30 MWth CIUDEN Oxy-CFB Boiler - First experiences

Global primary energy demand is growing, and is likely to continue growing during the next years. Energy projections made by the World Energy Council, the International Energy Agency (IEA) and the US Energy Information Administration give similar pictures of future energy requirements, mainly supplied by fossil fuels. Although it is expected that the share of the fossil fuels hi the energy mix will decline in the future, the dominant role of fossil fuels will remain for decades to come, which entails large emissions of CO2 if new policy measures are not endorsed. Carbon Capture and Storage technologies (CCS) have the potential to reduce CO2 emissions into the atmosphere, providing by 2050 up to 20% of the CO2 reduction required to combat climate change. In this context, one of the current European initiatives in terms of R&D&D on Carbon Capture and Storage (CCS) and Clean Coal technologies (CCTs) is the Technology Development Centre for CO2 Capture and Storage, or es. CO2 Centre, which is supported by the Spanish Government through The Fundacion Ciudad de la Energia. (CIUDEN). CIUDEN is a research and development institution created by the Spanish Administration in 2006 and fully conceived for collaborative technology development on CCS and CCTs. The es.CO2 Centre incorporates the world's most advanced equipment for the development of capture processes through oxycombustion based on two combustion technologies: Pulverized Coal (PC) and Circulating Fluidized Bed (CFB). Foster Wheeler is the technology provider of the 30 MWth oxy-CFB unit, which achieved first fire on coal in September 2011 and underwent initial oxy-mode commissioning in December 2011. This CFB unit design allows multiple fuels to be tested either under conventional combustion with air or under oxy-fuel conditions (Flexi-Burn (R) concept), and combines CFB's intrinsic advantages (fuel flexibility and low SOx and NOx emissions) with oxygen-firing for CCS. This paper focuses on initial operational experiences of CIUDEN's 30MWth oxy-CFB facility. During the preliminary tests in spring 2012, and the first test campaign in summer 2012, an extensive amount of operational data were acquired for four fuels and fuel mixtures. Results from first operational experiences are extremely promising. This oxy-CFB installation, which is the first of its class, will provide a real basis for the design and operation of flexible and competitive oxycombustion facilities at demonstration scale. Results achieved here aim to validate the design of a future 330 MWe supercritical Oxycombustion Power Station (OXY-CFB-300 Compostilla Project) intended to demonstrate CCS technology in commercial scale. (C) 2013 The Authors. Published by Elsevier Ltd. Open access under CC BY-NC-ND license.