FuelCell Energy, Inc. (FCE), in collaboration with Pacific Northwest National Laboratory, URS Corporation, and Western Research Institute, will further develop its patented Combined Electric Power and Carbon-Dioxide Separation (CEPACS) system for carbon dioxide (CO₂) separation and compression from pulverized coal (PC) power plants. The CEPACS system is based on an electrochemical membrane (ECM) technology derived from FCE's internal reforming carbonate fuel cell product, Direct FuelCell®. The unique chemistry of carbonate fuel cells provides a method to remove CO₂ from the flue gas of PC plants and simultaneously produce additional clean electric power at high efficiency using a supplementary fuel, such as coal-derived syngas, natural gas, or a renewable resource. Therefore, the CEPACS system increases the power generated by the existing fossil-fueled plant, unlike other CO₂ capture technologies that reduce net electric power. The ECM module consists of ceramic-based layers filled with carbonate salts that separate CO₂ from the flue gas with a selectivity of 100 percent over the nitrogen present. Operating at atmospheric pressure, the ECM module does not require flue gas compression, and because of fast electrode kinetics, does not require a high CO₂ concentration, making it suitable for use at the concentrations normally found in PC plant flue gas. Additionally, the planar geometry of the membrane offers ease of scalability to large sizes suitable for deployment in PC plants. In this project, researchers will conduct small-scale component fabrication and testing, contaminant pretreatment evaluation, and bench-scale testing of an 11.7 square meter ECM separation unit with simulated flue gas. A techno-economic feasibility study and an environmental, health, and safety assessment will be completed at the 550 megawatt PC power plant level.

Predecessor Project: DE-FC26-04NT42206

Successor Project: DE-FE0026580