Carbon Capture and Sequestration Update

APPA

Energy & Clean Air Task Force

April 26, 2010

Capture Technology

• Pre-combustion– Separate carbon from hydrogen in fuel

(syngas); 35-40% pure CO2 stream

• Oxy-fuel combustion– Separate O2 from N2 in combustion air,

produce a pure stream of CO2 and water

• Post-combustion– Separate 12-16% CO2 from the flue gas

stream

Carbon Capture

• Amine based (MMA)

• Chilled ammonia

• Carbonate/bicarbonate

• Solid phase?

• Membranes?

CO2 and other gases

sorbent

CO2

CO2–sorbent complex

Other gases++

+

Recycled sorbent

Thermal

desorption

Technical Challenges

• Sheer volume – need to scale up by over an order of magnitude

• Parasitic energy – 15-30% increase in fuel requirements

• Transport and disposal issues

Notable Demonstrations

Pleasant Prairie We Energy 1 MW

Mountaineer AEP 20 MW

240 MW*

Antelope Valley Basin Electric 200 MW*

*planned

New Actor - Commercial

• Tenaska Trailblazer project (TX)

• 600 MW

• 85% capture, EOR

• Legally binding but not in air permit

Sequestration

The National Carbon Focus

• DOE has established 7 regional partnerships to address carbon sequestration.

• DOE research, to date, has focused on regional sequestration projects involving the deepest geological basins.

The National Carbon Focus

• Regional carbon sequestration will require an extensive pipeline system for CO2 collection, compression, and transmission.

Sequestration Potential

Oil & Gas Reservoir

Unmineable Coal Seams

Deep Saline Aquifers

Missouri Demo Project• Given the lack of traditional carbon traps in the state of

Missouri, City Utilities began investigating alternative options for carbon sequestration.

• In 2005, City Utilities identified a formation beneath the Springfield area, the Lamotte Formation, which appeared to be a candidate for carbon sequestration.

• The Lamotte is a highly mineralized sandstone and is not a source of potable water. Very few wells penetrate the Lamotte.

• The Lamotte is separated from the potable Ozark Aquifer by the Derby-Doerun/Davis Confining Layer.

Project Challenges• Reservoir storage volume –

– Relatively shallow depth requires CO2 injection as a gas rather than a supercritical fluid, requiring a larger initial storage volume.

• Interaction of CO2 gas and groundwater– The physical and chemical interaction of the CO2

gas and groundwater (displacement, diffusion, rate of movement, etc.) must be characterized.

Project Challenges• CO2 Trapping Mechanisms

– stratigraphic/structural, – groundwater dissolution into groundwater, and – mineral precipitation.

• These mechanisms may behave differently for gaseous CO2 injection and must be properly characterized.

Project Partners/Supporters

• City Utilities of Springfield• Missouri Department of Natural Resources• Missouri State University• Missouri University of Science & Technology (UMR)• Ameren • Aquila, Inc.• Associated Electric Cooperative, Inc.• Empire District Electric Company• Kansas City Power & Light• U.S. EPA Region VII• Missouri Public Service Commission (PSC)• Missouri Public Utility Alliance (MPUA)• Missouri Energy Development Association (MEDA)