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All sourcesNASA NTRSDOE OSTI
DOE OSTI2025

Direct flue gas capture for algae cultivation and subsequent valorization: evaluating life cycle emissions and costs

Algae cultivation and processing is an important pathway under discussion within the broader CO 2 capture and utilization umbrella. Here, we discuss the results of a life-cycle analysis and techno-economic analysis of a pilot-scale photobioreactor that uses flue gas directly from natural gas or biogas combustion at 3–5% CO 2 concentration. The system requires minimal freshwater use as it has been successfully run with industrial wastewater and has a much smaller areal footprint compared with open pond cultivation. Introducing the flue gas directly to the photobioreactor avoids the need for CO 2 separation and pressurization, which is undertaken in many other algae cultivation systems. For the end-use of the biomass, the default case assumes conversion of algae to liquid fuels via hydrothermal liquefaction. The results indicate that the pilot-scale system has a higher cost, and comparable greenhouse gas emissions compared to pond-based systems, especially as the grid is anticipated to evolve to a lower carbon intensity. The costs of algae biofuel production range from $\$12–16$ per GGE at the current pilot scale. Depending on whether the source of the carbon is fossil or biogenic, the net emissions are 68 g CO 2 e per MJ and −4 g CO 2 e per MJ respectively. If the marine algae species is used instead of the freshwater species, it offers an additional 16 g CO 2 e per MJ carbon fixation in the form of calcium carbonate. The findings point to broadly desirable trends in GHG emissions and costs, while the discussion aims to shed light on areas that could further improve the scalability of the system.

20 FOSSIL-FUELED POWER PLANTS↗
NASA NTRS1999

Characterization of Infrared Diode Laser Beams and Atmospheric CO Imaging Instrument

During June-August 1997 Dr. Jonathan Miles participated in the ASEE-sponsored summer faculty research program at NASA Langley Research Center (LaRC). The Aerospace Electronic Systems Division (AESD), Sensor Systems Branch (SSB), at NASA LARC had proposed a new mission, GEOstationary TROpospheric Pollution SATellite (GEO TROPSAT), to address critical science questions of tropospheric chemistry. The troposphere is a complex system, comprising "point" and distributed sources of natural and anthropogenic origin; complicated transport processes, both lateral and vertical; and photochemistry driven by UV flux, temperature, atmospheric composition, and other variables. GEO TROPSAT would be implemented about a geostationary Earth orbital (GEO) position at the equator between 600 and 80" West longitude to observe the Americas and large portions of the oceans of either coast. This mission would advance our knowledge of the atmosphere by capturing the wide temporal and spatial variability of tropospheric phenomena which is undetectable from low Earth orbit. A pre-prototype imaging carbon monoxide (CO) imaging system operating within a narrow waveband about 4.7 [Lm was built, demonstrated, and evaluated. This system applies the gas-filter correlation radiometry (GFCR) technique and produces digitized images comprising 4096 pixels, each representing a single CO mixing ratio measurement inferred from radiometric data. Associated tasks accomplished included specification for the next-generation prototype system to operate in the 2.3-@tm waveband; characterization of a 64x64, InSb focal-plane-array (FPA) imager; design, fabrication, and assembly of a filter wheel; and software development. Laboratory evaluation of this system involved imaging of a test cell placed in the path of radiant flux emanating from a blackbody source used to simulate the radiant energy reflected by Earth in real application. The cell was evacuated for system balancing and then charged with measured quantities of CO to provide a means for system characterization. Two related research efforts were undertaken during the term of the study reported here - continued development of an atmospheric CO imaging instrument and characterization of diode-laser beams. Both efforts were successful and are described within the body of this report. A second objective was to provide a means for undergraduate ISAT majors to become involved with the research described, to be afforded the opportunity to learn the technologies associated with the work performed. Two ISAT students gained a comprehensive understanding and interest in missions supported by NASA through direct involvement in this project. Many more students were exposed to these technologies through demonstrations, laboratory tours, and explanations provided in lectures.

