Engineering topics
Publications and source records attributed to Turner, Marc.
Data presented in poster is sourced from the Electrochemical Catalyst Sensitivity Analysis Tool. This tool comprises a material balance model with cost estimation to estimate the levelized cost of product for CO production via CO2 electrolysis. A set of sensitivity analyses on key system and financial parameters is included with results so that users can test the impacts of these parameters on LCOP.
As an extension of NETL's Fossil Energy Baseline for Electricity Generating Units Volume 1: Coal and Natural Gas to Electricity (FEB Rev 4a, this study develops cost and performance estimates for analogous NGCC cases using a state-of-the-art 2023 vintage H-Class CT in a 1×1 configuration, where a single combustion turbine and heat recovery steam generator are coupled to a single steam turbine on a common shaft. These 1×1 H-Class cases are used to develop cost and performance estimates of X-Class 1×1 NGCC cases with advanced performance characteristics, analogous to NETL’s cost and performance projections report.
This is the user guide for the tool described here: Development of technologies that convert carbon dioxide (CO 2 ) into products is part of the U.S. Department of Energy's Office of Fossil Energy and Carbon Management Carbon Conversion Program portfolio. One such technology under development converts CO 2 to value-added products via electrochemical reduction, where catalysts are used on the cathode to promote CO 2 conversion across the electrochemical catalyst (ECC) cell. Broadly, the ECC is integrated with balance of plant (BOP) equipment (e.g., compressors, pumps, heat exchangers, purification units) in system configurations to produce the desired product. To guide research and development (R&D) toward advancements that may make such conversion technologies economically competitive, researchers may use sensitivity analyses related to the ECC system cost and performance, including that of the cathodic and anodic catalysts. This tool is intended to inform developers and Program in assessing proposed R&D on ECC systems early in the development process. Results will guide researchers on where efforts would be best directed. The tool may be accessed here: https://www.netl.doe.gov/energy-analysis/details?id=55293cb1-6881-4181-a2b0-d00b711ce74b.
This presentation examines a direct comparison of assumptions based on the project site and conditions and determines how they would effect the cost and performance of the NGCC with CCS system in the fossil energy baseline study.
This document provides DOE-FECM specific guidance for conducting techno-economic analysis (TEA) on carbon conversion technologies using NETL's established TEA methodology. The intent is to provide guidance to develop a consistent methodology for evaluating carbon conversion technologies within the DOE-FECM portfolio. The document provides guidance on the analysis methodology, evaluation metrics including performance, cost, emissions, and market considerations, and ample references to guide the end user in the development of consistent TEA of carbon conversion technologies.
To address the data needs of energy system designers and to serve as a baseline for research and development, NETL has carried out a study to characterize the flexibility attributes - both performance and cost - of nine common commercial natural gas-fueled electricity generating units. The intermittent output of low-carbon, renewable power generation sources such as wind and solar create challenges to grid stability and reliability. Fossil-fueled power generation technologies are currently used to provide reliable, on-demand power during periods of reduced renewable output. Dispatchable generators must be able to accommodate increasing renewable generation as the nation pursues the Administration’s target of a decarbonized energy sector by 2035. As energy system experts seek to identify least-cost approaches to decarbonization, accurate cost and performance data characterizing dispatchable fossil generators that operate flexibly, at capacity factors that have been declining over time, and are needed to inform models for capacity expansion. Furthermore, these technologies continue to be a significant source of carbon dioxide emissions, providing the impetus for research and development, including the advancement and potential incorporation of carbon capture technologies. This study characterizes the cost and performance of select state-of-the-art natural gas-fueled power generation technologies: reciprocating internal combustion engines (RICE), simple cycle combustion turbines, and natural gas combined cycles (NGCC). An emphasis is placed on flexibility characteristics, such as part-load heat rate, ramp rates, start up times, and start up costs.
