Queensland's Callide Power Plant Now Firing with Retrofitted CCS Technology

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Researched by Industrial Info Resources Australia (Perth, Australia)--A 700-megawatt (MW), coal-fired power plant in Queensland, Australia, is now firing with retrofitted carbon capture and storage (CCS) technology. CS Energy Limited (Brisbane, Australia), a state-owned company and leading generator of electricity, has modified one of the six steam boilers at its Callide Power Plant to use the oxy-fuel method of CCS. Work on the Callide A4 unit began in 2008, and now the exhaust gases from the 30-megawatt (MW) boiler are captured and burned in an atmosphere of pure oxygen. As a result, the output consists almost entirely of carbon dioxide (CO2), allowing for easier CO2 capture.

Modifications at the Callide Power Plant A4 Unit involved fitting the selected boiler with two new burners, which were provided by IHI Corporation (TYO:7013) (Tokyo). CS Energy replaced the forced draft and induced draft fans, re-ducted the path from the flue gas to the boiler, and constructed an oxygen plant and a CO2 capture plant. The Melbourne office of Air Liquide (PINK:AIQUY) was selected to supply and build the 660-tonne-per-day oxygen plant and the CO2 capture plant.

The oxy-coal combustion process utilises an air separation unit to provide relatively pure oxygen into the combustion process. This oxygen is mixed with recycled flue gas in a proprietary mixing device to replicate air, which may then be used to operate a boiler designed for regular air firing. The exhaust gas, consisting primarily of carbon dioxide, is first cleaned of traditional pollutants, then cooled and compressed into a liquid form of about minus 40 degrees Celsius. Cooling is obtained using an internal or external refrigeration process, such as an ammonia cycle.

The world-leading Callide Oxyfuel Project has reached a major milestone: Oxyfiring successfully commenced on the Callide A4 unit on March 15, and the oxygen production units have been successfully integrated with the coal-fired boiler.

There are only a few coal-fired, low-emission projects in the world that have progressed beyond the concept phase and entered into the construction and commissioning phase.

The $207.6 million project demonstrates how carbon capture and storage technology can be applied to an existing coal-fired power station and significantly reduces emissions. The project received $51.9 million from the Australian government under the Low Emissions Technology Demonstration Fund.

The project has now entered a phase of formal research, development and demonstration. There is a big focus on the effect of operating variables on plant performance and carbon dioxide recovery. CS Energy is working in collaboration with international researchers to facilitate a technology transfer.

The research, development and demonstration phase is expected to last at least a year. The oxyfuel technology has the potential to become a prototype technology that could provide the opportunity to other coal-fired power stations to retrofit their boilers and reduce CO2 emissions by more than 90%.

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