Miles, Jonathan J.↗
NASA NTRSDate not supplied

Integrated Bosch Process System Models for In-Situ Oxygen and Carbon Production

In-Situ Resource Utilization (ISRU) technology is a vital component to NASA’s mission of a sustainable presence on the Moon and Mars. Local resources can be leveraged to reduce resupply frequency and mass. Elements of the Bosch process, combined with the carbothermal reduction process, can produce oxygen on the lunar surface with minimal consumables. The Bosch process can also produce oxygen on the Martian surface by using the CO 2 -rich environment. Between both systems, adsorption pump, solar thermal energy, carbon formation reactor, and water recovery subsystems are modeled and integrated to create a functional model in MATLAB software. The model is used to simulate performance of the system and reduce mass, power, and volume requirements. This integrated system model provides a tool to scale ISRU technologies for oxygen and carbon production. The MATLAB model is created by developing a system of independent subsystem models that are solved for their quasi-steady state values which can be integrated with respect to time to determine the change in current states. A flexible time stepping method is used to ensure a high level of accuracy during periods of rapid change while still making use of a simple explicit integration method. The flexible time step is calculated for each independent subsystem and the minimum value from those is used as the overall time step. A flexible time step is calculated by dividing a resolution value, or the maximum change per time step, by the variables current rate of change. The maximum value from all points in space is used for subsystem models that contain multiple values. The process is done for every variable that is being monitored in each subsystem and the global minimum is used as that iteration’s timestep. Several assumptions used in the MATLAB model for fluid flow dynamics, such as 1-D gas flow through the sorption pump, are supported by modeling in Ansys Fluent software. The Lunar oxygen production system is outlined in Fig. 1. The carbothermal reduction subsystem uses solar energy to heat a mixture of lunar regolith and carbon powder to produce carbon monoxide. To begin, the carbon monoxide feeds to the modified Bosch subsystem along with hydrogen gas. The reactants then enter the carbon formation reactor where water and carbon powder are produced. Solar thermal energy is used to add energy to the reactor, but waste heat from the carbothermal process is another potential heat source. The water is collected and electrolyzed to produce hydrogen which reenters the Bosch subsystem, and the oxygen is stored for downstream use. The carbon powder is collected and feeds back into the carbothermal subsystem. The Martian oxygen production system uses the full Bosch process and is outlined in Fig 2. A CO 2 adsorption pump thermally cycles to scrub and pressurize CO 2 from the environment. Along with an initial supply of hydrogen, the reactants enter the Reverse Water Gas Shift Reactor (RWGSR) which produces carbon monoxide and water. Carbon monoxide and unreacted hydrogen enter the carbon formation reactor to produce water and carbon powder. The water is collected from both reactors and electrolyzed to reintroduce hydrogen and store oxygen for propellant production or life support. Carbon is removed from the carbon formation reactor and stored. The adsorption pump utilizes rapid cycle temperature swings within a stack of zeolite coated surfaces. The subsystem model solves 1-D quasi-steady conservation laws of the quasi-steady form, shown in Eq. 1, for the gas stream and heat exchange liquid to predict performance parameters such as breakthrough capacity and optimum cycle time. The source term S is used to capture interactions between the fluid flows and the sorbent. A quasi-steady-state scheme is used where no time derivatives appear in the governing equations, except for those in the source terms. This results in an autonomous system, where ∂F/∂x = ƒ(F). The fluxes F are provided at the inlet, and an explicit method is used to solve for the spatial distribution of F. The heat and mass flows to the sorbent are then extracted from the source terms. These flows are numerically integrated to produce a 1-D solution for the system’s state as a function of both time and space. The body of the adsorption pump is separated into two semi-independent models: the heat exchanger fluid flow and gas flow through the zeolite coated surfaces. Both models are solved using the above-described method to find a 1-D solution as a function of space and interact only once a timestep is taken. The interaction point is the sorbent through which all heat transfer between the two models must occur. Sorbent mass adsorption is calculated using the Lagergren model, shown in Eq. 2, where the transfer coefficient, λ D , is found by solving a system of nondimensionalized equations derived by using the heat and mass transfer analogy for transport phenomena. Using Grade 544 Type 13X zeolite as the sorbent material, the equilibrium concentration, θ eq , is calculated using the k-site Langmuir isotherm and fit parameters. Additionally, the enthalpy of adsorption used in the model is computed by interpolation of available data [1]. The subsystem model was validated using the Rapid Cycle Temperature Swing Adsorption (RC-TSA) pump. The solar thermal energy subsystem focuses on a solar concentrator concept with a heat exchanger to heat the reactants before entering the carbon formation reactor. The subsystem model assumes a fixed solar flux and reflector efficiency to calculate the reactant temperature given the incoming temperature, pressure, and exchanger geometry. The receiver is a custom manufactured series of copper blocks with serpentine channels to increase its surface area and the residence time of the reactants to heat up to 550 °C. The subsystem model was validated using a heat exchanger developed at NASA Glenn Research Center (GRC). The solar thermal energy subsystem focuses on a solar concentrator concept with a heat exchanger to heat the reactants before entering the carbon formation reactor. The subsystem model assumes a fixed solar flux and reflector efficiency to calculate the reactant temperature given the incoming temperature, pressure, and exchanger geometry. The receiver is a custom manufactured series of copper blocks with serpentine channels to increase its surface area and the residence time of the reactants to heat up to 550 °C. The subsystem model was validated using a heat exchanger developed at NASA Glenn Research Center (GRC).

