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CO₂ Capture as a Factor in Power Station Investment Decisions

1 May 2006
Capture

There is increasing interest in capture and storage of CO₂ from fossil fuel fired power stations, to mitigate climate change. The IEA Greenhouse Gas R&D Programme (IEA GHG) has recently carried out studies to assess the performance and costs of various types of power station incorporating CO₂ capture. IEA GHG has commissioned Mott MacDonald to pull together the results from these studies on a consistent basis and review features of the technologies which may be important for plant investors. The opinions of a range of potential investors were surveyed and the results of the survey were combined with the technology evaluations using a multi-criteria analysis, to show how far each technology matches the surveyed investor preferences.

Technical Report

Estimating the Future Trends in the Cost of CO₂ Capture Technologies

1 February 2006
Capture
Costs of CCUS

The IEA Greenhouse Gas R&D Programme (IEA GHG) has carried out studies to assess the performance and costs of various plants with CO₂ capture and storage (CCS). These assessments have mostly been based on current technology and component cost data. This approach has the advantage of avoiding subjective judgements of what may or may not happen in the future. The disadvantage is that it does not take into account the potential for future improvements which could affect the long-term competitiveness of a technology.Reductions in the costs of technologies resulting from learning-by-doing and other factors have been systematically observed over many decades. Major factors contributing to cost reductions include, but are not limited to, improvements in technology design, materials, product standardisation, system integration or optimisation, economies of scale and reductions in input prices. This study analyses cost reductions that have been achieved for a range of process technologies and uses that information to predict possible future trends in the costs of power plants with CO₂ capture.

Technical Report

Updating the IEA GHG Global CO₂ Emissions Database: Developments since 2002

1 February 2006
Industry Insights

IEA Greenhouse Gas R&D Programme’s (IEA GHG) global CO₂ emissions database was first published in July 2002 [1]. Consisting of some 14000 entries, the database was an attempt at producing a global snapshot of large stationary CO₂ emissions sources, stating their location and the size of their emissions. The database was a first step, in a series of subsequent regionally focussed studies that would match these large stationary emission sources of CO₂ with possible storage sites. Two regional studies have been completed by IEA GHG for Europe [2] and North America [3] and a third for the Indian subcontinent is now being planned.It was acknowledged during the compilation of the database that there could be some errors in the dataset brought in with the source material. So, alongside the regional studies, IEA GHG has, since 2002, had a parallel programme to progressively improve the emissions data by updating the information contained in the database and improving its accessibility to a wider audience. This paper identifies the problems with the original database, lists the steps undertaken and the reasons behind the improvements.

Technical Report

Safe Storage of CO₂

1 January 2006
Storage

The aim of this study is to review the regulatory processes and operational practises within the natural gas storage industry and assess their applicability to CO₂ storage. The objective of the study will be to develop a report that can act as a reference manual for IEA Greenhouse Gas R&D Programme (IEA GHG) members in their discussions with policy makers and environmental pressure groups to demonstrate that geological can be a safe and environmentally friendly mitigation option.

Technical Report

Permitting Issues for CO₂ Capture and Geological Storage

1 December 2005
Capture
Storage

The capture and storage of CO₂ in geological formations is a promising technology for reducing greenhouse gas emissions. Such projects will involve very large investments in plant, pipelines, wells and reservoir development. As with most large undertakings it will be essential to obtain permits for a whole range of activities which have to be carried out in order to implement such projects. Obtaining permits has been a major constraint on the rapid deployment of many new technologies and can cause considerable delay and effort even when implementing proven systems. To ensure that CO₂ capture and storage can be deployed successfully in the required timescales any issues that may arise during permitting of CO₂ capture and storage projects need to be identified as early as possible and permitting procedures developed and agreed. This study was commissioned to provide an overview of permitting issues in CCS projects and provide some guidance to operators and regulators who are concerned with the technology.

Technical Report

Development of PPAP - Power Plant Assessment Program

1 December 2005
Capture

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.

