FuelCell Energy, Inc. (FCE) is partnering with AECOM Technical Services, Southern Company Services, and Alabama Power Company to continue development of its novel system for separation of carbon dioxide (CO₂) from greenhouse gas emission sources using FCE’s patented Combined Electric Power and Carbon Dioxide Separation (CEPACS) system. The CEPACS system is based on an electrochemical membrane (ECM) technology. The driving force for CO₂ separation is electrochemical potential and results in simultaneous power production and CO₂ separation. The membrane consists of ceramic-based layers filled with carbonate salts, and separates CO₂ from the flue gas with a selectivity of 100 percent over the nitrogen present in the gas. Because of fast electrode kinetics, the low CO₂ concentration normally found in pulverized coal (PC) plant flue gas is suitable for ECM operation. The planar geometry and modularity of the ECM technology allows for easy configuration into large-size systems suitable for deployment in PC plants. In this project, FCE will design and fabricate a small pilot system (nominal 3-MWe equivalent) and test the system for at least two months on actual flue gas from a slipstream of flue gas from the Barry Generating Station, the host site. A techno-economic analysis and an environmental, health, and safety study of the system will be performed. The project objective is to verify that the CEPACS system can achieve at least 90 percent CO₂capture from PC plant flue gas with 95 percent CO₂ purity at a cost of $40/tonne of CO₂ captured and at a cost of electricity 30 percent less than baseline CO₂ capture approaches.

Predecessor Project: FE0007634