CO2 Compression Tech for Industrial Capture & Storage Advances
August 19, 2009 // Published as a news service by IHS
The U.S. Department of Energy awarded Ramgen Power Systems $20 million to scale up a device that uses supersonic shockwaves to compress carbon dioxide (CO2) for capture and storage.
The technology is expected to be used by cement plants, chemical plants, refineries, steel/aluminum plants, factories and power plants to compress CO2 from exhaust emissions so it can be transported by pipelines or tankers to geologic settings where it can be stored.
According to the DOE, current CO2 compression technologies are costly, too large for many retrofits, and require substantial maintenance costs including additional electricity to run the compressors.
At the core of the device is a rotating disk that spins fast enough to achieve supersonic compression effects in a stationary environment.
Compared to conventional CO2 compressors, Ramgen's device has fewer parts, a smaller footprint, and lower overall system costs, according to the DOE.
The system also generates higher quality heat, which may potentially be captured and used, increasing the system's efficiency, said the agency.
Prior to receiving the new award, Ramgen was working with DOE's National Energy Technology Laboratory (NETL) to design and build a 3,000-horsepower compressor based on the new technology by January 2011.
With the additional funding, Ramgen is expected to accelerate the pace of development and testing to demonstrate a 13,000-horsepower compressor by the same date.
The scaled-up device will be installed and tested with CO2 at Dresser-Rand's testing facility in Olean, N.Y.
Source: National Energy Technology Laboratory.