Published December 2008
One of the options currently being investigated for carbon capture from coal-fired electric power generation is to use a predominately oxygen feed to the boiler. This technique, sometimes called oxyfuel or oxycombustion, produces a flue gas that is mostly comprised of carbon dioxide. In effect, it replaces a post-combustion scrubber with a pre-combustion air separation unit.
In this review we present our estimate of the capital cost and heat rate/energy efficiency of a pulverized coal-fired power plant using oxycombustion with 99% oxygen. Net plant output is 550 megawatts. Total fixed capital cost on a December, 2008 basis is $1.8 billion, or roughly $3,300/kW. Gross power output is 790 megawatts; over half of the parasitic load is due to the air separation unit. The net plant heat rate (HHV) is 11,916 BTU/kWh. Net plant efficiency (HHV) is 28.6%. The power plant presented is based in large part on information from a DOE study, “Pulverized Coal Oxycombustion Power Plants,” DOE/NETL-2007/1291 published in revised form in October 2007.
