Commissioning and First Operations of

the 1 MWth

Oxy-PFBC at CanmetENERGY

Robin Hughes Natural Resources Canada

CanmetENERGY May 21, 2017

CanmetENERGY Oxy-FBC Research 1990’s 2000-2010

Atmospheric Oxy - FBC

Bench to demo at 30 MWth

PERD, EcoETI and industry

funded

Air Fired FBC

Supported

development of

Point Aconi GS,

Nova Scotia

Sulphur capture

NOx reduction

PERD funded

CanmetENERGY Oxy-PFBC Development

2005 – First oxy-PFBC PFD at CanmetENERGY

2010 – Design of oxy-PFBC reactor initiated

2012 – Design of oxy-PFBC test facilities initiated

2013 to 2014 – Strategy developed with GTI to fill

technology gaps and demonstrate oxy-PFBC at 1

MWth

2015 to present – 1 MWth pilot with collaborators

CanmetENERGY PCLC Development

2000 – Calcium looping R&D initiated

2004 – Pilot demonstration of dual fluid bed calcium

looping

2013 – Design of PCLC applications initiated

2015 – Design of PCLC test facilities initiated

Oxy-PFBC Technology Overview

PRODUCT

• Oxy-fired, pressurized fluidized bed combustor, CO2 processing unit, with Rankine or supercritical CO2 Brayton cycle for power generation

BENEFITS

• Produces affordable electric power with near zero emissions or negative emissions

• Exceeds DOE cost goal for advanced combustion tech

• Utilization of biomass, coal and petroleum coke

MARKETS

• Electric power generation with CO2 capture

• Oil production (once-through steam, CO2 floods)

STATUS

• 1 MWth pilot plant construction at CanmetENERGY

• Commissioning complete

• Oxy-combustion tests start May 2017

• Test campaigns firing bituminous, sub-bituminous, and lignite coals to fall 2017

Gas Technology Institute Commercial Scale PFBC Concept

Similar to air blown PFBC, but issues that negatively affected reliability in the past have been addressed: • No hot gas filtration • No expansion turbine • Heat release rates managed via oxygen

partial pressure control

Cost of Electricity

• Oxy-PFBC provides reduced electricity costs with technology enhancements

• No net increase in cost of electricity for CO2 prices/credits of > $30/ton for Rankine cycle

Oxy-PFBC

Air Separation Unit

Fuel & Sulphur Sorbent

Oxy-PFBC Boiler Flue Gas Processing

Power & Steam Generation

Nitrogen

Air

Oxygen

Fuel

Limestone(CaCO3)

Ash &CaSO4

HeatRecovery

WaterCO2

Sequestration

Steam or Supercritical CO2

Power

Boiler Feed

Steam to Process Applications

Oxy-PFBC – Key Design Points

Convective heat exchange tubes In bed heat exchange tubes • Steam (Rankine) • Supercritical CO2 (Brayton) Staged fuel / oxidant / sorbent injection • Pulverized fuel • Peak temperatures • Carbon conversion • Sulphur capture • Oxygen partial pressure

50 kWth Atmospheric Oxy-FBC Facility Gas

Analysis

Stack

WINDBOX

RECYCLE

BLOWER

BAGHOUSE

CYCLONE

CONDENSER

Condensate

Sampling

PRIMARY

FLOW

Solids

Sampling

AIR

Primary

O2 /

Mixed

Gases

PRESSURIZED

HOPPER DRY

FEED SYSTEM

CO2

CO2

CO2

ELECTRIC

HEATERS

Gas

Analysis

Solids

Sampling

COMBUSTOR

50 kWth Oxy-FBC Bed Section

Illinois#6 Coal Ignition Testing

• Dolomite was pre-mixed with the coal to provide Ca:S of 2.5 to 1

• Combustor pre-heat

– Natural gas burner fired with air

– Bed fluidized near umf with recycled flue gas

• Note improved fluidization below natural gas burner - TE-101 nearly matches in-bed thermocouples

• Note increased bed expansion upon coal ignition – TE-104 matches in-bed thermocouples at 11:34:05

• Ignition acceptable at 750°C, but not at 700°C since combustible gas concentration excessive in the flue gas at the lower temperature

Illinois#6 Coal Ignition Testing

• Combustor pre-heat

– Oxygen in flue gas was maintained at 9 vol%, db during natural gas firing

• Oxygen injection rate was set to achieve 10-12 vol% oxygen in flue gas after coal injection initiated

• Oxygen concentration in the flue gas was planned to not exceed 27 vol% at any time

• Indications that oxy-PFBC coal firing could proceed:

– Rapid ignition with combustible gases concentrations within allowable limits

– SO2 capture suitable for direct contact cooler operations

– No ash agglomeration

• Variation in gas concentration due to variation in fuel injection as a result of auger rotation

1 MWth Oxy-PFBC

Solid Fuel & Sorbent Supply

3. The mixture of fuel and sorbent are brought to combustion pressure using a lock hopper. The fuel then falls into the injection vessel that contains an auger for metering the fuel and sorbent mixture into a conveying line for injection into the PFBC.

2. The fuel and sorbent are conveyed to hoppers equipped with gravimetric feeders that meter the fuel and sorbent into a powder blender.

1. Pulverized solid fuel and sulphur sorbent are delivered to the facility in bulk bags. The bags are placed in bulk bag unloaders.

