Demonstration of a post-combustion carbon capture pilot plant using amine-based solvents at the Łaziska Power Plant in Poland

Marcin Stec,Dariusz Śpiewak,Tomasz Spietz,Lucyna Więcław-Solny,Aleksander Krótki,Andrzej Wilk,Adam Tatarczuk

doi:10.1007/s10098-015-1001-2

Marcin Stec, Dariusz Śpiewak + Show 5 more

Open Access

https://doi.org/10.1007/s10098-015-1001-2

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Abstract

As a part of the strategic research program “Advanced technologies for energy generation: Development of a technology for highly efficient zero-emission coal-fired power units integrated with CO2 capture”, a mobile CO2 absorption pilot plant was erected. The main purpose of the pilot plant was to demonstrate the post-combustion technology in conjunction with a coal-fired power plant. The pilot plant captured CO2 by chemical absorption in amine-based solvents, which was considered to be the best adapted technology to the requirements of coal-fired power plants and suitable for retrofitting to existing units. The pilot plant captured up to 1000 kg/day of CO2 from the power plant’s flue gases with CO2 recovery exceeding 90 %. The flexible process flowsheet of the pilot plant offered high potential for the validation of various improvements, which were designed to reduce the process energy demand and to increase the CO2 recovery. This paper summarizes the initial operation experience at the TAURON Łaziska Power Plant in Poland. Selected first results obtained are presented and discussed. The initial campaigns utilized 20 and 30 wt% monoethanolamine (MEA) solutions recognized as baseline solvents that were suitable for comparative purposes. The initial campaigns at the pilot plant successfully demonstrated reliable operation and promising results.

Highlights

Keywords Carbon capture Á Pilot plant Á carbon capture and storage (CCS) Á Post-combustion Á MEATopics related to greenhouse gas emissions have become important for the power generation sector due to climate change policy and the adoption of laws promoting reductions of greenhouse gas emissions in a cost-effective and economically efficient manner
The initial campaigns utilized 20 and 30 wt% monoethanolamine (MEA) solutions recognized as baseline solvents that were suitable for comparative purposes
This paper addresses the presentation of a mobile amine carbon capture pilot plant

Summary

Introduction

Topics related to greenhouse gas emissions have become important for the power generation sector due to climate change policy and the adoption of laws promoting reductions of greenhouse gas emissions in a cost-effective and economically efficient manner. The pilot plant was based on an amine post-combustion process and was designed as a mobile unit (Fig. 1), providing the opportunity to test the process in various locations. Containers, having typical dimensions, allowed fast shipment and installation This flexibility of the mobile pilot plant allowed tests on different power plants or even on other sources of flue gases. The pilot plant provided the opportunity to test the deep desulfurization of flue gases and carbon dioxide capture using chemical absorption in an amine solution. The research has focused on the effects of the variation of the following parameters on the process: the pressure and temperature of absorption and desorption, L/G optimization, the influence of splitting of rich and lean amine solution streams, and inter-heating of the stripper. If the density of a sample is known, CO2 loading can be determined based on a known standardization curve (Hartono et al 2014)

Methodology of experiments

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