Latrobe Valley Post Combustion

Latrobe Valley Post Combustion is joint venture which aims to develop a Carbon Capture and Storage demonstration project located near Loy Yang. Those involved in the project are CO2CRC, Loy Yang Power, International Power and the CSIRO.

Background
In April 2007 the project partners announced that the 30-month project would focus on developing "carbon dioxide (CO2) capture technologies which will be tested at Loy Yang Power and International Power’s Hazelwood Power Station." The partners stated that the project would cost $5.6 million of which the Victorian government was contributing $2.5 million of the project funds under the Energy Technology Innovation Strategy.

The announcement stated that the project would focus on seven key areas. These are:

The seven tasks on which researchers from Loy Yang Power, International Power, CO2CRC and CSIRO will work on are:


 * 1. New Solvent Development Research: Laboratory research will be conducted on the next generation of CO2 capture solvents, such as amines, aminos acids and ionic liquids at CSIRO and University of Melbourne using existing and new test rigs to focus on brown coal flue gas specific issues.


 * 2. Membrane Research: Laboratory research on gas separation and gas absorption membrane technologies will be conducted at the University of Melbourne. Membranes are thin plastic layered materials that act like sieves to separate out carbon dioxide, either by the membrane itself or using solvents.


 * 3. Adsorbent Research: Laboratory research will be conducted on solid adsorbents and adsorption technologies at Monash University using existing and new test rigs.


 * 4. Solvent Test Facility: A mobile research facility (2.5 tpd CO2 removal) will test a range of commercially available and new solvents at the Loy Yang Power site to obtain operating data and operating experience with brown coal flue gas.


 * 5. Solvent Testing Demonstration* Plant: The demonstration plant to be situated at International Power’s Hazelwood Power Station will test selected commercially available and new solvents on a commercial progressively larger scale (25 tpd CO2 capture plant, modified for testing). The tests are aimed at obtaining operating data and experience with brown-coal flue gas. (* This plant is separately funded under the Federal Government’s LETDF and Victorian Government’s ETIS LSDP programmes and is demonstrating the capture of CO2 and use for pH adjustment and carbonate production.)


 * 6. Process and Energy Integration Studies: CSIRO and Loy Yang Power will undertake an assessment of a post combustion capture process and energy integration options for Loy Yang power station. CO2CRC and International Power will conduct the same assessment at Hazelwood Power Station.


 * 7. Technical and Economic Assessment Studies: Review of the technical and economic viability of the commercial use of post combustion capture for existing and new Victorian brown coal power stations will be conducted by CO2CRC and CSIRO with input from Loy Yang Power and International Power Hazelwood. The review will be based on outputs from the project R&D activities and other international developments in post combustion capture over the two-and-a-half year project."

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