Technical Report

Low greenhouse gas emission transport fuels: the impact of CO₂ capture and storage on selected pathways

1 December 2005
Capture
Storage

In assessing the environmental impact of transport technology options, it is necessary to consider the impact of each of the stages of fuel extraction, refining, distribution and use in the vehicle. This needs to be done in a systematic way for the ‘novel’ systems considered, as well as for reference cases. The approach requires a form of life-cycle analysis which, in the transport, field has come to be known as Well-to-Wheels analysis (WTW). A subset of this analysis covers the production of the fuel up to the point where it is dispensed into the vehicle’s fuel tank – this is known as Well-to-Tank analysis; the second part of the chain is Tank-to-Wheels analysis (WTT and TTW respectively). In the main report the component WTT and TTW data are discussed in depth but in this overview the emphasis is on the overall WTW results.The study is set in the Netherlands; representative of a European location. The vehicle fleet for each type of fuel is assumed to be large enough that economies of scale can be expected in distribution and in vehicle costs. Some consideration is also given to how the results would be affected if set in a North American location.

Technical Report

CO₂ Capture in Low Rank Coal Power Plants

1 November 2005
Capture

Until now, IEA GHG’s studies on coal-based power plants with CO₂ capture have concentrated mainly on high rank (bituminous) coals but it is recognised that low-rank coals (sub-bituminous coal, lignite and brown coal) are important fuels for power generation in several countries. A study has therefore been carried out to estimate the performance and costs of low rank coal fired power plants with CO₂ capture based on various technologies. The study was carried out for IEA GHG by Foster Wheeler Italiana. This overview written by IEA GHG summarises the results of the study and puts them in context with results from other studies carried out recently by IEA GHG. More detailed technical information is included in the Executive Summary in Foster Wheeler’s report.

Technical Report

International Test Network for CO₂ Capture: Report on 8th Workshop

1 November 2005
Capture
Event Proceedings

This workshop was the eighth in a series to discuss co-operation in development of MEA and related solvents to capture CO₂ from power plant flue gases. The previous events were in Gaithersburg, Calgary, Apeldoorn, Kyoto, Pittsburgh, Trondheim, and Vancouver. Copies of all the reports from and including the Apeldoorn meeting are available on CD

Technical Report

A Review of Natural CO₂ Occurrences and Releases and their Relevance to CO₂ Storage

1 September 2005
Storage

The aim of this study was to evaluate natural occurrences of CO₂ leakage and compare and contrast them with engineered storage of CO₂ in geological formations. The objective of the study was to provide a reference manual for IEA Greenhouse Gas R&D Programme members and others interested in the subject, to provide a factual and balanced review of natural CO₂ releases and their relevance to geological CO₂ storage.

Technical Report

CO₂ Storage by Mineral Carbonation

1 September 2005
Storage
Utilisation

In 2000 the IEA GHG R&D programme issued a comprehensive report on technologies for capture of CO₂ using mineral carbonation. This report evaluated 6 candidate processes but concluded that only one process involving a hot melt of magnesium chloride showed any promise. Mineral carbonation is attractive as a CO₂ storage option because of its permanency but would involve mining, processing and re-depositing of massive quantities of material. In the mean time research has continued and it was felt that it was timely to conduct a more up to date study. As a first step a short review of recent developments and literature was commissioned to ascertain whether it was worthwhile going ahead with a full scale study.

Technical Report

Well Bore Integrity Workshop Houston, TX, USA, 4-5 April 2005

1 September 2005
Event Proceedings
Storage

The integrity of well bores, their long-term ability to retain CO₂, has been identified as a significant potential risk for the long-term security of geological storage facilities. A workshop was held in April 2005 to bring together over 50 experts from both industrial operators and from research organisations. Industrial operations are part of CO₂ enhanced oil recovery (EOR) projects or acid gas waste disposal projects. Current research includes laboratory investigations that attempt to simulate long-term geochemical and mechanical processes that may affect well completion materials – mainly cement; field studies of well completions that have been exposed to CO₂ during industrial projects as described above, and modelling studies, both of local reactions and upscaled simulations of leakage across basins.

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