E.ON Kraftwerke Carbon Capture Technology Demonstration Plant

Fluor and E.ON Kraftwerke (E.ON) were partners in developing a slipstream carbon capture pilot plant in northern Germany. The Fluor Econamine FG Plus^SM technology was applied to demonstrate removal of carbon dioxide from flue gas at E.ON's Wilhelmshaven coal-fired power plant.

Client's Challenge

E.ON is one of the world's largest private gas and electricity companies. More than 85,000 E.ON employees supply some 17 million customers with electricity, gas and other energy-related services. E.ON brings to the partnership its essential experience in operating and engineering coal-fired power plants.

E.ON's Wilhelmshaven plant located north of Bremen, Germany burns hard coal and has a net output of 757 MW. The primary objectives of the Fluor / E.ON partnership were to enhance the Fluor Econamine FG Plus technology and demonstrate its application in removing carbon dioxide from the flue gas of a coal-fired power plant.

Several recent advancements in the Fluor Econamine FG Plus technology were verified and the new enhancements were tested as a part of Fluor's ongoing R&D activities on carbon capture technology at that time.

The Wilhelmshaven carbon capture pilot plant was designed for a flue gas volume of approximately 16,200 cubic meters per hour, capturing 90 percent of the CO₂ or 70 metric tons per day when operating at full capacity. Fluor and E.ON will jointly carry out a test program over the next several years to achieve the objectives of the demonstration.

Fluor's Solution

The partnership with E.ON was to design and build a pilot plant to capture carbon from coal-fired flue gas. Fluor was the technology supplier and contractor for engineering, procurement, and construction of the pilot plant.

The patented and proprietary Fluor Econamine FG Plus technology has been demonstrated at commercial scale facilities for nearly 20 years; 27 licensed plants are in commercial operation, mostly to produce chemical or food grade carbon dioxide.

The project was completed, commissioned, and fully operational in 2012. The construction phase included demonstration of new materials and techniques for erection of process columns, installation of several energy saving process systems, installation of extensive instrumentation suitable for testing and R&D and incorporation of remote monitoring capability via the internet. These and other enhancements planned during the ensuing test program were used to drive additional energy efficiency into the Fluor Econamine FG Plus process. In addition to verifying and enhancing the technology, the project was designed to demonstrate that conventional power plants can be readily retrofitted with the Fluor Econamine FG Plus technology.

Conclusion

The Wilhelmshaven carbon capture innovation project provided E.ON and Fluor with a platform for demonstrating the viability of applying carbon capture technology to coal-fired power plants and for conducting R&D activities to continue advancing the technology. This program aided in keeping coal-fired base load power generation viable while minimizing environmental impacts.

Through its participation in this project, Fluor applied a wide range of resources and expertise including project management, technology development, process design, plant engineering, procurement, construction management and commissioning. This same expertise can be applied to power projects on a global basis.