Chilled Ammonia Process at Technology Center Mongstad – First Results

Abstract

According to the latest IEA report, Carbon Capture and Storage (CCS) from fossil fuel fired power plants is a key option to mitigate CO2 emissions in the 450 scenario. In addition it is the only technology capable of large CO2 emission reduction from industrial applications and in combination with biomass firing the only currently available technology for reducing CO2 concentration in the atmosphere by means of negative emission performance. Alstom develops CCS technologies for post- combustion and oxy-combustion, and have shown that these technologies can compete with renewable power generation on the basis of Levelized Cost of Electricity (LCoE). It is now essential that governments give the same priority to CCS as to renewables in order for large demonstration plants to be built, a necessary step in the development of the technology. The Norwegian Government, through its special purpose company Gassnova, is at the forefront of making this happen by construction of the world's largest test site for Carbon Capture. The Technology Center Mongstad (TCM) is owned by Gassnova, Statoil, Shell and Sasol. The unique location of TCM, next to the Mongstad refinery, provides interesting opportunities in terms of gases to be treated. The plant at TCM is designed to treat both refinery off-gas from a cracker operation as well as the exhaust from a gas turbine based combined heat and power plant. In addition, the captured CO2 can be recycled to achieve any CO2 concentration between 4 and 13% by volume. The Alstom Chilled Ammonia Process (CAP) is post-combustion technology that captures CO2 emitted from power plants or industrial sources. Deployment of this technology requires operating data and validated simulation tool for design that can evaluate various CAP configurations to achieve the lowest possible capital cost, energy demand and operating cost. A special focus will be directed to the CAP Installation at TCM, which was commissioned in 2012. The plant is designed to treat both refinery off-gas from a cracker operation as well as the exhaust from a gas turbine based combined heat and power plant.This paper will report on the first results of Chilled Ammonia Process (CAP) as part of Alstom's development program of commercial solution for carbon capture, at Technology Center Mongstad in 2012.