Analyzing flue gas properties emitted from power and industrial sectors toward heat-integrated carbon capture

Abstract

Carbon capture, utilization, and storage (CCUS) is expected to mitigate CO2 emissions significantly since CO2 is captured from the flue gas emitted by power and industrial processes and then either used in manufacturing processes or sequestrated into geographical formations. CO2 capture is an energy-intensive process, and its energy consumption is affected by flue gas properties such as composition and flue gas temperature. In this study, we explore the availability of the unutilized heat carried by the flue gas for CO2 capturing emitted from power and industrial sectors based on the fundamentals of fuel combustion and types of combustion processes. This study reveals that the input of fuel and material and the thermal properties of energy equipment determine the flue gas properties. By quantifying the maximum heat recovered from the flue gas, natural gas-fired furnaces can fully supply heat duty for capturing CO2 when 2.75 MJ per CO2 is captured with the minimum temperature difference greater than ∼48 °C. This study provides general insight into the heat-integrated CO2 capture using flue gases.