In situ Resource Utilization↗
DOE OSTI2024

Carbon Capture from ArcelorMittal Hot Briquetted Iron Plant Using Air Liquide Cryocap™ FG Technology – FEED Study

The process of steel production is energy and carbon intensive with global average energy consumption of 5.5 MWh/tonne of steel and CO2 emission intensity of 1.83 tonne CO2/tonne of steel. The steel making process has inherent CO2 emissions from mineral conversion and is considered major contributors to the global carbon emissions. The steel industry is responsible for 8% of global carbon emissions. The main objective of this research project is to execute and complete a front-end engineering and design (FEED) study for a commercial-scale, carbon capture project that separates 95% of the total CO2 emissions at the ArcelorMittal’s Hot Briquetted Iron (HBI) plant in Portland, TX (Figure 1). The HBI is an ore-based metallic that is used as high-grade feedstock for high-quality steel via an Electric Arc Furnace (EAF) route. The HBI plant produces 2.0 million metric tonnes of high-quality HBI and emits approximately 1 million tonnes CO2/yr. The capture system is a Pressure Swing Adsorption (PSA) system assisted Cryocap™ FG technology (Figure 2). The captured CO2 will be pipeline grade and will be geologically stored in a facility within 10 miles of the CO2 source. The Host Site location in Corpus Christi, TX, is near hydrocarbon processing facilities and near Environmental Justice (EJ) and Qualified Opportunity Zone (QOZ) communities. Due to the location of the Host Site, the retrofit project offers the ability to demonstrate how a workforce focused on the fossil energy sector can be redirected to the clean- energy sector. The Air Liquide Cryocap™ capture technology is a proven technology and has been extensively examined for large industrial applications. It has been shown to be applicable to a variety of industrial applications including the steel industry. Cryocap™ FG (specific setup for Flue Gas application) consists of a Pressure Swing Adsorption (PSA) unit coupled with a Cryogenic System. The PSA pre-concentrates the CO2 from the flue gas, while the cryogenic unit enables the CO2 purity to be increased to the desired level. The scope of this study incorporates completing FEED study of the CO2 capture system which includes point-source CO2 capture and balance-of-plant; Business Case Analysis (BCA) outlining the current and projected volumes of the steel plant’s point sources of CO2 and the potential utilization of tax credits, including its projected revenue and duration; Life Cycle Analysis (LCA); Environmental Justice Analysis; Economic Revitalization and Job Creation Outcomes Analysis; and Workforce Readiness Plan. The plant design work was divided into two components: Inside Battery Limits (ISBL) and Outside Battery Limits (OSBL). The ISBL focuses on the capture system, while the OSBL focuses on the utility feeds and ducting from the plant to the capture system. Various design and engineering deliverables will be developed to define commodity quantities, equipment specifications, and labour effort required to execute the project. These FEED study deliverables will be prepared with the intent to develop an overall project capital cost estimate consistent with an AACE Class 3 estimate. The modular approach for the Cryocap™ FG that is being designed for this study integrates compression, PSA, and cryogenic “bricks” to achieve the desired CO2 capture rates. This carbon capture system integrates easily with the existing plant, thus reducing project costs and risks. It is also capable of managing impurities such as nitrogen oxides (NOx), sulfur oxides (SOx), mercury, hydrocarbons, and particulate matter. The capture system has a smaller footprint than amine-based systems. The two-step process uses PSA to preconcentrate the CO2 in the feedstream and then uses the cryogenic portion to purify and compress the resulting high purity CO2 product. This combination of purification and compression (i.e., process intensification) significantly reduces the CAPEX associated with use of a separate compressor commonly utilized for amine solvent-based systems. Successful completion of the FEED study will provide DOE with a detailed understanding of the costs for scaling up this proven capture technology for commercial applications at industrial facilities.

