Carbon Capture Facilities Research Articles

Exploring impacts of wind turbines on carbon capture facilities

Wind turbines can affect the carbon dioxide concentration in their wake, leading to potential synergies with carbon capture technologies.

CO[formula omitted] dissociation using a lab-scale microwave plasma torch: An experimental study in view of industrial application

Under laboratory conditions, microwave plasma torches are known to be an energetically very efficient CO2 conversion technology, for pressures ranging from 100mbar up to atmospheric pressure. However, issues relevant for industrial application such as the total energy efficiency, including the power consumption of peripheral equipment, the performance for impure CO2 streams (such as directly from carbon capture facilities) and the stability at long-term operation are usually not addressed. To fill that gap, a lab-scale plasma torch and the corresponding vacuum pump are connected to an energy meter system. Measured wall-plug energy efficiencies yielded values up to 17.9%, corresponding to an electrical power consumption of 19.6kWh per produced Nm3 of carbon monoxide. Experiments with controlled amounts of impurities (Ar, N2, O2, real air and synthetic air) in the feed gas stream are performed. It is shown that small amounts of nitrogen can even increase energy efficiency whereas humidity in the CO2 stream might have an extremely detrimental effect on CO2 decomposition. Finally, a durability test over 29h was performed, demonstrating that microwave plasma torch operation is very reproducible and stable in all figures of merit with short ramp-up times, making it a promising technology for intermittent operation on industrial scale.

Impact of Carbon Capture (Storage) and Carbon Tax on Economic Dispatch of an Integrated Energy System

Finding the balance between economy and low emission of an integrated energy system (IES) has become one of the current research hotspots. This article introduces the carbon tax and carbon capture (storage) technology within the framework of the IES model. The IES comprises of components such as combined heat and power units equipped with carbon capture facilities, wind power generators, photovoltaic panels, and energy storage systems. The objective function of the model is the minimization of operational costs. Low-carbon economic operation dispatching problem under the constraints of energy conversion, energy balance, and operation cost is studied based on a mix-integer linear programming model. Through sensitivity analysis, this study explores the impact of varying carbon tax levels on the operational costs and emissions of an IES while considering peak and valley price differences. The emission reduction potential of the IES under different policy and technology scenarios is also estimated.

Prediction of Carbon Price in EU-ETS Using a Geometric Brownian Motion Model and Its Application to Analyze the Economic Competitiveness of Carbon Capture and Storage

To achieve carbon neutrality, many countries and regions are making efforts to promote the commercialization of greenhouse gas (GHG) mitigation technologies using emissions trading systems (ETSs). Accurate predictions of when the cost of GHG reduction technologies will become competitive below carbon prices could be invaluable to engineers and policy makers. In this study, carbon price movement in the EU-ETS was analyzed using a geometric Brownian motion (GBM) model. Using daily price data for the last 10 years, it tested whether the price pattern of the latter three years could be predicted by applying the first seven years of data to the GBM model. The results showed that the GBM model could well predict the upper and lower bounds of the actual carbon price. Based on the acceptable predictability of the GBM model, simulations were performed using carbon price data over the last decade, showing that carbon prices would reach around 200 EUR/tCO2 by the start of 2026. This is higher than the cost of CO2 avoided evaluated from the costs of commercial-scale carbon capture facilities for coal-fired power plants. This means that carbon capture technologies in the coal-fired power sector could become economically competitive within the next several years.

Indoor CO2 removal: decentralized carbon capture by air conditioning

Growing evidence indicates that an elevated CO2 concentration as low as 1000 ppm could lead to direct human health risks, while the CO2 concentration in a lot of indoor environments may exceed that figure by several times. Employing the latest developed moisture swing sorbent, we here built a CO2 purification module to be incorporated with existing air conditioning units to keep the indoor CO2 concentration at healthy levels. The sorbent binds CO2 spontaneously from ambient air when dry and then releases CO2 in the presence of moisture, thanks to the moisture-driven reversible hydrolysis reaction of carbonate ions at a nano interface. Thus, the indoor dry air circulation and the outdoor air flow (for cooling the condenser) of the air-conditioning system provide a perfect carbon capture platform for the moisture swing sorbent to work. Tests in an acrylic box (mimicking an indoor environment) showed that the CO2 purification module can keep the indoor CO2 level to be close to or even lower than outdoor levels with an initial CO2 concentration of 1000 or 2000 ppm. An enlarged test was further conducted in an air-conditioned office to demonstrate the effectiveness of the purification module. Finally, we discussed the potential of this kind of decentralized carbon capture facility enabled by retrofitted air conditioners to contribute to negative emissions and mitigation of the global warming and climate change crisis.

