ALSTOM joins DOE to develop hybrid combustion-gasification chemical looping process

ALSTOM announced that it is participating in a U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) project to develop and verify a novel hybrid combustion-gasification chemical looping concept for ultra-clean, low cost, high efficiency coal power generation.

ALSTOM will develop the hybrid combustion-gasification process using high temperature chemical and thermal looping technologies.  The process is based on the oxidation, reduction, carbonation, and calcination of calcium-based compounds to chemically react with coal, biomass, or opportunity fuels in two chemical loops and one thermal loop.

ALSTOM has completed engineering studies and bench-scale tests on the chemical looping process and determined that this process has the potential to meet ultra-clean low emissions targets, including CO2 capture, at a cost and efficiency that is about the same as today's power plants.  Project participants include U.S. DOE, ALSTOM, Parsons Energy & Chemical Group, Inc., ABB Lummus Global, Inc., and PEMM Corporation.

Pilot-scale process testing is now underway at ALSTOM Power Plant Laboratories research complex in Windsor, Connecticut, USA. 

The DOE's Office of Fossil Energy, which will oversee the research, has set goals for advanced power systems to have near-zero emissions, fuel flexibility, high-value products, high process efficiency, and cost competitiveness.  The continued use of fossil-fuel based energy must be matched by combining energy availability at reasonable prices with increasingly clean environmental performance throughout the energy life cycle of production, conversion, and end-use.

The chemical looping process components can be configured alternately as a combustion-based steam power plant with or without CO2 capture or as a hybrid combustion-gasification process producing syngas, or ultimately, as an integrated hybrid combustion-gasification process producing hydrogen for gas turbines, fuel cells or other hydrogen based applications while also producing a separate stream of CO2 for use or sequestration.

"By developing and deploying these configurations as independent steps," says John Marion, Director of Global R&D and Power Plant Laboratories for ALSTOM's Utility Boiler Business, "this new concept offers the promise to become the technology link from today's Rankine cycle steam power plants to tomorrow's advanced power generation plants."

Funding for the US$ 4 million program is partially provided by a grant by the U.S. Department of Energy under Instrument Number DE-FC26-03NT41866. ALSTOM is committed to developing chemical looping technology for fossil fuel based power generation and is providing significant co-funding to the project. 

ALSTOM announced that it is participating in a U.S.
Department of Energy (DOE) project to develop and verify a
novel hybrid combustion-gasification chemical looping concept
for ultra-clean, low cost, high efficiency coal power
generation.

ALSTOM will develop the hybrid combustion-gasification
process using high temperature chemical and thermal looping
technologies.  The process is based on the oxidation,
reduction, carbonation, and calcination of calcium-based
compounds to chemically react with coal, biomass, or
opportunity fuels in two chemical loops and one thermal
loop.

ALSTOM has completed engineering studies and bench-scale
tests on the chemical looping process and determined that this
process has the potential to meet ultra-clean low emissions
targets, including CO2 capture, at a cost and efficiency that
is about the same as today's power plants.  Project
participants include U.S. DOE, ALSTOM, Parsons Energy &
Chemical Group, Inc., ABB Lummus Global, Inc., and PEMM
Corporation.

Pilot-scale process testing is now underway at ALSTOM’s
Power Plant Laboratories research complex in Windsor,
Connecticut, USA. 

The DOE’s Office of Fossil Energy, which will oversee
the research, has set goals for advanced power systems to have
near-zero emissions, fuel flexibility, high-value products,
high process efficiency, and cost competitiveness.  The
continued use of fossil-fuel based energy must be matched by
combining energy availability at reasonable prices with
increasingly clean environmental performance throughout the
energy life cycle of production, conversion, and end-use.

The chemical looping process components can be configured
alternately as a combustion-based steam power plant with or
without CO2 capture or as a hybrid combustion-gasification
process producing syngas, or ultimately, as an integrated
hybrid combustion-gasification process producing hydrogen for
gas turbines, fuel cells or other hydrogen based applications
while also producing a separate stream of CO2 for use or
sequestration. “By developing and deploying these
configurations as independent steps,” says John Marion,
Director of Global R&D and Power Plant Laboratories for
ALSTOM’s Utility Boiler Business, “this new concept
offers the promise to become the technology link from
today’s Rankine cycle steam power plants to
tomorrow’s advanced power generation plants,”

Funding for the US$ 4 million program is partially provided
by a grant by the U.S. Department of Energy under Instrument
Number DE-FC26-03NT41866.  ALSTOM is committed to
developing chemical looping technology for fossil fuel based
power generation and is providing significant co-funding to the
project.

 

Press Enquiries :

Paola TIZIONI

Tel. : +33 (0) 134 65 42 05


Fax. : +33 (0) 134 65 47 49
paola.tizioni@chq.alstom.comProject Enquiries :

John Marion

Tel. : + 1-860-285-4539


Fax. :
john.l.marion@power.alstom.com 

Should you have any media inquiries about this press release, do not hesitate to contact our team.

Your press contacts