Jul 30 2009
Babcock and Wilcox Power Generation Group, Inc. (B&W PGG) has completed construction and has begun pilot-scale testing of carbon dioxide (CO2) control technology at its state-of-the-art Regenerable Solvent Absorption Technology (RSATTM) facility near B and W PGG headquarters in Barberton, Ohio. B and W PGG is a major operating unit of The Babcock and Wilcox Company (B and W), which is a major operating subsidiary of McDermott International, Inc.
The 7,500-square-foot, $11.8 million RSAT facility, located at the B&W Research Center, was designed to test various regenerable, solvent-based absorption systems that will be utilized to affordably and reliably capture CO2 emissions from coal-fired power plants.
The post-combustion scrubbing process, being studied at B&W PGG’s RSAT facility, uses a liquid solvent in an absorber vessel to remove CO2 from a plant's flue gas stream. The CO2 can then be removed from the solvent and prepared for long-term storage or other uses, such as enhanced oil recovery, while the solvent is recycled in the process.
“B&W PGG’s RSAT pilot plant represents another facet of our efforts to develop clean energy solutions for the electric power industry that may be utilized with our nation’s coal resources, both in new plant applications and in retrofit applications to the existing fleet,” said Richard L. Killion, B&W PGG President and Chief Operating Officer. “This plant is a major stepping stone toward the commercial deployment of carbon capture technology and positions B&W PGG to deliver solutions to support a low carbon future.”
The seven-story RSAT pilot plant operates in conjunction with B&W PGG’s coal combustion test facility and will provide a testing platform that replicates the actual operating conditions seen in commercial-scale coal power plants.