Enhancement and long-term testing of optimised post-combustion capture technology - Results of the second phase of the testing programme at the Niederaussem pilot plant

In phase I of their joint development programme BASF, Linde and RWE Power have successfully tested an innovative post-combustion capture technology at the pilot plant in Niederaussem - commercialised under the trade mark "OASE (R) blue" by BASF - with a specific energy demand of 2.8 GJ/t(CO2) and a solvent consumption of around 300g/t(CO2). In April 2011, phase II of the project has started, which will run until the end of 2013. Corrosivity, long-term stability of the scrubbing agent and its impact on emissions and the need for reclaiming are being investigated in a long-term trial. At the beginning of phase II, the pilot plant was modified in order to test two optimisation measures. Firstly, a new high-performance structured packing was installed, aiming at a reduction in the absorber's cross-sectional area by more than 35%. Pressure loss measurements and parameter studies were carried out to assess the performance of the new packing. Secondly, an additional washing section was installed at the top of the absorber. Owing to the fact that standards for measuring emissions of large-scale capture plants are not finally defined yet, different process configurations for emission reduction are being tested and optimised This paper summarises the achievements of the testing programme and presents the results of the performance tests for the new structured packing and operational experience regarding emission reduction. (C) 2013 The Authors. Published by Elsevier Ltd.