Packing characterization: Absorber economic analysis

Abstract

In this paper, an economic analysis of the absorber for a 250MW coal-fired power plant was conducted. The purpose of the research is to determine the optimal design and operating conditions for the amine scrubbing post-combustion absorber. The Energy Cost (Energy) and the Annualized Capital Cost (CAPEX) for the absorber were calculated to determine the total processing cost as a function of the gas superficial velocity (uG). To calculate the CAPEX and energy, the mass transfer properties and hydraulic data for these packings were obtained from previous experimental measurements. The minimum total cost for each packing was compared to find the lowest total cost and optimum packing.The total cost decreases with uG at first (CAPEX dominant) and then increases (Energy dominant). The minimum total cost represents a trade-off between CAPEX and Energy, and it is achieved at the intersection of the CAPEX region and the energy region.The optimum operating velocity is between 50 and 80% flood for all packings, which deviates from the experience with distillation column design, usually optimized at 70–90% flood. The lowest total absorber cost from this study is given by packing 200X-H with a value of $4.04/ton CO2 removed.