42 ENGINEERING↗
DOE OSTI2021

A Multi-criteria CCUS Screening Evaluation of the Gulf of Mexico, USA - Supplementary Data

The Wendt et al. study aims to incorporate multiple and disparate carbon capture, utilization, and storage (CCUS) decision-making criteria into a systematic, quantitative analytical approach to help identify areas with potentially high suitability to serve as offshore CO2 storage or EOR regions. Spatially-distributed data from publicly-available sources within the Gulf of Mexico (GOM) study area (limited to federal waters; state waters were not evaluated) was compiled using the U.S. Department of Energy's (DOE) National Energy Technology Laboratory (NETL) Cumulative Spatial Impact Layers™ (CSIL) tool to easily aggregate data based on evenly-distributed grids across the study region set at a resolution of approximately 25 square miles (65 square kilometers). The data included in this Microsoft Excel™ workbook provide the aggregated scores for each grid point across the study domain as well the weighting for each criterion under the four scenarios evaluated.

CCUS↗
DOE OSTI2023

Accurate prediction of carbon dioxide capture by deep eutectic solvents using quantum chemistry and a neural network

Carbon dioxide (CO 2 ) emissions from fossil fuel combustion are a significant source of greenhouse gas, contributing in a major way to global warming and climate change. Carbon dioxide capture and sequestration is gaining much attention as a potential method for controlling these greenhouse gas emissions. Among the environmentally friendly solvents, deep eutectic solvents (DESs) have demonstrated the potential capability for carbon capture. To establish a theoretical framework for DES activity, thermodynamics modeling and solubility predictions are significant factors to anticipate and understand the system behavior. Here, in this study, we combine the COSMO-RS model with machine learning techniques to predict the solubility of CO 2 in various deep eutectic solvents. A comprehensive data set was established comprising 1973 CO 2 solubility data points in 132 different DESs at a variety of temperatures, pressures, and DES molar ratios. This data set was then utilized for the further verification and development of the COSMO-RS model. The CO 2 solubility (ln(x CO 2 )) in DESs calculated with the COSMO-RS model differs significantly from the experiment with an average absolute relative deviation (AARD) of 23.4%. A multilinear regression model was developed using the COSMO-RS predicted solubility and a temperature-pressure dependent parameter, which improved the AARD to 12%. Finally, a machine learning model using COSMO-RS-derived features was developed based on an artificial neural network algorithm. The results are in excellent agreement with the experimental CO 2 solubilities, with an AARD of only 2.72%. The ML model will be a potentially useful tool for the design and selection of DESs for CO 2 capture and utilization.

37 INORGANIC, ORGANIC, PHYSICAL, AND ANALYTICAL CH↗
NASA NTRS2016

New Approach to Characterize CO2 and CH4 Emissions over Sacramento, California Using an Airborne Aircraft Measurement

Emission fluxes of carbon dioxide (CO2) and methane (CH4) over Sacramento, California, USA, are estimated using an aircraft equipped with a cavity ring-down greenhouse gas sensor through the Alpha Jet Atmospheric eXperiment (AJAX). To better quantify the emission fluxes over the entire city and two small point sources within the area, we designed flights in a cylindrical pattern and computed the emission fluxes from 9 flights over all seasons using the Kriging method based on Gausss divergence theorem. The concentrations at the downwind side of Sacramento show somewhat persistent patterns among the 9 flights, but the magnitudes and locations of the fluxes vary depending on the individual weather conditions and seasonality on a given flight day. The net emission fluxes tend to be smaller in summer (July) than winter (November). Both trace gas mixing ratios as well as the wind speed and direction show high spatial variability both horizontally and vertically. The local maximum emission fluxes over a landfill and a rice field measured on July 29, 2015, were 2-3 times lower than the maximum measured over the entire city. These low emission fluxes suggest that not only the local source but also the transport of greenhouse gases due to diurnal and seasonal variation in winds have a strong effect on the CO2 and CH4 flux estimation of the both local emissions and city-size emissions. Our results highlight that the aircraft-based approach is effective and useful for capturing city-size emission fluxes and estimating the greenhouse gas emissions and its sources.

airborne↗
NASA NTRS1981

The elements just beyond iron - Formation during explosive carbon burning

It is pointed out that the details of the synthesis of the elements just beyond iron are unclear. Thus, a reexamination of the role played by neutron-capture reactions during explosive carbon burning is indicated. A description is given of calculations of explosive carbon-burning nucleosynthesis using a complete neutron capture (n-process) computer code with a network extending from Cr through Zr and including not only (n,gamma), (gamma,n) reactions and beta-decay but also (p,n), (n,p), (p,gamma), and (p,alpha) reactions. Initial conditions indicative of the composition of a massive star following core helium burning were selected, and a comparison is made with conditions similar to those used by Howard et al. (1972). It is found that neutron reactions during explosive carbon burning are an important source for the elements just beyond iron.

