Optimizing lean and rich Vapor compression with solar Assistance for post-combustion carbon capture in natural gas-fired power plant

Abstract

The integration of post-combustion capture (PCC) CO2 technologies with power plants and high-emission industrial processes has become imperative for reducing carbon emissions and mitigating environmental impacts. This study focuses on addressing the significant energy consumption associated with PCC and explores the potential of using solar thermal energy to optimize configurations, thereby enhancing sustainability and reducing dependency on conventional power sources. Simulate various configurations under steady-state conditions using Aspen HYSYS V11 and Aspen Economic Evaluation software. The results indicate a substantial reduction in energy consumption to 2.1 GJ/ton CO2 after the initial optimization steps. The key innovations involve the integration of Lean Vapor Compression (LVC), Solvent Split Flow (SSF), Rich Solvent Recycle (RSR), and Rich Vapor Compression (RVC). Further optimization was conducted by integrating a reboiler with parabolic trough collectors (PTC), to reduce energy penalties. The LVC + RVC + RSR + SSF + PTC configuration results reveal a notable improvement in exergoeconomic factors, ranging from 3.13% to 7.8%, highlighting the economic feasibility of the optimized configurations. Simultaneously, the energy penalty decreased by 11.1%, signifying enhanced sustainability in the proposed PCC system. This study contributes to the gap in research by demonstrating the efficacy of solar thermal energy in optimizing PCC configurations, providing a pathway towards more sustainable and energy-efficient solutions for carbon capture in high-emission industrial sectors. The findings offer insights for researchers, engineers, and policymakers aiming to address the pressing issue of carbon emissions from industrial processes.