USA - Ext. collaborat. betw. SINTEF/NTNU and Sandia Nat. Lab in Calif. on combustion tecn. in CO2 capture concepts.

The pre-combustion and oxy-fuel principles for capturing CO2 from natural gas power plants involve combustion of hydrogen-rich fuel and air, or conventional fuel with pure oxygen, respectively. Both of these concepts pose significant new challenges to the combustion process and its technological components. Through previous and on-going research funded by the Research Council of Norway, SINTEF Energy Research has performed several fundamental studies both on hydrogen and oxy-fuel combustion. A central tas k on combustion involving hydrogen-rich fuels in the EU6FP ENCAP project is among the results of this. A possible cooperation with Sandia National Laboratories (SNL) in California will further strengthen the on-going research activities in the field of po wer generation with CO2 capture. There have been close ties between SINTEF/NTNU and SNL in the past and recent contact has revealed that collaboration in the field of hydrogen and oxy-fuel combustion will be complementary and beneficial to both parties. T he experimental facilities and capabilities at SNL are highly merited and the possibility to establish an extended collaboration involving SINTEF/NTNU Ph.D. students or post-docs is of very high interest. The planned visit to SNL by 2 SINTEF researchers i s crucial for identifying common areas of interest and prospective collaborative efforts within hydrogen and oxy-fuel combustion technologies. A letter of invitation from Dr. Schefer at Sandia for the SINTEF researchers Dr. Ditaranto and Mr. Hals confirms this mutual interest. A possible extended cooperation with SNL is very much in line with the SINTEF/NTNU strategy to expand and develop ties with R&D institutions abroad.