Wefel, J. P.↗
DOE OSTI2026

Metallic Phase-Free Zn-Al Mixed Oxide Dual Function Materials Enable High Co Selectivity in Reactive Carbon Capture From Dilute Streams

Scaling conventional carbon capture and utilization methods can be limited by cost and permitting issues associated with transportation of captured CO2. Reactive carbon capture (RCC), in which a single solid-phase dual function material (DFM) is used to both capture CO2 from dilute streams (e.g., flue gas) and catalytically convert the bound species to products in a single unit operation, has the potential to reduce energy and capital costs by over 50% relative to separate capture and conversion. To incentivize adoption, high-value products such as methanol and CO should be targeted. Appealingly, CO can be produced at atmospheric pressure, thereby lowering overall H2 demand; however, high reaction temperatures (> 600 degrees C) and the use of oxidizable transition metals, such as Ni, are often necessary to drive the reverse water-gas shift (RWGS) during reactive desorption of the bound CO2. The sensitivity of these transition metals to oxygen undercuts their utility in point source RCC. To further derisk RCC, it is essential to develop metallic-phase free DFMs that are insensitive to residual oxygen in flue gas and can achieve selective reactive desorption to CO at moderate pressures (< 400 degrees C). To this end, we have developed K-modified Zn-Al mixed oxides (K/ZnAlOx) to convert captured CO2 to CO with > 97% selectivity and yields up to 53% of captured CO2 at 400 degrees C. Complementary in situ spectroscopy studies revealed the role of K-modification in improving RCC performance of unmodified ZnAlOx. The top performing DFM was also subjected to extended RCC cycling with oxygen co-fed with CO2 during the capture test to assess durability under simulated flue gas.

37 INORGANIC, ORGANIC, PHYSICAL, AND ANALYTICAL CH↗
DOE OSTI2020

Interpretation of Lyman opacity measurements in JET with the ITER-like wall using a particle balance approach

Recent measurements of the Ly β /D α ratio in the JET ITER-like wall (ILW) divertor show comparatively more pronounced Ly β reabsorption relative to previous results in JET with the carbon wall (JET-C). At the outer horizontal target ion current rollover point a Ly β reabsorption rate of 60% is measured, increasing to 80% in more pronounced detachment, implying a Ly α reabsorption rate of 90%–98%. The radially resolved Ly β /D α measurements are used to constrain Lyman opacity corrections to atomic rate coefficients using the population escape factor technique in order to capture the local changes to the excited state population structure in the high Lyman opacity regions at and outboard of the outer strike point. To check the self-consistency of the Lyman opacity measurements, a detailed spectroscopic interpretation of the outer divertor particle balance is presented, in which the impact of opacity corrections to the Ly α inverse photon efficiency coefficients is assessed. A five-fold deficit in the estimated D + source rate obtained with optically thin plasma assumptions is reconciled once the opacity corrections are factored into the Ly α photon rate to ionization rate conversion. The experiment results are reproduced in EDGE2D-EIRENE density scan simulations in which an imposed ad hoc Lyman reabsorption rate is recovered spectroscopically using synthetic measurements, and a similar shortfall in the D + source rate estimates is reconciled using Lyman opacity corrected atomic data. The model limitations prevent a more detailed self-consistent analysis of the Lyman opacity impact on divertor parameters and detachment evolution, and hence motivate renewed efforts to re-establish routine exploitation of the photon transport modelling capabilities in the EIRENE code package. Lyman opacity corrections to atomic data coefficients are necessary for spectroscopic interpretation of the JET-ILW divertor plasma, with significant influence on the divertor plasma also a likely consequence of the presence of strong Ly α reabsorption. Finally, a scan of auxiliary heating powers spanning L-mode and H-mode conditions reveals a strong correlation of the measured Ly β opacity with the outer target temperature, suggesting new possibilities for using Lyman opacity measurements in establishing detachment scalings.

