GTI and KEPRI Working Together to Develop Smaller Power Plants with Reduced Emissions

GTI, a leading U.S. research, development, and training organization serving energy and environmental markets, has signed an agreement with Korea Electric Power Research Institute (KEPRI), a unit of Korea Electric Power Company (KEPCO), one of the largest electricity providers in the world that has been driving Korea's economic and industrial growth as a reliable supplier of electricity.

Together they will jointly research and develop oxygen-fired pressurized fluidized bed combustor (Oxy-PFBC) technology that promises power generation with substantially reduced emissions.

The joint development agreement between GTI and KEPRI focuses on combustor work which can lead to power generation with carbon dioxide (CO₂) capture that is more efficient and lower cost than current CO₂ capture technologies. Such achievements could help reduce capital costs and minimize the plant footprint of power generators.

The Oxy-PFBC technology uses oxy-fuel combustion, a process that burns solid fuel using a pressurized mixture of oxygen and CO₂, instead of air, to produce heat to generate electricity. This improves process efficiency and results in exhaust gas that is primarily CO₂ and water vapor, thereby reducing the cost of capturing the CO₂ for later utilization or permanent storage underground. It also eliminates particulate emissions, an attribute which is important for air quality in South Korea.

“KEPCO is very excited about working with GTI on this novel technology. The Oxy-PFBC process generates electricity and heat with near-zero emissions by economically capturing greenhouse gases created by combustion,” said Yong-Chae Bae, Vice President of KEPRI. “Through combined efforts, we will take advantage of the strengths of both organizations to advance the technology to the next level and decrease air pollution.”

Adds Michael Rutkowski, GTI Senior Vice President, Research and Technology Development, “KEPRI and GTI’s aspirations align, and we look forward to partnering on this initiative that will help to address the cost and complexity challenges of carbon capture.”

Oxy-combustion enables high-efficiency gas cleanup, while pressurization shrinks the equipment size and the cost. The combustor is expected to be one-third the size of a traditional combustor and less than half the cost, saving hundreds of millions of dollars for a commercial-scale plant.

Pressurized fluidized bed combustion can result in electricity production from coal with near-zero emissions, while biomass-coal blends can achieve negative CO₂ emissions. A commercial-scale plant is projected to capture CO₂ emissions equivalent to removing 800,000 cars from the road.

The partners are working to validate the process, mature the technology, and address technology gaps to progress the commercialization of more economical CO₂ capture technologies.