The Department of Energy on Wednesday said it has awarded $28 million in research funding to 14 advanced fossil fuel combustion systems projects. The recipients will spend $8.4 million on the projects, bring total spending to more than $36 million. “The new projects, which span 11 states, will accelerate the scale-up of coal-based advanced combustion power systems, advance coal gasification processes, and improve the cost, reliability, and endurance of solid oxide fuel cells,” a DOE release says.
Three of the 14 projects involve advanced combustion pilot plants: Alstom Power and General Electric are teaming up on pre-project planning for a 10 megawatts electric (MWe) pilot plant and have been awarded $3.2 million; pre-project planning for a flameless pressurized oxy-combustion pilot plant will be completed by the Southwest Research Institute, ITEA S.p.A., Jacobs, the Electric Power Research Institute, General Electric Global Research, and Peter Reineck Associates with $3.3 million in DOE funding; and Babcock & Wilcox and Ohio State University will work together on a front-end engineering and design study for a 10 MWe coal direct chemical looping large pilot plant with $3.3 million in DOE funding.
Two modular oxygen production in fossil energy gasification systems projects will also receive funding: Thermosolv LLC, LP Amina Inc., the Western Research Institute, and the University of Wyoming will team up to research low-cost oxygen for small-scale modular gasification systems with $2 million in DOE funding; and the Research Triangle Institute and Air Liquide will investigate oxygen binding materials and highly efficient modular system for oxygen production with just under $2 million.
The remaining nine projects deal with solid oxide fuel cell technology: Auburn University will receive $171,465; the University of Connecticut will receive $500,000; Mohawk Innovative Technology and FuelCell Energy will receive $600,00; General Electric in partnership with the SUNY Polytechnic Institute and GE-Fuel Cells have been awarded $545,290; West Virginia University in partnership with the Oak Ridge National Laboratory, Carpenter Technology Corp., and FuelCell Energy have been awarded $369,999; Redox Power Systems, the University of Maryland Research Center, and the Center for Advanced Life Cycle Engineering have been awarded $3 million; FuelCell Energy will receive $3 million; Cummins Power Generation will receive $3.945 million; and Acumentrics and the University of South Carolina will receive $2.5 million.