Dear reader,

This is the second newsletter from the Horizon2020 project CEMCAP. It is now one year since the CEMCAP project started, and we are proud to have an operative project consisting of a well-functioning consortium doing high-quality research! CEMCAP is progressing well towards the primary objective, which is to prepare the grounds for large-scale implementation of CO2 capture in the European cement industry. This second CEMCAP newsletter provides insight into the following activities that are going on in CEMCAP: Testing of Chilled Ammonia and Calcium looping for post-combustion capture from cement plants, development of a burner for oxyfuel cement plant retrofit, and preparation for the installation of the oxyfuel clinker cooler prototype. It also gives information about website updates and other useful and interesting links related to CCS.

You can visit the CEMCAP Website to learn more about our project and follow us on twitter - @CEMCAP_CO2 - to keep updated on CEMCAP news.

The CEMCAP newsletters will be distributed every six months. If you know someone who might be interested, they can subscribe on the CEMCAP webpage. Furthermore, you can unsubscribe at the bottom of this newsletter.

Enjoy the reading!

Kristin Jordal, CEMCAP coordinator

CCS clustering event in Brussels, March 14

On March 14, CEMCAP and three other H2020 CCS projects (STEPWISE, LEILAC, STEMM-CCS) met at INEA premises in Brussels, with the purpose to get to know the other projects, network and identify synergies. Furthermore, an overview of the Political context for H2020 CCS research was provided by Jeroen Schuppers from DG Research & Innovation. The day was very fruitful and provided insights into the role of the Horizon CCS projects in the realization of EU goals for reducing CO2 emissions, as well as concrete ideas for project collaboration and information exchange.

Information about the CCS projects funded in Horizon 2020 and administrated by INEA can be found on the INEA website: http://ec.europa.eu/inea/en/horizon-2020/funded-projects/ccs

Chilled Ammonia Process testing for cement plants post combustion capture has started

The first Chilled Ammonia Process (CAP) pilot-scale test campaign in CEMCAP started in March 2016 at GE Power premises in Växjö, Sweden, and is expected to be completed in May. This test campaign is the most comprehensive of the CAP test campaigns in CEMCAP and relates to the CO2 absorption. Prior to conducting the campaign, a status review and a modification of the pilot were required, as well as an instrument verification program and a chemical analysis validation. GE Power in collaboration with ETH Zürich have by now successfully conducted one out of three weeks of testing for the first campaign. For the first time, the Chilled Ammonia Process has been applied to capture CO2 from a synthetic cement plant flue gas. We expect to complete the remaining of the first test campaign during May.

The Chilled Ammonia Process work package in the CEMCAP project has in its scope four test campaigns during three years. These are:

• Investigation of the CO2 capture in the main absorber

• Investigation of the polishing step, i.e. the DCC before the main absorber

• Running the main absorber also with flue gas contaminants, based on the findings in the two first campaigns

• Investigation of the ammonia recovery section, i.e. the Water Wash after the main absorber

The CAP pilot plant at GE Power Sweden, now adapted for CO2 capture tests from synthetic cement plant exhaust gases.

Oxy-fuel burner prototype for cement kilns is being manufactured

In the framework of CEMCAP, several retrofit aspects of the implementation of oxy-fuel conditions to existing cement plants are being investigated, including the design and testing of an oxy-fuel burner prototype for cement kilns. The burner manufacturer and project partner ThyssenKrupp had the task to design and in cooperation with IFK at University of Stuttgart manufacture the prototype burner to be tested in the IFK´s 500 kWth existing combustion facility.

This prototype is now in the phase of manufacturing while several adaptations in the combustion facility are ongoing, which will allow among others the preheating of synthetic secondary gases. The test will provide insights regarding the effect of rich CO2 atmospheres on the heat transfer phenomena inside cement kilns and thus in the way process parameters should be adjusted to maintain clinker quality. During the first test campaign, three oxy-fuel modes will be compared to conventional air combustion employing measurements of heat radiation, gas concentration and temperature as well as fuel burnout. Numerical simulations complement the experiments.

SINTEF Energy Research has been working in the adaptation of combustion models for oxy-firing, and the experimental results will be used for combustion model validation.

Schematic of the adapted 500 kWth pilot test facility at IFK, University of Stuttgart.

Calcium looping testing has started

Experimental operation for CO2 capture from cement production using the calcium looping process (Link to WP description) have started both at the 30 kW test rig at CSIC (Spain) and at the 200 kW pilot plant at IFK, University of Stuttgart (Germany).

The experimental campaigns in Spain and Germany show stable operation conditions and good CO2 capture performance under cement specific operation conditions. Thanks to the highly active bed material due to high make up flows of fresh sorbent and small particle sizes great CO2 capture rates have been reached. More than 90 % of the CO2 in flue gases could be captured.

Alongside the CO2 capture experiments an analysis about the suitability of different sorbents (limestone and raw meal) for utilization in the calcium looping process for CO2 capture in the cement industry has started, using thermogravimetric analyses, scanning electron microscopy (SEM) and x-ray diffraction (XRD).

Schematic of the INCAR-CSIC 0.03 MWth pilot plant incorporating a 2nd solid loop recycle of fine material, and ageneral overview of the pilot

CAD model of IFKs 200 kW pilot plant for calcium looping experiments in CFB-CFB configuration

Oxyfuel clinker cooler prototype soon to be installed at HeidelbergCement in Hannover

The installation of the extraction device for the CEMCAP Oxyfuel clinker cooler prototype was prepared on site at the HeidelbergCement plant in Hannover, Germany in March 2016. The clinker cooler itself has now been constructed and tested by IKN and will be installed at the cement plant in June. In the following months different test campaigns are planned. The results will feed directly into the CEMCAP analytical work, as well as the ECRA CCS project and their planning of an Oxyfuel cement plant demonstrator.

Preparing for the hot clinker extraction to the oxyfuel prototype

11th CO2 GeoNet Open Forum

11th CO2 GeoNet Open Forum and ensuing workshopswas organised on the San Servolo Island, Venice, Italy on May 9-11.

CEMCAP coordinator Kristin Jordal from SINTEF gave a presentation of CEMCAP to provide insight to the audience about industrial CO2 capture, typical CO2 concentratins in cement plants flue gases and potential CO2 impurities.

Refresh your memory from the COP21

The COP21 was a decisive event in the combat against global warming, but maybe it already feels a bit distant? Recall the atmosphere from the successful agreement in December 2015 by reading the blog by someone who was there when it happened: Nils Røkke, Executive Vice President Sustainability SINTEF and chairman of the CEMCAP Executive board.

https://blog.sintef.com/energy-efficiency/the-paris-agreement-we-got-a-deal/