ExxonMobil has signed on to support the development of FuelCell Energy’s carbonate fuel cell carbon capture system, the companies said Thursday. “Our scientists saw the potential for this exciting technology for use at natural gas power plants to enhance the viability of carbon capture and sequestration while at the same time generating additional electricity. We sought the industry leaders in carbonate fuel cell technology to test its application in pilot stages to help confirm what our researchers saw in the lab over the last two years,” said Vijay Swarup, vice president for research and development at ExxonMobil Research & Engineering Co., said in a press release.
The carbonate fuel cell capture process holds the potential to reduce the costs of carbon capture, specifically for natural gas-fired generation, FuelCell said. “The [direct fuel cell] stack acts as a carbon purification membrane, transferring CO2 from the air stream (where it is very dilute) to the fuel exhaust stream, where it is more concentrated, allowing the CO2 to be easily and affordably removed for sequestration or industrial use,” according to FuelCell’s website.
Under the new agreement, the companies will spend two years investigating the potential to increase the efficiency of the process further. Following completion of this testing, the partners will launch a one- to two-year small-scale pilot project “prior to integration at a larger-scale pilot facility,” according to the release.