70 PLASMA PHYSICS AND FUSION TECHNOLOGY↗
DOE OSTI2024

Assessing Suitable Geologic Carbon Storage Sites Across Utah

Utah has a wealth of potential geological reservoirs for carbon dioxide storage (CS) and a long history of geologic research resulting in an abundance of available subsurface data to evaluate CS potential. Reservoirs may include sandstone, carbonate, and basalt; these rock types are plentiful in Utah’s subsurface and the complex Phanerozoic history throughout the state requires evaluating each geologic region individually for promising reservoir-seal pairs for CO2 storage. Classifying Utah by geologic provinces (or “geo-regions”) allows for customized thinking about suitable CS reservoir and seal distribution, CO2 point sources, land use, and existing infrastructure. Preliminary results from this study highlight the geologic CS potential across 15 geo-regions. Four regions stand out as having high CS potential: the Uinta Basin, San Rafael Swell, Paradox Basin, and the southern Basin and Range Province. The Uinta Basin and San Rafael Swell geo-regions are well suited for CS and have several projects ongoing to evaluate Cretaceous Frontier and Naturita Formations, Jurassic Navajo Sandstone and Entrada Sandstone, and Permian Weber Sandstone reservoir units that lie beneath robust sealing units like the ~5000-ft-thick Mancos Shale and Carmel Formation. Reservoirs such as the Navajo and Weber Sandstones have been demonstrated to be suitable reservoirs through a long history of oil and gas exploration in Utah. New areas of interest include the southern Basin and Range in southwest Utah, where the Jurassic Navajo Sandstone is overlain by the sealing Carmel Formation at suitable depths (>3000 ft), and has good porosities based on outcrop analogue data. Just to the north (e.g., central Basin and Range), legacy wells and 2D seismic data show possible salt and subsurface basalt flows that may provide additional possible CS reservoirs and seals. This geo-region also has the advantage of being coupled with geothermal energy resources that may be used to power burgeoning direct air capture technologies. In the Paradox Basin of southeastern Utah, the Leadville Limestone is a potential storage reservoir beneath the thick (4000–5000 ft), salt-bearing Pennsylvanian Paradox Formation. Although the northern and western parts of Utah offer CS potential, these areas typically contain less infrastructure and subsurface penetrations, creating geologic uncertainty associated with subsurface seals and reservoirs due to a lack of data. Overall, this statewide assessment and ranking is the first step to aid in evaluating CS potential across Utah and provides a foundation for future research in the most favorable locations.

58 GEOSCIENCES↗
DOE OSTI2023

Techno-economic Analysis of the Cryogenic Flux Capacitor Compared to Other forms of Hydrogen Production and Storage

The Cryogenic Flux Capacitor (CFC) is a cold, dense energy storage core that is being studied in the cryo-compressed, about 300 bar and 80K, region of gaseous hydrogen (GH2) storage and liquid hydrogen (LH2) region near the normal boiling point. The hydrogens storage is improved by physically bonding the molecules within the nanoscale pores of the aerogel composite blanket material. The process of bonding or debonding is governed by principles of physical adsorption (physisorption) and thermodynamics. The large surface area afforded by the nanoporous aerogel (~1,000 m2/g) allows its storage performance to easily exceed capacities of high-pressure GH2 storage for an equivalent volume. With the integrated aerogel, subscale tests have shown that storage is increased by about 49% over a simple tank filled with GH2 at the same operating temperature and pressure. For LH2 conditions, the CFC is shown to operate at equivalent densities. For the techno-economic analysis (TEA), the source of hydrogen is compared between onsite steam methane reforming (SMR) and onsite solar photovoltaic (PV) panels providing power to electrolyzers to produce GH2. The TEA compares pure hydrogen burning in a combined cycle gas turbine (CCGT) to hydrogen fuel cells with an overall net power output of 650 MW. The SMR system uses natural gas as an input and includes a carbon capture and storage (CCS) system. The levelized cost of electricity is developed based on the capital cost and operating cost of the systems. Sensitivities are discussed around the cost of natural gas, ranging from 1.93 USD per MMBTU to 6.75 USD per MMBTU, and carbon dioxide disposal, ranging from 7 USD per tonne to 10 USD per tonne. For comparison to the conventional CCGT baseline, a baseload scenario is adopted with 85% capacity factor. The results of the study show that onsite hydrogen generation from SMR is about 1 to 3 USD per kg over the life of the plant and the PV hydrogen production produces at 4 to 5 USD per kg. The cost of storage for CFC is compared to other systems, including high-pressure GH2 and atmospheric LH2. The system is shown to provide the lowest costs for all these options at the grid scale, due to its higher capacity than high-pressure GH2 and ability to operate at 80K, receiving refrigeration from liquid nitrogen systems reducing capital and operating costs when compared LH2 storage systems. SMR is competitive with CCGT at the gas prices, both of which have lower LCOE than the PV system. When accounting for variability in gas prices, the PV and electrolyzer system is less sensitive to these changes and provides the lowest LCOE across the whole range.

