Carbon capture from pulverized coal power plant (PCPP): Solvent performance comparison at an industrial scale

Abstract

Coal is the most abundant fossil fuel on the planet. However, power generation from coal results in large amounts of greenhouse gas emissions. Solvent-based carbon capture is a relatively mature technology which can potentially mitigate these emissions. Although, much research has been done on this topic, single-point performance analysis of capture plant and ignoring operational characteristics of the upstream power plant may result in unrealistic performance assessments. This paper introduces a new methodology to assess the performance of CO2 capture solvents. The problem is posed as retrofitting an existing pulverized coal power plant with post-combustion carbon capture using two solvents: CDRMax, a recently developed amine-promoted buffer salt (APBS) solvent by Carbon Clean Solutions Limited (CCSL) and the monoethanolamine (MEA) baseline solvent. The features of interest include model development and validation using pilot plant data, as well as integrated design and control of the capture process. The emphasis is on design and operation of the capture plant, when integrated with the upstream coal-fired power plant, subject to variations in the electricity load. The results suggest that optimal design and operation of capture plant can significantly mitigate the energetic penalties associated with carbon capture form the flue gas, while providing effective measures for comparing solvent performances under various scenarios.