Sharing pays off
As mentioned, Duke Energy is one of the EDP utilities that has participated in the CoalFleet program. Duke plans to build a 630-MW IGCC power plant at the site of its existing coal- and oil-fired power plant in Edwardsport, Ind. (Figure 3). As part of the project development process, the company has already completed a FEED study. The utility is seeking to ensure that the design incorporates the best available information while accelerating the design process and reducing its cost.
3. Next-generation coal. An artist’s rendering of the 630-MW IGCC plant that Duke Energy plans to build in Edwardsport, Ind. Source: Duke Energy
As a sponsor of a CoalFleet EDP, Duke Energy has been able to use the UDBS and the permitting guidelines to gain insight into several areas of plant design and permitting. They include the possible application of selective catalytic reduction (SCR) for additional NOx control, and engineering assessments of future options that include various levels of CO2 capture. These documents have helped Duke develop a design that will achieve very low emission levels and support the air permit application process. Duke also has gained an understanding of the technical requirements for the sulfur market that were incorporated into the design of the plant’s sulfur recovery system.
The utility also worked with CoalFleet IGCC experts to understand the issues involved in potentially retrofitting CO2 capture into the plant design at a later date. For example, Duke identified several options for various levels of CO2 capture that could be implemented at lower cost, compared to other IGCC and PC designs.
Finally, information from permitting guidelines and CoalFleet meetings was used by Duke in its discussions with the permitting agency on technical issues affecting IGCC design and emissions. Among the subjects discussed were the feasibility of applying SCR technology to IGCC, start-up and shutdown emissions levels, and the applicability of EPA guidelines and regulations to coal-fired IGCC plant operations, as opposed to those of natural gas–fired combined-cycle plants.
In return for those tangible and intangible benefits, Duke provided valuable support to the CoalFleet program. Duke representatives maintained an open dialogue with EPRI’s IGCC experts and other members of the IGCC Design Guidelines working group and provided significant input to the UDBS. Finally, as a designated EDP, Duke will help develop a CoalFleet pre-design specification that will contain a nonproprietary description of the Edwardsport design that other CoalFleet members can use as a reference when deciding which “standard IGCC” they would like to adopt for their own project.
—Jack Parkes (jparkes@epri.com) is the senior manager of EPRI’s Advanced Coal Generation program. Neville Holt (nholt@epri.com) is a technical fellow with the program, and Jeffrey Phillips (jphillip@epri.com) is one of its managers.
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