Policies to Promote Carbon Capture and Storage Technologies

AsbstractWe model the value chain of Carbon Capture and Storage (CCS) by focusing on the decisions taken by actors involved in either capture, transport or storage of CO2. Plants emitting CO2 are located apart. If these invest in carbon capture facilities, the captured CO2 is transported to terminals, which again transport the received amount of CO2 to a storage site. Because of network effects, we may have three equilibria: one with no CCS, one with low investments in CCS, and one with high investments in CCS. In a numerical specification of the model, we find that the market for CCS may be in a state of excess inertia, i.e., even if the social cost of carbon is sufficiently high to justify investment from a social point of view, the market actors may not succeed in coordinating their efforts to reach the equilibrium with high investment. The government should then consider offering economic incentives to investments. In addition to the network effect, several other market imperfections exist, such as market power, economics of scale and the environmental externality from CO2 emissions. We identify policy instruments—in addition to a correctly set carbon tax—that will correct for the remaining market imperfections and bring private investments in line with the first-best levels. Without correction, too many terminals are set up and too few plants invest in capture facilities in our reference market structure.

Carbon capture and liquefaction from methane steam reforming unit: 4E’s analysis (Energy, Exergy, Economic, and Environmental)

Excessive fossil–fuel consumption to meet increased energy demand is considered as the main reason of the climatic change. To prevent this devastating change, hydrogen has gained much attention as an intermediate to replace fossil–fuel–based energy systems by sustainable green energy system. Since most of the H2 is produced through natural gas process, a trade–off in terms of huge amounts of CO2 emissions should be concerned. Accordingly, integration of the H2 production and carbon capture facility actively, called blue H2, emerges as a workable alternative. In addition, with the rise in CO2 demand, the liquefaction of captured CO2 has become an attractive strategy in terms of long–term storage and transportation. Therefore, a comprehensive study is performed to assess the feasibility of an integrated system based on carbon capture using monoethanol amine and four CO2 liquefaction systems such as Linde-Hampson, dual pressure Linde-Hampson, vapor compression refrigerant, and absorption refrigerant systems (later will use as case 1 to 4, respectively). Based on energy and exergy evaluations, case 4 reflects the higher efficiencies with specific energy consumption of 0.188el and 0.733th GJ ton CO2-1 and exergy efficiency of 85.55 %. In addition, techno-economic analysis calculates unit LCO2 production of each case; 22.19, 21.35, 21.00, and 24.60 $ ton-1 for cases 1, 2, 3, and 4, respectively. The quantified climate change impacts were estimated by life-cycle assessment; 0.629, 0.620, 0.608. and 0.674 kg CO2-eq kg LCO2-1 for cases 1, 2, 3, and 4, respectively. Furthermore, analytic hierarchy process is performed to provide comprehensive guidelines of liquefied CO2 production under technical, economic, and environmental aspects.

Regret-based multi-objective optimization of carbon capture facility in CHP-based microgrid with carbon dioxide cycling

Nowadays it is estimated that the Earth's temperature is above the standard level compared to pre-industrial time. The main reason for this issue is the burning of conventional energy resources namely oil, gas, and coal which speeds up global warming. In this concern, a CHP-based multi-energy microgrid is studied in this paper which involves heating, cooling, and electricity carriers to supply the energy demands. The proposed system is a multi-objective problem with operation cost management and emission cost reduction. In order to develop the environmental and economic aspects, a power-to-gas (P2G) technology as an environmentally friendly system is taken into account to curb CO2 emissions and achieve a sustainable function. The presence of the P2G system can minimize the emission level and improve the ability to take advantage of Notwithstanding this, the uncertain parameters originate from the thermal, electrical, and cooling loads, electricity price, and the renewable generations impose inflexibility and financial threats to the system function. In this regard, a scenario-based risk assessment approach, p-robust optimization, is applied to handle these uncertainties. The uncertainty analysis is carried out in With-p-robust, No-p-robust, With-P2G, and No–P2G models to appraise the components' performance. Results showed 11% of the operation cost increment to achieve a zero-level risk. Also, 55% of the emission cost is minimized in the presence of the P2G facility, which enhances the efficiency of the system.

Fuel cell integrated carbon negative power generation from biomass

Combining biomass-fuelled power plant with carbon capture and storage allows CO2 to be removed from the atmosphere, considering biomass a carbon–neutral fuel. In the present study, a biomass-based CO2 negative system has been proposed, which combines a biomass steam gasification facility with a solid oxide fuel cell, a post-combustion carbon capture facility with a molten carbonate fuel cell (MCFC), and waste heat recovery using the organic Rankine cycle. A techno-economic analysis of two scenarios, namely a) with MCFC-based CO2 capture and b) without CO2 capture, was conducted. Integration of MCFC and carbon capture system was able to capture 99.2% of CO2. It was found that the energy efficiency of the system was decreased by 9.43%, with the incorporation of CO2 capture facilities. Furthermore, exergy efficiencies for the configuration with CO2 capture and without CO2 capture are calculated as 62% and 70.22%, respectively. The economic analysis reveals that the levelized cost of electricity (LCOE) for the configuration with CO2 capture and without CO2 capture is estimated to be 0.062 $/kWh and 0.052 $/kWh, respectively. Finally, life cycle CO2 emissions for both the scenarios have been performed, and the analysis reveals that the proposed CO2 negative system is able to capture 1100 tonnes of CO2 per year.

