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	FY2005 FRED Database Project Description:
Project Information
Project Title:		CO2 Hydrate Process for Gas Separation from a Shifted Synthesis Gas Stream
Project I.D.:		FWP-02FE17-A24C
FE Program:		Adv. Power - Integrated Gasification Combined Cycle
Research Type:		To Be Provided
Funding Memorandum:		Field Office Work Agreement
Project Performer
Performer Type:		DOE/National Laboratory
Performer:		Los Alamos National Laboratory (LANL)
Performer Address:		P.O. Box 1663 528 35th St.
Other Project Team Members:		Nextant LLC, San Francisco, CA, 941052210, CA08 SIMTECHE, Half Moon Bay, CA, 940192268, CA14
Project Dates
Project Start Date:		15-Aug-99
Project End Date:		31-Jan-06
Project Location
City:		Los Alamos
State:		NM
ZIP Code:		87544-2201
Congressional District:		3
Responsible FE Site:		NETL
Project Contact
Name:		Currier, Robert P
Telephone:		(505) 665-3601
Fax Number:		(505) 667-0440
Email Address:		currier@lanl.gov
DOE/FE Contact
Name:		Figueroa, Jose' D.
Telephone Number:		4123864966 4966
Site Location:		NETL
Email Address:		jose.figueroa@netl.doe.gov
Cost & Funding Info.
Total Estimated Cost:		$6,917,000
DOE Share:		$6,917,000
Non-DOE Share:		$0
Project Description
Project Description:		Bechtel National; Inc.; the Contractor; has assembled an experienced team of scientists and engineers from Bechtel Technology and Consulting; Los Alamos National Laboratory (LANL); IPSI LLC and SIMTECHE to perform the proposed work. SIMTECHE shall be a subcontractor while IPSI LLC will be a consultant. Mr. Spencer; the sole proprietor of SIMTECHE; will allow the Government the use of the patented technology. Bechtel holds majority ownership of IPSI. LANL will participate under field work orders under the direction of NETL.
Project Background:		The nations of the world are realizing that uncontrolled emissions of greenhouse gases (CO2; for example) into the atmosphere pose a serious threat to the quality of life on the planet. Dunsmore (1992) estimated that the world's atmosphere contains approximately 720 Gt of carbon as CO2 (1 Gt = 1 billion (109) tonnes; 1 tonne = 1000 kg). Rubin et al. (1992) estimated worldwide anthropogenic CO2 emissions in 1990 at 21.8 Gt per year. The United States produced roughly 22% of this total (4.8 Gt); slightly more than one-third of that (1.7 Gt) came from electrical power plants. Thus; significant reduction or elimination of CO2 emissions from power plant and chemical processing facilities in the U.S. alone could reduce the world's annual production by more than 8%. President Clinton underscored the urgency of the problem in his keynote address at the White House Conference on Climate Change (Georgetown University; 6 October 1997) by saying; We must be prepared to commit to realistic and binding goals on our emissions of greenhouse gases. The Department of Energy; Office of Fossil Energy is addressing this issue in part with its Vision 21 concept. This concept; A Pathway to Clean Affordable Energy; focuses on the development of feedstock-flexible energy-plexes which produce electric power; fuels; and chemicals or combinations of these products. Gasification; which can process coal; biomass; natural gas; or waste materials to produce synthesis gas from which electric power; hydrogen; methanol; and other products can be formed; is the key enabling technology for this concept. If synthesis gas is shifted to primarily hydrogen and carbon dioxide; and the CO2 extracted and sequestered; the raw feedstocks are effectively de-carbonized. One of the goals of the Vision 21 program is to produce a technical option with near-zero emissions of CO2. The proposed research and development project examines an innovative; proprietary; CO2 removal technique ¿ the patented SIMTECHE CO2-Hydrate Separation Process; which holds promise of not only greatly reducing CO2 emissions but also reducing the costs and the energy penalty paid for the removal process. Prior evaluations of the SIMTECHE process show promise of significant reduction of both energy losses associated with CO2 separation and sequestration; as well as other process costs. Successful application of this new direction for solving the continuing problem of CO2 removal will help DOE to reach the goal of 50-60% power plant energy conversion efficiencies with near-zero emissions of CO2. Previously; a limited experimental program was conducted at the California Institute of Technology which produced some promising experimental results. These results need to be confirmed and then the process further developed up to an engineering state of readiness.
Project Accomplishments: [NOTE: Updated information not available beginning 2004]		01-Jun-02: Accomplishment: Gas Feed System Integrated w/ Bench-Scale Reactor Description: Gas feed system, flow controllers, and external cooling system were integrated with the continuous flow bench-scale reactor, tail tube, viewport, and gas separator to permit mixed gas (A-CO2) separation testing and performance data collection 01-Jul-02: Accomplishment: Proof of Concept Separations Tests Completed Description: 30 Proof-of-Concept A-CO2 separation tests were performed on the bench-scale apparatus to demonstrate CO2 hydrate separation from a mixed gas stream of 60% A, 40% CO2, at 1000 psia operating pressure and temperatures of 34 deg. F., using both tap water and CO2 conditioned" water. Hydrate formation kinetics were very fast 01-Sep-02: Accomplishment: Process Engineering Studies Updated Description: Updated process engineering studies of the commercial hydrate CO2 separation process indicate CO2 control costs of $5-10 per ton CO2, well below the costs of competitive processes.

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