Field demonstration of a 10 MW CO2 capture pilot plant in extended operation using KoSol absorbents for treating off-gas in a coal fired power plant

Abstract

Efficient CO2 absorbents are crucial for reducing energy use in CO2 capture absorption process. This study evaluates the performance of amine-based CO2 absorbents, KoSol-5 and KoSol-6, developed by the Korea Electric Power Corporation. In a 10 MW pilot plant, KoSol-6 was found to capture more than 90% of the daily CO2 emissions, amounting to over 180 tons per day, from the exhaust gasses of a coal-fired power plant. Its regeneration energy (Qregen) was 2.42 GJ/ton CO2 in the standard absorption process, which is 39.2% less than the monoethanolamine (MEA) system. Implementing advanced techniques like intercooling, lean vapor compression, and thermal vapor recompression further optimized this process. Among these, the thermal vapor recompression mode turned out to be the most efficient and stable. In addition, KoSol-6 showcased excellent thermal and chemical stability, with a consistent Qregen of 2.34 GJ/ton CO2 over a 10,000-hour test. The study provides insights into the potential of KoSol-5 and KoSol-6 for large-scale applications and further developments in CO2 capture technology.