Supersonic Technology for CO2 Capture

Supersonic Technology for CO2 Capture

Program:
IMPACCT
Award:
$2,683,040
Location:
Minneapolis, Minnesota
Status:
ALUMNI
Project Term:
07/01/2010 - 06/30/2013
Website:

Technology Description:

Researchers at Alliant Techsystems (ATK) and ACENT Laboratories are developing a device that relies on aerospace wind-tunnel technologies to turn CO2 into a condensed solid for collection and capture. ATK's design incorporates a special nozzle that converges and diverges to expand flue gas, thereby cooling it off and turning the CO2 into solid particles which are removed from the system by a cyclonic separator. This technology is mechanically simple, contains no moving parts and generates no chemical waste, making it inexpensive to construct and operate, readily scalable, and easily integrated into existing facilities. The increase in the cost to coal-fired power plants associated with introduction of this system would be 50% less than current technologies.

Potential Impact:

If successful, ATK's technology would collect and remove CO2 at half the cost to coal-fired power plants of current-generation carbon capture and storage technologies.

Security:

Enabling continued use of domestic coal for electricity generation will preserve the stability of the electric grid.

Environment:

Carbon capture technology could prevent more than 800 million tons of CO2 from being emitted into the atmosphere each year.

Economy:

Enabling cost-effective carbon capture systems could accelerate their adoption at existing power plants.

Contact

ARPA-E Program Director:
Dr. Karma Sawyer
Project Contact:
Dr. Vladimir Balepin
Press and General Inquiries Email:
ARPA-E-Comms@hq.doe.gov
Project Contact Email:
vladimir.balepin@atk.com

Partners

ACENT Labs

Related Projects

• Alliant Techsystems (ATK) - Supersonic Technology for CO2 Capture
• Codexis - Better Enzymes for Carbon Capture
• Columbia University - Chemically Accelerated Carbon Mineralization
• General Electric (GE) Global Research - CO2 Capture with Liquid-to-Solid Absorbents
• Georgia Tech Research Corporation - Composite Membranes for CO2 Capture
• Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory (LLNL) - Synthetic Catalysts for CO2 Storage
• Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) - CO2 Capture Using Electrical Energy
• Oak Ridge National Laboratory (ORNL) - High Surface-Area CO2 Sponge
• Research Triangle Institute (RTI) - CO2 Capture and Regeneration at Low Temperatures
• Sustainable Energy Solutions (SES) - Capturing CO2 from Exhaust Gas
• Texas A&M University - Stimuli-Responsive Metal Organic Frameworks
• University of California, Berkeley (UC Berkeley) - Metal Organic Framework Research
• University of Colorado, Boulder (CU-Boulder) - Gelled Ionic Liquid-Based Membranes
• University of Kentucky - Hybrid Solvent-Membrane CO2 Capture
• University of Notre Dame - Phase-Changing Ionic Liquids

Release Date:
02/07/2009