08 HYDROGEN↗
DOE OSTI2026

Microalgae Commodities Production with a Direct Air Capture Process (Final Technical Report)

This report documents the work performed under Award Number DE-EE0009276, "Microalgae Commodities Production with a Direct Air Capture Process," to advance the technology for large-scale, low-cost microalgae biomass production in the United States. The project's overarching goal was to decouple microalgae production from enriched CO 2 point sources, such power plant flue gases, which otherwise limit the national resource potential for algal biomass.

09 BIOMASS FUELS↗
DOE OSTI2022

Demo-scale testing of a hybrid membrane-sorbent system for post-combustion CO2 capture

TDA Research is developing a novel hybrid membrane-sorbent system for the post-combustion capture of carbon dioxide (CO 2 ) from supercritical pulverized coal (PC) power generation facilities or large point industrial emitters. Here, the novel design incorporates a 1st-stage continuous membrane separator developed by Membrane Technology and Research, Inc. (MTR) with a dual-bed radial-flow sorbent contactor (designed and developed at TDA). Testing of a pilot unit at 1 MWe scale has been conducted at the site for emerging technologies at the Technology Centre Mongstad (TCM) in Mongstad, Norway using residue fluid catalytic cracker (RFCC) flue gas from Equinor’s Mongstad refinery.

20 FOSSIL-FUELED POWER PLANTS↗
DOE OSTI2021

Cryogenic Carbon Capture™ (CCC) Status Report

The Cryogenic Carbon Capture™ (CCC) process separates CO2 from light gases in essentially any continuous process. CCC cools the gases to the frost or desublimation point of CO2 (-100 to -135 °C), separates and pressurizes the solids, and warms all streams to produce a CO2-depleted stream at ambient pressure and a pure (99+%) pressurized liquid CO2 stream typically to about 150 bar, both at ambient temperature. The process also recovers all gas moisture and most gas impurities less volatile than CO2 (NOx, SOx, Hg, PM, UHC, CCC, etc.) in separable streams. CCC nearly eliminates refrigeration energy for sensible temperature changes through heat integration. CCC does require energy to change the CO2 phase from a mixed vapor to a pressurized fluid, which represents the minimum energy required of any process for this separation. CCC uses additional energy for turbomachinery inefficiencies, heat losses, moisture removal and overall process pressure drop. Aside from these real-world energy demands, CCC operates near the minimum energy required to perform this gas separation by minimizing stream recycling. CCC compresses CO2 as a liquid, which is one of several reasons it costs about about half as much and consumes about half as much energy as an amine process when using flue gases with about 15% CO2. The process also has several major additional advantages, including (a) it is a bolt-on retrofit technology that does not need steam or any modification of existing equipment, (b) it recovers water and nearly all pollutants in addition to CO2 from the flue gas, (c) it enables highly efficient and cost effective energy storage at grid scale and on time scales of minutes, (d) it enables NG storage if the energy storage option is used, and (d) it has a small footprint and is minimally disruptive to existing plants, requiring only electrical power and a gas source to operate. Sustainable Energy Solutions (SES) has scaled this technology through several levels, the largest of which captures nominally 1 tonne of CO2/day and is called the skid system. Skid system field tests include utility-scale power plants, cement plants, heating plants, and other utility or industrial sites that burn natural gas, biomass, coal, shredded tires, municipal waste, and combinations of these fuels. These field tests produced 95-99% CO2 capture with CO2 purities of 99+% and initial CO2 contents that range from 4 to 28%. SES currently seeks to scale the system to merchant scale (10-80 tonnes of CO2 per day). In the process of doing so, SES has demonstrated the potential for CCC to contribute to energy storage and direct air capture in innovative and cost-effective ways. This presentation discusses the overall process and highlights results from field and in-house tests. These include (a) measured CO2 capture rates and operating conditions from in-house and field tests, and (b) predicted utility-scale costs and energy demands. This discussion also includes the application of the CCC technology to energy storage and direct air capture.