This study presents updated cost and performance information on retrofitting pulverized coal (PC) power plants with post-combustion carbon capture based on an advanced solvent process, based on NETL's Fossil Energy Baseline, Revision 4A. Cases considered include those using a fully integrated capture system, a case that provides capture system steam via a natural gas boiler, and a case that provides combined heat and power via a natural gas simple cycle system. Comparison cases include both new build and retrofit analysis at 90% and 95% carbon capture.
This report presents an independent assessment of the cost and performance of select fossil energy power systems—pulverized coal (PC), circulating fluidized bed (CFB), and natural gas combined cycle (NGCC) plants—using a systematic, transparent technical and economic approach. This is Volume 3 of a five-volume series, which comprise the following reports: Volume 1: Bituminous Coal and Natural Gas to Electricity; Volume 2: Coal to Synthetic Natural Gas and Ammonia (Various Coal Ranks); Volume 3: Low Rank Coal and Natural Gas to Electricity; Volume 4: Bituminous Coal to Liquid Fuels; and Volume 5: Natural Gas Electricity Generating Units for Flexible Operation. The cost and performance of fossil fuel-based generation technologies represented in this report (and the series at large) are important inputs to assessments and determinations of technology combinations to be utilized to meet the projected demands of future power markets. In addition to informing technology comparisons, the reference plant configurations found in this report provide perspective for regulators and policy makers. From a research and development perspective, this report is used to assess goals and metrics and to provide a consistent basis for comparing developing technologies.
Presentation of our Cost and Performance Baseline for Fossil Energy Plants, Volume 1: Revision 4A to USEA.
This presentation was given by Marc Turner, NETL Support Contractor, at the International Center for Sustainable Carbon's "The Energy Transition - the Role for Sustainable Carbon" workshop held in Sardinia, Italy on November 16-18, 2022. The presentation addresses the NETL report titled "Conceptual Design of Pulverized Coal Electricity Generating Units for Flexible Operation" published on September 6, 2022. This study presents an independent conceptual assessment of the features, cost, and performance of pulverized coal power plants (without carbon dioxide capture) intended for flexible, rather than baseload, operation. The objective was to leverage the already substantial knowledge base about flexible operation and develop state-of-the-art pulverized coal power plant cases that are designed to accommodate flexible operation within an electric grid having a high level of renewable generation. This is of significant importance in coal-dependent regions of the world as variable renewable energy becomes more prevalent.
Costs are frequently required as part of systems analysis work at NETL. Many of the cost results provided as part of systems analysis work were created with the use of scaling, since obtaining new vendor-supplied cost quotes for each category developed by NETL would be prohibitively time consuming and costly. Additionally, many of the technologies being investigated by NETL have not progressed far enough to have quotable costs. The costs are scaled from a quote for a similar plant configuration by use of various equations that typically employ at least one process parameter (e.g., coal-feed rate, oxidant-feed rate) and often an exponent. The primary purpose of the exponent is to account for economies of scale (i.e., as equipment size gets larger, it gets progressively cheaper to add additional capacity). The purpose of this section of the QGESS report is to provide a standard basis for scaling costs, with specific emphasis on scaling exponents. The intention of having a standardized document is to provide guidelines for proper procedures to reduce the potential of errors and increase credibility through consistency.
This revised report presents an independent assessment of the cost and performance of select fossil energy power systems—integrated gasification combined cycle (IGCC), pulverized coal (PC), and natural gas combined cycle (NGCC) plants—using a systematic, transparent technical and economic approach. The cost and performance of fossil fuel-based generation technologies represented in this report (and the series at large) are important inputs to assessments and determinations of technology combinations to be utilized to meet the projected demands of future power markets. In addition to informing technology comparisons, the reference plant configurations found in this report provide perspective for regulators and policy makers. From a research and development perspective, this report is used to assess goals and metrics and to provide a consistent basis for comparing developing technologies.
Presentation by the National Energy Technology Laboratory (NETL) on performance and cost results of utilizing low rank coals and natural gas to produce electricity, including the effects of carbon capture. The coal plants are located in elevated terrain, and the natural gas plants are sited in the same conditions to allow comparability of elevation impacts. The study reports on overall performance of both fuel types, without and with carbon capture, and gives comparisons of the levelized cost of electricity for each unit. This presentation was given at the 2022 Pittsburgh Coal Conference.
