Toshiba Ships Turbine for World’s First Direct-Fired Supercritical Oxy-Combustion CO2 Power Cycle Demonstration Plant to U.S

Toshiba Corporation (TOKYO: 6502) today shipped a 25MW gross electric (50MWth) turbine to the world’s first direct-fired supercritical oxy-combustion CO₂ power cycle generation system demonstration plant, now being built in Texas in the United States. The demonstration plant, jointly developed by Toshiba, NET Power, LLC., CB&I, and Exelon Corporation, will validate the Allam Cycle, a new natural gas power system that operates at high efficiency and collects high-pressure CO₂. Toshiba has been developing the turbine and combustor for the plant since 2012.

Commenting on the shipment, Takao Konishi, Vice President of the Thermal & Hydro Power Systems & Services Div. of Toshiba’s Energy Systems & Solutions Company said, “I am delighted to reach this milestone of successful shipment of the turbine, which very efficiently uses high pressure, high temperature CO₂ to generate electricity. By combining casing technology for the ultra-super critical steam turbine with material technology and cooling technology for the high temperature gas turbine, we have achieved a highly reliable turbine. With our advanced technologies in thermal power generation, we are committed to producing electricity efficiently.”

The demonstration plant will start operation in 2017. The companies will use it to establish the technology, and subsequently aim to construct a 250MW class commercial-scale natural gas plant.

The supercritical CO₂ power cycle system achieves the same level of generating efficiency as a combined-cycle power plant. It separates and collects CO₂ at high-pressure, eliminating the need for separate carbon capture equipment or processes, and secures full CO₂ capture without any increase in the cost of electricity. The plant uses supercritical CO₂ as a working fluid to generate low cost electricity whileeliminating emissions of nitrogen oxides and other pollutants.

Toshiba Energy Systems & Solution Company aims to achieve “green energy” globally, providing society with sustainable energy by advances in generating efficiency and developing technologies to achieve zero emissions.

Outline of the Supercritical CO₂ Thermal Power Plant System

The plant burns a mixture of natural gas and oxygen combined with CO₂ to produce a working fluid gas, a mix of mainly CO₂ and H₂O that is used to drive the turbine generator. This working fluid is then cooled through a heat exchanger and H₂O is separated out to create a nearly-pure CO₂ stream. The CO₂ stream is pressurized, and a major part of this flow is fed back to the combustor to begin the cycle anew. The remaining part of the CO₂ flow can easily be collected and put into a pipeline for storage or sequestration, without increasing the cost of producing electricity.

About Toshiba

Toshiba Corporation, a Fortune Global 500 company, channels world-class capabilities in advanced electronic and electrical product and systems into three focus business fields: Energy that sustains everyday life, that is cleaner and safer; Infrastructure that sustains quality of life; and Storage that sustains the advanced information society. Guided by the principles of The Basic Commitment of the Toshiba Group, “Committed to People, Committed to the Future”, Toshiba promotes global operations and is contributing to the realization of a world where generations to come can live better lives.

Founded in Tokyo in 1875, today’s Toshiba is at the heart of a global network of 551 consolidated companies employing 188,000 people worldwide, with annual sales surpassing 5.6 trillion yen (US$50 billion). (As of March 31, 2016.)

To find out more about Toshiba, visit www.toshiba.co.jp/index.htm