A project to capture carbon dioxide emissions from a coal-fired power plant in Texas has captured more than 1 million tons of carbon dioxide for use in enhanced oil recovery, according to the U.S. Department of Energy.
Historically, carbon dioxide resulting from the combustion of coal and other fossil fuels has been emitted directly into the atmosphere, but global concern over climate change has led to efforts to limit carbon emissions to the atmosphere. While many of these programs focus on reducing reliance on combustible fuels, carbon capture and sequestration technologies offer the potential to remove carbon dioxide from thermal plants' flue gas before it is emitted from their smokestacks. The U.S. Department of Energy runs programs designed to support the development and commercial deployment of these technologies.
The Petra Nova project uses an amine solvent-based CO2-capture technology to remove carbon dioxide from the flue gas of NRG's coal-fired W.A. Parish power plant. It is a 50/50 joint venture between NRG and JX Nippon Oil & Gas Exploration. NRG describes Petra Nova as "the world's largest post-combustion carbon capture facility installed on an existing coal-fueled power plant." The Department of Energy selected Petra Nova to receive $190 million as part of the Clean Coal Power Initiative Program.
The project uses a carbon capture process which was jointly developed by Mitsubishi Heavy
Industries, Ltd. and the Kansai Electric Power Co. It was designed to capture about 90
percent of the CO2 from a 240 MW slipstream of flue gas,
compressing and transporting approximately 1.4 million metric tons of CO2 per year through an 80 mile pipeline to
Hilcorp's operating West Ranch oil field where it is utilized for enhanced oil recovery (EOR) -- injecting the CO2 underground to help additional oil flow to a production wellbore. According to the Department of Energy, the use of this CO2 for enhanced oil recovery has boosted the West Ranch Oil
Field's oil production from 300 barrels per day to about 4,000 barrels per day.
Petra Nova began commercial operations on January 10, 2017. According to an October 23 press release, Petra Nova has now captured more than 1 million tons of CO2 for use in enhanced oil recovery. Secretary of Energy Rick Perry has said that Petra Nova's success "could become the model for
future coal-fired power generation facilities," which could support CO2
pipeline infrastructure development and drive domestic enhanced oil
recovery opportunities.
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Showing posts with label ccs. Show all posts
Showing posts with label ccs. Show all posts
EPA issues draft permits for carbon sequestration
Tuesday, April 1, 2014
The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency has issued the first draft permits for injecting and storing carbon dioxide in underground rock formations, which could advance carbon capture and sequestration efforts.
EPA promotes carbon capture and sequestration for its expected ability to reduce greenhouse gas emissions, while enabling low-carbon electricity generation from power plants. The process entails capturing and compressing carbon emissions at their source, piping the gas to injection wells, and injecting the gas into geologically stable rock formations capable of holding the gas for long periods of time.
Under the federal Safe Drinking Water Act, EPA regulates most injections of waste and other materials into the ground. EPA has developed a series of programs to manage such injections, including a "Class VI" geologic sequestration program. While oil producers have long injected carbon dioxide into their wells to enhance oil recovery, EPA has not previously issued any permits under its Class VI program. This lack of Class VI activity is largely because carbon capture and sequestration in the U.S. remains in its infancy, but some industry observers have expressed concerns that EPA's regulatory process is too restrictive to allow the technology to flourish. The record of permit applications shows some support for these concerns: for example, Christian County Generation, LLC of Taylorville, IL withdrew its applications for two Class VI sequestration wells for the Taylorville Energy Center on July 9, 2013, and Archer Daniels Midland's applications for Class VI permits for two injection wells to store carbon emissions from its Decatur, Illinois agricultural products and biofuel production facility have remained pending since 2011.
Carbon capture and sequestration's future may be brightening, as on March 31, 2014, EPA issued four draft Class VI permits to FutureGen Industrial Alliance, Inc. for its proposed FutureGen 2.0 project. The Alliance is a non-profit organization whose membership includes major coal producers, coal users, and coal equipment suppliers, including Alpha Natural Resources, AngloAmerican, JoyGlobal Inc., Peabody Energy, and Xstrata Coal Pty. Limited. The FutureGen 2.0 project is designed to capture over 90 percent of the carbon emissions from a 168 megawatt power plant in Meredosia, Illinois, and to inject them into four nearby wells for deep geologic sequestration.
EPA's draft permits now face a public hearing on May 7 and public comments through May 15.
EPA promotes carbon capture and sequestration for its expected ability to reduce greenhouse gas emissions, while enabling low-carbon electricity generation from power plants. The process entails capturing and compressing carbon emissions at their source, piping the gas to injection wells, and injecting the gas into geologically stable rock formations capable of holding the gas for long periods of time.
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| EPA's simplified schematic of deep geologic carbon sequestration, available from EPA at http://www.epa.gov/climatechange/ccs/. |
Under the federal Safe Drinking Water Act, EPA regulates most injections of waste and other materials into the ground. EPA has developed a series of programs to manage such injections, including a "Class VI" geologic sequestration program. While oil producers have long injected carbon dioxide into their wells to enhance oil recovery, EPA has not previously issued any permits under its Class VI program. This lack of Class VI activity is largely because carbon capture and sequestration in the U.S. remains in its infancy, but some industry observers have expressed concerns that EPA's regulatory process is too restrictive to allow the technology to flourish. The record of permit applications shows some support for these concerns: for example, Christian County Generation, LLC of Taylorville, IL withdrew its applications for two Class VI sequestration wells for the Taylorville Energy Center on July 9, 2013, and Archer Daniels Midland's applications for Class VI permits for two injection wells to store carbon emissions from its Decatur, Illinois agricultural products and biofuel production facility have remained pending since 2011.
Carbon capture and sequestration's future may be brightening, as on March 31, 2014, EPA issued four draft Class VI permits to FutureGen Industrial Alliance, Inc. for its proposed FutureGen 2.0 project. The Alliance is a non-profit organization whose membership includes major coal producers, coal users, and coal equipment suppliers, including Alpha Natural Resources, AngloAmerican, JoyGlobal Inc., Peabody Energy, and Xstrata Coal Pty. Limited. The FutureGen 2.0 project is designed to capture over 90 percent of the carbon emissions from a 168 megawatt power plant in Meredosia, Illinois, and to inject them into four nearby wells for deep geologic sequestration.
EPA's draft permits now face a public hearing on May 7 and public comments through May 15.
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