Pilot plant experimental work - 250kW PACT facility - zero emission strategies - coal-biomass and bio-CCS

Supervisors: Professor Mohamed Pourkashanian and Dr W Nimmo.

Fossil fuel will remain a significant contributor to power generation around the world as countries develop and realise their economic and social potentials through industrial growth and increase in people's standard of living. For example, coal remains a principal fuel for electricity generation (~40% of the world market) and contributes ~43% of CO2 emissions from the combustion of all fossil fuels.

Therefore, in order to meet CO2 reduction targets, the urgency of developing, demonstrating, and deploying carbon capture and storage (CCS) technologies is clear, supported by the recently released Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change report.
Oxyfuel combustion is one of the front running technologies for CO2 capture in power generation and energy intensive industries, as recognised by the UK government's recent announcement to fund the FEED study for the White Rose Partnership project as part of the £1 billion DECC competition for CCS commercialisation. Displacement of coal by biomass with CCS is a method of gaining benefits from negative CO2 emissions.

The project will involve detailed experimental work performed on the 250kW combustion test facility associated with funded projects in the area of oxyfuel combustion. Coal and biomass fuels will be used and flame analysis methods will be employed; heat flux, temperature, chemical species and emissions. The effect of flue gas recycle conditions on flame characteristics and emissions will also be investigated.

For further information contact Professor Derek B Ingham (d.ingham@sheffield.ac.uk).