Inventys to demo carbon capture tech at Husky operation

Cleantech company Inventys is installing a 30-tonne per day pilot carbon capture plant at a Husky Energy site.  The project is expected to significantly cut the cost of CO2 capture from industrial operations at the operation.

The project is the world’s first pilot-scale plant using structured adsorbents to capture carbon from a once-through steam generator for use in heavy oil recovery.

According to a press release from Emissions Reductions Alberta (ERA), the system, known as VeloxoTherm™ System, maximizes carbon capture productivity, cuts capital costs, and reduces energy consumption.

ERA says the technology would be highly applicable to sites in Alberta’s energy industry and for the global market.

Inventys estimates its adsorption technology will cut the cost of carbon capture down to the $30-$50 per tonne range, around half of current costs with conventional liquid-based approaches.

And, if successful, Inventys says it plans to commercialize by 2020.

“That’s our goal, that’s what we are going after, and that’s what we believe the market needs to enable widespread CO₂ capture,” said Inventys Co-Founder and VP, Strategic Accounts & Government Affairs, Brett Henkel.

VeloxoTherm™ technology captures high purity CO₂ from diluted flue gas at coal and gas-fi red power plants and industrial processes. Inventys commissioned a self-contained 0.5 tonne per day field demonstration plant at the same Husky site.

ERA provided over $3 million to the $20 project through a 2012 funding opportunity focused on cleaner fossil fuel production and carbon capture. This demonstration is the final milestone of the project.

Inventys says it has also received support from other Canadian funding agencies: National Research Council of Canada Industrial Research Assistance Program, Natural Resources Canada, Sustainable Development Technology Canada, Western Economic Diversification, and the Business Development Bank of Canada.

“The ongoing support we’ve received from funding partners like ERA continues to have a significant impact on our ability to commercialize our CO₂ capture technology as a low carbon-footprint solution for the energy sector,” said Henkel. “Obviously, there is a risk of going to the next stage and a lot more resources are required. So, you have to find the organizations and partners willing to take that risk with you.”

Inventys says it has also received financial support from the Oil and Gas Climate Initiative (a consortium of 13 of the world’s biggest oil and gas companies), Husky Energy, Chevron Technology Ventures, Chrysalix Venture Capital, The Roda Group, and the U.S. Department of Energy.