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Collaborating on groundbreaking zero-carbon thermal power generation technology

The technical skills and practical experience of WSP teams around the world are helping 8 Rivers to commercialise its world-first, zero-carbon technology

Location

  • United Kingdom

As more and more countries commit to achieving net zero carbon emissions by or before 2050, the key question remains: How will we power our homes, industries and vehicles?

While truly renewable energy still has substantial growth ahead, there will always be a need for a baseload component to pick up demand when the sun doesn’t shine or the wind doesn’t blow. Storage will be a growing part of the on-demand mix – however, the short timescales to meet our global carbon targets mean we require other net-zero technology to deploy quickly. To plug this gap without adding to the carbon emissions in the atmosphere, 8 Rivers has developed the Allam-Fetvedt Cycle. This is a new way to generate low-cost power without any air emissions while also producing valuable by-products.

Invented by Rodney Allam and Jeremy Fetvedt, the Allam-Fetvedt Cycle can generate electricity using natural gas, synthetic gas or a coal-based fuel, without releasing any CO2 or other pollutants into the atmosphere. Carbon emissions are fully captured, making it simple to store and deal with the excess. Compared to a standard gas or coal power plant with carbon capture and storage bolted on, it is more energy-efficient, and has lower capital and operational costs. The technology can be used in poly-generation applications, which can also generate and capture valuable by-products such as ammonia, urea and nitrogen.

WSP has been working with 8 Rivers, and the NET Power consortium it is part of, since 2013. Our collaboration began with a study that developed the design for the initial Allam-Fetvedt Cycle test facility in Teesside, United Kingdom. Subsequently, WSP supported 8 Rivers and NET Power with the development of test facility in Texas, USA.

From there, 8 Rivers and NET Power asked us to help develop a combustor testing facility, trying out different concepts and undertaking the detailed design of this important component before it was installed in the turbine at the Texas test facility. In 2018, the combustor first fire was achieved, showing that this technology could work successfully in real-world conditions.

WSP and 8 Rivers have built a strong relationship that has grown alongside the development of the technology. The way we have managed technical and commercial risk helped get the combustor testing facility up and running successfully, and it’s hugely exciting for us to be involved in this world-first technology.

8 Rivers is now exploring other regions where the technology could be deployed on a much larger, commercial scale. In Teesside, UK, WSP has provided owner’s engineer services to investigate how a 300MW Allam-Fetvedt Cycle generation plant could form a vital part of the UK Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy’s plans for a Teesside zero-carbon cluster. The study has looked at how the plant will supply power to the industrial cluster, and how the captured CO2 could be piped out and safely stored under the North Sea.

In Queensland, Australia, 8 Rivers and WSP are working with Low Emission Technology Australia (LETA) to find and assess potential locations for another Allam-Fetvedt Cycle based poly-generation plant that could generate approximately 300MW in electricity and provide by-products, including urea and ammonia with all CO2 emissions captured as an integral part of the combustion cycle. 

Our local teams around the world have all pulled together to make this happen, pooling their expertise in power plants and poly-generation plants and applying it to new technology. Our work with 8 Rivers is a great example of multi-discipline collaboration across all parts of the value chain.

In Texas, Parametric Solutions Inc. and NET Power are planning to modify the test facility to design, build and test the world’s first syngas-fuelled supercritical CO2 combustor. The team will build and operate two commercial-scale 50 MWth syngas combustors.

Syngas will be produced on site from hydrogen and carbon monoxide tube trailers, to mimic the output of a wide range of gasification technologies. The US Department of Energy and LETA is funding the project, and WSP will be contributing technical expertise to design the modifications required at the test facility to facilitate the combustor testing. Testing is expected to be completed in 2023.

The collaboration between 8 Rivers and WSP has enabled both parties to build a wealth of knowledge and experience in this fast-moving field. At WSP, our teams have relished the opportunity to work on a groundbreaking technology that has the potential to make a net-zero economy a reality. In return, our capability in areas such as thermal power plant design and project management have helped 8 Rivers and NET Power to reduce costs and risk at every stage in the process.

From the beginning, WSP has shown a keen ability to dig in and understand this technology. Working on something new can prove trying, and WSP has demonstrated the ability to adapt to, and overcome, challenges as the projects have come to fruition.

Flexibility has been key. Nothing ever stands still in the energy sector, and together WSP and 8 Rivers are showing how Allam-Fetvedt Cycle technology can offer a route to clean and affordable power.

different WSP offices working with 8 Rivers and NET Power, providing local knowledge around the world
20
years working together on this groundbreaking technology
7
zero-emission power plant successfully developed in Texas, USA
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Other challenges that we have overcome