Energy Efficient Considerations on Carbon Dioxide Capture: Solar Thermal Engineering (Part I)

Abstract

Representative carbon dioxide capture and storage (CCS) system of the post-combustion, no matter it employs adsorption, absorption or cryogenics separation technologies, commonly requires significant amounts of energy for the fundamental operation. Thus, energy consumption and related cost rise are primary challenges for the promotion of post-combustion technology. Solar thermal energy has already been widely used as an effective and clean energy source in industrial applications for drying, heating and even cooling since the last century. Various options of solar collector, such as flat plate type, evacuate tube type, and parabolic trough type, facilitate a comprehensive energy supply in different energy quality grades.In this paper, a technological framework for the energy efficiency in post-combustion CO2 capture is briefly presented for a connection between the energy demand of a CCS system and the energy supply of solar thermal engineering. The match performance between solar thermal utilization systems and CCS system is discussed in terms of energy form of the demand side (CCS), energy grades of supply sides (solar collector), and possible dynamic adjustment