20 FOSSIL-FUELED POWER PLANTS↗
DOE OSTI2025

Compact Absorber Technology Leads to Significant Reduction in the Cost of Point Source CO 2 Capture

The size of columns in traditional absorption-based processes for CO 2 capture contributes significantly to the overall capital cost. A demonstrated method to reduce the cost of point source CO 2 capture, focusing on reducing the absorber height by increasing the liquid-to-gas reaction contact area and decreasing the CO 2 diffusion resistance without increasing gas-side pressure drop is presented along with techno-economic analysis results. Bench-scale tests on the unique Compact Absorber showed overall CO 2 mass transfer enhancement of varying degrees compared to a traditional packed column for similar process conditions, demonstrating that a 60+% reduction in size of a typical post-combustion absorber with a packing height of 70-100 ft and total height of 150-180 ft can be achieved. The techno-economic analysis showed significant cost reductions when the Compact Absorber is combined with other transformative aspects of the University of Kentucky Institute for Decarbonization and Energy Advancement point source CO 2 capture process compared to the U.S. Department of Energy National Energy Technology Laboratory pertinent reference case for pulverized coal plants with CO 2 capture. Here, a levelized cost of electricity excluding CO 2 transportation and storage of $\$95.6$/MWh was estimated, which is a 9% reduction, with a total capital cost contribution of $45/MWh, which is a 12% reduction. Additionally, a breakeven CO 2 sales price also referred to as the cost of CO 2 capture, of $36.70/tonne was estimated when the UK hindered primary amine solvent is used, which is a 20% reduction compared to the reference case.

CO2 capture↗
DOE OSTI2022

Energy-Storing Cryogenic Carbon Capture™ for Utility and Industrial-scale Processes (Final Report)

This project leverages work completed under funding from previous U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) projects and other sources of funding around the Cryogenic Carbon Capture Process™ (CCC). The purpose of this project is to further develop a perturbation of the CCC process that stores energy called the Cryogenic Carbon Capture™ Energy Storing (CCC-ES) process. The successful completion of the tasks in this project has prepared the CCC-ES process for scaling and developed initial plans and a feasibility analysis for an engineering-scale or small-commercial scale system that can store at least 10 MWh of energy. The specific areas of work in this project are: (1) Develop a conceptual, site-specific integrated process flow diagram: Sustainable Energy Solutions (SES) developed a conceptual, site-specific plan including a process flow diagram for integrating CCC-ES at a specific location. The proposed system was based on a typical engineering-scale CCC system designed to capture 30-50 metric tonnes of CO 2 per day (TPD), with modifications and additional changes and equipment put in place to add the energy storage element to the system. The 30-50 TPD scale corresponds to the required 10 MWh of stored energy. This task includes updating simulation software for transient analysis. SES also coordinated with the Jim Bridger Power Plant in Point of Rocks, Wyoming to get site-specific data. Using these data, SES completed site-specific preliminary process flow diagrams, estimated capital and operating costs for the CCC-ES system, and used the upgraded software package to estimate the primary figures of merit. (2) Complete a technoeconomic analysis (TEA): SES completed a full-scale TEA of the CCC-ES system to meet specific success criteria. This TEA used process information from the host site selected above. (3) Technology and data gap assessment for the CCC-ES process: As part of the technology gap assessment, SES performed an assessment of the best alternative energy storage solutions including figures of merit and operational strengths and weaknesses. SES then compared the proposed system with a discussion of how it addresses the weaknesses of alternative systems, showing for example a cost of stored energy at less than $50/MWh and with a roundtrip efficiency of greater than 95%. This assessment includes technical and other risk analyses and technology gaps with research and development needs to commercialize the process by 2030. Finally, work includes a commercialization roadmap/development pathway outlining the major milestones to move to a commercially operating CCC-ES system. (4) Phase II pre-FEED project plan: SES completed a project plan for the Phase II pre-FEED analysis using the same host site as in the Phase I conceptual study.

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DOE OSTI2023

Ocean Energy: Markets - Currency - Impact. Dimension of & Choices in the Technology Development Space: Preprint

This paper presents considerations of the employment of ocean wave energy to support different energy demand side applications. The key aspect in these considerations is the wave energy supported achievable positive impact and associated tangible contribution in service of common societal good and of the natural commons. The level of impact that can be delivered is dependent on both, the level of contribution of the supported energy use application, and the compatibility and unique suitability of the wave energy resource and its characteristics with the needs of the application. Thus, a variety of ocean wave energy markets, the key value indicators or "currency' in which these markets trade the value delivered and the achievable positive impact, are reflected upon. Ocean wave energy supported acquisition of high quality ocean system data across a wide spectrum of system properties is identified as a highly impactful application enabling and/or improving a comprehensive range of impactful ocean system activities. The technology development process towards these markets and desired impacts requires relevant technology development progress guidance and metrics. Going beyond technology readiness levels and technology performance levels, the notion of further technology development progress scales towards high impact and high contribution are proposed. These scales and the associated technology properties can be regarded as additional technology development dimensions to span-up the technology development space in which desired system capability and functional requirement choices and subsequent ideation, innovation, research and technology development decisions can and are to be made.

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