Test results from a CO2 extraction pilot plant at boundary dam coal-fired power station

A CO2 extraction pilot plant adjacent to SaskPower’s boundary dam power station (BDPS) was re-commissioned in the Fall of 2000 and has since been in operation to process 14×103 m3/day (500,000 SCFD) of flue gases, and capture up to 4 ton of carbon dioxide (CO2) per day. This facility is being used for testing and demonstrating the potential of various CO2 capture technologies. This pilot plant has provided us with the capability to evaluate the performance and reliability of proprietary CO2 solvent extraction technologies as well as to obtain the much needed engineering data that can used for the design of commercial scale CO2 absorption units. A series of tests have been carried out over a reasonably long testing period with a monoethanolamine (MEA) based solvent (i.e. Fluor’s Econamine FGSM technology). Valuable information was obtained both in design and operational aspects. This paper provides details of the test facilities at the Boundary Dam CO2 pilot plant and discusses the results obtained in terms of the absorption performance, or mass-transfer efficiency of the process, under ranges of typical operating conditions including energy consumption for solvent regeneration. It also discusses operational problems such as solvent degradation, levels of heat-stable salts, as well as corrosion in the CO2 plant.