Bulk Gas Supply

1. Oxygen is supplied from two cryogenic tanks. The oxygen is injected into the recycled flue gas through a diffuser.

3. Carbon dioxide is supplied from two cryogenic tanks. The CO2 is used for fuel & sorbent conveying and purges.

4. Natural gas is compressed for use in the high pressure start-up burner and for use in the Linde DeOxo reactor.

2. Twin rotary compressors provide air for the high pressure start-up burner and the PFBC in-bed heat exchanger.

Oxy-PFBC, Filter & RFG

1. The PFBC operates at up to 16 bar as a bubbling bed with an in-bed heat exchanger (IHX) allowing cooling via supercritical CO2, thermal fluid and air. Further heat is extracted in two convective heat exchangers via thermal fluid (CHX1 & 2).

3. The filter removes fly ash slightly above the acid dew point temperature.

4. Particulate free flue gas is recycled to moderate the combustor temperature.

2. Bed ash and fly ash are depressured through lock hoppers and pneumatically conveyed to storage.

CO2 Purification 1. Flue gas is cooled in the direct contact cooler (packed column) by recycled process condensate. Heat is extracted from the process condensate to recover the heat of condensation (T>110°C). A condensate filter removes any remaining fine solids.

2. NOX and SOX are removed to meet CO2 pipeline specification in the LICONOX column by recycled wash water containing NaOH.

3. Natural gas is injected into the flue gas. O2 is oxidized via catalytic combustion to meet CO2 pipeline specification. Heat is recovered at T > 400°C.

4. Purified CO2 is produced at up to 16 bar.

Oxy-PFBC Arrangement

PFBC

Coal &

Sorbent

Hoppers

LICONOX

Convective HX 2 Fly Ash

Filter

DeOxo

Lock

Hopper

& Injection

Direct Contact

Cooler Process

Condensate Filter

DCC

Heat Recovery

LICONOX

Heat Recovery

DeOxo

Heat

Recovery Recycled

Flue Gas

Blower

Not Shown:

• Fuel & Sorbent Unloaders

• Bulk Gas Supply

• Ash Silos

Oxy-PFBC Commissioning Successful

Final commissioning test completed on April 27, 2017

• Demonstrated robust and repeatable coal ignition – 6 successful ignitions in one day

• Ability to sustain combustion after ignition was demonstrated repeatedly. Test in graphic above burned for 32 minutes.

• First performance test planned for completion by May 31

Coal injection

Temperature

near injector

Coal stopped Coal injection Coal stopped

CO2

CO

O2

Next Steps

At 50 kWth

• Co-firing torrefied biomass with coal to achieve negative GHG emissions

• Extend oxygen carrier assisted combustion (ilmenite) tests for oxy-FBC to use with biomass

At 1 MWth

• Staged fuel / oxygen injection

• Heat extraction from the in-bed heat exchanger bed using supercritical CO2

• Quasi-isothermal deoxidation allowing higher deoxidation of flue gas with higher oxygen content with heat recovery using supercritical CO2

Priorities in Multiphase Flow Science For Oxy-PFBC

Validate reactant jet models at high pressure under various fluidizing regimes

Improve modeling of complex geometries within fluid beds • Heat exchangers • Distributors / injectors

Improve ability to implement complex reaction mechanisms • Oxidation of metals and metal oxides at high temperature • Conversion of calcium hydroxide to CaSO4 in high CO2 partial

pressure

Implement design optimization algorithms into transient performance models – RNM and/or process simulation

Improve heat transfer models which consider changing properties of solids as the solids react

Reactant Jet Characteristics

Development Need

• Predict radial and axial dispersion / mixing of reactants

• Influence large scale flow patterns

• Establish number and size of injectors

• Avoid erosion / corrosion

Tools needed

• Prototype system

• Sensors to understand local void fraction, gas and solid flux

• Models to predict jet length, angle, entrainment, interaction between jets and other features

Pressurized Column for Jet Characteristics

Dimensions • 6” diameter • 12 x ½” port • 3 x 1” port

Parameters of Interest • Injector diameter • Injected gas velocity / density • Solid loading • Nozzle position • Particle size in fluidized bed • Particle density

X-Ray Tomography

Optical Fibre Probes

Funding Acknowledgements

• This work was supported by the Government of Canada’s Program of Energy Research and Development, and the ecoENERGY Innovation Initiative program.

• A portion of the project funding was provided by Alberta Innovates.

• This report was prepared as an account of work sponsored by an agency of the United States Government. Neither the United States Government nor any agency thereof, nor any of their employees, makes any warranty, express or implied, or assumes any legal liability or responsibility for the accuracy, completeness, or usefulness of any information, apparatus, product, or process disclosed, or represents that its use would not infringe privately owned rights. Reference herein to any specific commercial product, process, or service by trade name, trademark, manufacturer, or otherwise does not necessarily constitute or imply its endorsement, recommendation, or favoring by the United States Government or any agency thereof. The views and opinions of authors expressed herein do not necessarily state or reflect those of the United States Government or any agency thereof.

For more information contact: Robin Hughes Research Scientist Group Leader, Fluidized Bed Conversion & Gasification Robin.Hughes@Canada.ca 1-613-867-3865 CanmetENERGY, Natural Resources Canada