The National Energy Technology Laboratory (NETL) is updating its study titled “Cost and Performance Baselines for Fossil Energy Plants, Volume 1: Bituminous Coal and Natural Gas to Electricity.” Revision 4 was published in 2019. Pulverized coal (PC) and natural gas combined cycle (NGCC) cases with carbon capture in that study capture carbon dioxide (CO2) at 90% efficiency. Field-testing of post-combustion CO2 capture technology as well as vendor and industry feedback on projects currently in the planning stages (including FEED projects sponsored by DOE) indicate that capture rates as high as 95% are feasible for both coal- and natural gas-fueled electricity generating units. Technology suppliers (as reflected in vendor-supplied information provided to DOE for this study that included cost and performance estimates for both NGCC (97%) and PC (99%) study cases) as well as subject matter experts acknowledge and support that solvent-based post-combustion CO2 capture technologies are capable of achieving CO2 removal rates beyond 95% on low-purity streams representative of fossil-fueled combustion; however, the relatively limited experience with design and operation of capture systems that can routinely, reliably, and economically achieve very high removal rates (e.g., 97% for NGCC flue gas) requires further study. This presentation will address performance and cost estimates for 90%, 95%, and 97% capture for F- and H-class NGCC plants. This presentation was given at the 2022 Pittsburgh Coal Conference.
This National Energy Technology Laboratory (NETL) study addresses the conceptual design of greenfield pulverized coal (PC) plants intended for flexible rather than high capacity factor baseload operation. The United States has plentiful, low-cost natural gas resources - studies of aggressive decarbonization scenarios of the US energy sector suggest that the variability of carbon-free power can be economically addressed using dispatchable natural gas-fueled generation. Globally, natural gas resources are not as plentiful or low cost; consequently, some regions of the world are anticipated to continue to rely upon coal generation, even as they pursue decarbonization efforts. To support the increased utilization of variable renewable generation in these coal-dependent regions, plant designs must target low-capacity factor coal plants with increased emphasis on flexibility attributes such as start-up times, ramp rates, minimum load, and part-load heat rates. While much work has been performed on the improvement of the flexibility for existing coal plants originally designed for baseload service, little public literature exists on clean sheet design for flexible operation. This conceptual design study aims to define the features, performance characteristics, and costs for greenfield coal plants intended for flexible operation. Quantifying these characteristics provides critical information required by utility owners, grid planners, energy market modelers, and energy policy decision makers in coal-dependent regions of the world to better understand how coal-fired power plants can support a transition to low carbon generation.
Updated cost and performance results are presented by NETL for both F and H Class turbines, presented at the Clearwater Clean Energy Conference in August, 2022. Results are presented for cases with and without 90% CO2 Capture. Preliminary results for high capture rates presented as well.
This National Energy Technology Laboratory (NETL) analysis is a techno-economic evaluation of chemical precipitation followed by low hydraulic residence time biological treatment, which was identified as Best Available Technology for treatment and control of selenium emissions from wet flue gas desulfurization wastewater streams.
This U.S. Department of Energy/National Energy Technology Laboratory techno-economic analysis evaluates those parameters having the greatest performance and cost impact on wet flue gas desulfurization (FGD) effluent wastewater treatment systems, and air cooled condensers for dry cooling systems. Two supercritical pulverized coal power plants are considered: 1) an existing plant (modified for surface water discharge and air emissions consistent with limits for existing plants) retrofitted with wet FGD effluent wastewater treatment and 2) a greenfield plant constructed with an air-cooled condenser (ACC). Sensitivity analyses are completed on various process parameters associated with the wet FGD effluent wastewater treatment system and ACC to determine the impact on the net plant efficiency and levelized cost of electricity (LCOE). Research and development targets are recommended for the parameters shown to have the greatest potential impact on cost or performance.