Techno-economic evaluation of a PVAm CO2-selective membrane in an IGCC power plant with CO2 capture

Published data for an operating power plant, the ELCOGAS 315 MWe Puertollano plant, has been used as a basis for the simulation of an integrated gasification combined cycle process with CO2 capture. This incorporated a fixed site carrier polyvinylamine membrane to separate the CO2 from a CO-shifted syngas stream. It appears that the modified process, using a sour shift catalyst prior to sulphur removal, could achieve greater than 85% CO2 recovery at 95 vol% purity. The efficiency penalty for such a process would be approximately 10% points, including CO2 compression. A modified plant with CO2 capture and compression was calculated to cost €2320/kW, producing electricity at a cost of 7.6 € cents/kWh and a CO2 avoidance cost of about €40/tonne CO2.