Process modelling and techno-economic analysis of a 550MWe chemical looping power plant with victorian brown coal

Abstract

This study compares the process and economic performance of a 550 MWe chemical looping combustion (CLC) based power plant and a pulverized coal-fired power plant (CFPP), both fuelled by Victorian brown coal. Process simulation was conducted using Aspen Plus® to quantify mass and energy balances and performance indicators. Performance and economic parameters of the simulated CLC plant and conventional supercritical CFPP without CO2 capture were also compared to DOE/NETL's 550 MWe base power plant (case 12A) and Babcock & Wilcock's 550 MWe coal-direct chemical looping (CDCL) power plant. CLC plant with VBC provided 32.11% net efficiency (based on HHV) with 93% CO2 capture efficiency while the conventional CFPP showed 37.78%. Deep integration of utility heat from multistage CO2 compression unit restricted the energy penalty of CLC to 15% compared to conventional CFPP with Victorian brown coal. Levelised cost of electricity (LCOE) of chemical looping combustion-based plant was calculated to be 146 $/MWh, which is 28.08% higher than the conventional CFPP with VBC. Cost of CO2 avoided for CLC plant was calculated to be 45.25 $/ton of CO2. This study showed that a 550 MWe commercial-scale CLC power plant with VBC can achieve DOE's goal of 90% CO2 capture at a less than 35% increase in the levelised cost of electricity.