Alstom has dedicated its new 100,000 square foot Clean Energy Lab in Bloomfield, CT, a state-of-the-art research and development facility with a mission of investigating and innovating global solutions for clean power generation.
Attending an inaugural celebration were Connecticut Governor Dannel Malloy, Christopher Smith, Assistant Secretary for Fossil Energy at the U.S. Department of Energy, Catherine Smith, State of Connecticut Commissioner of Economic Development, Mayor of Windsor, CT and Deputy Mayor of Bloomfield, CT, as well as other officials, partners and customers. The celebration also included a tour of the lab's research and development projects. Employees from Alstom's Windsor, CT campus, where the company employs more than 1,000 people, also attended tours of the new facility.
Amy Ericson, Alstom USA Country President; Dannell Malloy, Governor of the State of Connecticut; Chris Smith, Assistant Secretary for Fossil Energy at the U.S. Department of Energy
"Alstom's expansion here in Connecticut and the establishment of their new Clean Energy Lab in Bloomfield represents another step in our state's efforts to become a leader in growing the cutting edge, green, sustainable energy jobs that will lead tomorrow's economy," Governor Malloy said.
"The long history of collaboration between Alstom, DOE, the State of Connecticut, the academic community and our customers has produced numerous innovations to make renewable and fossil power generation cleaner, more reliable and efficient," said Amy Ericson, Alstom's U.S. Country President. "Our new Clean Energy Lab is developing and rigorously testing a wide range of technologies and processes -- from solar thermal power technology to advanced chemical looping combustion for fossil fuel plants. With the support of DOE and our customers, the work we do here will help power producers worldwide maximize the advantages of a diverse range of technologies and fuel types while significantly reducing emissions."
About the Clean Energy Lab
This facility, part of Alstom's Power Plant Laboratories (PPL), has several pilot scale test reactors and combustors, and commercial scale test furnaces, from 30 kWth to 30 MWth, which are integrated into a research center designed to evaluate both advanced firing systems concepts and the basic combustion or gasification properties of fossil fuels.
The support equipment has been designed for maximum research flexibility in preparing and handling conventional fuels such as pulverized coal, fuel oil, and natural gas as well as alternative fuels such as biomass, petroleum coke, coal-water and oil-water liquids, and gases and municipal waste. These unique pilot test facilities are managed by world-class staff with specialized expertise.
Alstom Power Plant Laboratories is world-renowned for its work in combustion, fuel science, firing systems, heat transfer, fluid dynamics, process modeling, advanced diagnostics and control systems. PPL facilities and expertise support improvements to efficiency and performance of all types of power generating systems.
The Clean Energy Lab and PPL provide research and technology development and technical problem solving for the power industry through collaboration with the U.S. Department of Energy, State agencies, Electric Power Research Institute, and/or utility customers.
Recent activities have included the following developments:
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Next generation of zero emission coal power with oxygen firing for pulverized coal (PC) boilers and chemical looping for Circulating Fluidized Bed Boilers (CFB)
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Mer-Cure™ providing the lowest cost Hazardous Air Pollutants capture (including mercury)
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Clean air combustion technologies, such as the TFS2000™ firing system that produces the lowest NOX emissions in an electric utility coal fired power plants meeting or exceeding current U.S. EPA NOx control regulations.