor needs to have a reliable database of cost information on the equipment. From time to time novel schemes are put forward but detailed evaluation is inhibited by the high cost of a full study. Furthermore factors other than cost may be important in determining how interesting a novel system is and it may be difficult to predict the cost of exotic equipment. IEAGHG thus developed a simple assessment program in order to be able to carry out a first screening of novel process without incurring large costs. This report summarises the work which has been done on the development of this computer program and the experience with using it on a number of novel schemes.
Publication Summary
There are factors relating to CO₂ capturing power plant which cannot easily be expressed in purely monetary terms. Multi-criteria analysis as applied in PPAP forces consideration of these factors in monetary terms. From the novel processes which have so far been evaluated it would seem that the effect of these factors could range from being almost nothing to the equivalent of several ¢/kWh on the electricity price. The methodology promotes objective comparison of competing processes. Some of the innovative evaluated processes could mount a serious challenge to conventional capture processes. However none of those evaluated so far would appear to have a clear lead.