Utilization of surplus renewable energy for a gas-fired power plant's carbon recycling considering gas storages and imposed regret of uncertainties

The advent of power-to-gas (P2G) technology has established an extensive capacity for energy systems to integrate and coordinate renewable energy sources (RES) with other energy suppliers. This paper employs a P2G system to coordinate with a standalone gas-fired generation unit (GFGU) to tackle the adverse impacts of greenhouse gas emissions by reducing CO2 and implementing RES. The exhausted carbon from the gas turbine is directly converted via an on-site carbon capture facility, preventing further transportation of CO2. This work considers the inflow/outflow value of gas molar in detail besides electric and thermal power input/output in each device. The mathematical relationships of all devices are explained thoroughly. The proposed GFGU-P2G utilizes wind turbine and GFGU to decrease the carbon emissions and reduce the wind curtailment. This will occur through exploiting excessive wind energy. Two gas storages of CO2 and CH4 are supplemented to the proposed model to increase the efficiency by charging/discharging gas to the system. Stochastic p-robust is applied to measure the encountered risk by solving the risk-based optimization problem. The risk is alleviated by minimizing regret through obtaining the best possible value of p for the decision-maker. Three cases have been proposed to evaluate the impacts of P2G and gas storage on GFGU with and without considering risk. The results illustrate that using P2G instead of a single GFGU will increment the expected carbon emission by 39 %. Moreover, the expected CO2 emission will decrease by 48 % and 16 % when implementing gas storage compared to standalone GFGU and P2G, separately.

Improving the Operating Availability of the Boundary Dam Unit 3 Carbon Capture Facility

Improving the Operating Availability of the Boundary Dam Unit 3 Carbon Capture Facility

Reducing the CO2 Emission Intensity of Boundary Dam Unit 3 Through Optimization of Operating Parameters of the Power Plant and Carbon Capture Facilities

Reducing the CO2 Emission Intensity of Boundary Dam Unit 3 Through Optimization of Operating Parameters of the Power Plant and Carbon Capture Facilities

Will blue hydrogen lock us into fossil fuels forever?

Will blue hydrogen lock us into fossil fuels forever?

Techno-Economic Assessment of Calcium Looping for Thermochemical Energy Storage with CO2 Capture

The cyclic carbonation-calcination of CaCO3 in fluidized bed reactors not only offers a possibility for CO2 capture but can at the same time be implemented for thermochemical energy storage (TCES), a feature which will play an important role in a future that has an increasing share of non-dispatchable variable electricity generation (e.g., from wind and solar power). This paper provides a techno-economic assessment of an industrial-scale calcium looping (CaL) process with simultaneous TCES and CO2 capture. The process is assumed to make profit by selling dispatchable electricity and by providing CO2 capture services to a certain nearby emitter (i.e., transport and storage of CO2 are not accounted). Thus, the process is connected to two other facilities located nearby: a renewable non-dispatchable energy source that charges the storage and a plant from which the CO2 in its flue gas flow is captured while discharging the storage and producing dispatchable electricity. The process, which offers the possibility of long-term storage at ambient temperature without any significant energy loss, is herein sized for a given daily energy input under certain boundary conditions, which mandate that the charging section runs steadily for one 12-h period per day and that the discharging section can provide a steady output during 24 h per day. Intercoupled mass and energy balances of the process are computed for the different process elements, followed by the sizing of the main process equipment, after which the economics of the process are computed through cost functions widely used and validated in literature. The economic viability of the process is assessed through the breakeven electricity price (BESP), payback period (PBP), and as cost per ton of CO2 captured. The cost of the renewable energy is excluded from the study, although its potential impact on the process costs if included in the system is assessed. The sensitivities of the computed costs to the main process and economic parameters are also assessed. The results show that for the most realistic economic projections, the BESP ranges from 141 to −20 $/MWh for different plant sizes and a lifetime of 20 years. When the same process is assessed as a carbon capture facility, it yields a cost that ranges from 45 to −27 $/tCO2-captured. The cost of investment in the fluidized bed reactors accounts for most of the computed capital expenses, while an increase in the degree of conversion in the carbonator is identified as a technical goal of major importance for reducing the global cost.

Derates and Outages Analysis - A Diagnostic Tool for Performance Monitoring of SaskPower’s Boundary Dam Unit 3 Carbon Capture Facility

Establishing carbon capture and storage (CCS) as a viable carbon dioxide (CO2) emission mitigation strategy for various industries will require identifying and eliminating existing barriers to achieving desired performance. SaskPower’s Integrated Carbon Capture and Storage Project on Boundary Dam’s Unit 3 (BD3) began operations in October of 2014. By early December 2020, the facility had captured over 3.8 million metric tonnes of CO2. Although no small feat, the cumulative volume of CO2 captured by late 2020 does not reflect the expected cumulative capture volume considering the five-year operational window and the size of the capture facility. As with many “first of a kind” facilities, unforeseen barriers hindered the performance of the capture facility. A couple of challenges with CCS application to coal-fired power plants have been the lost capture potential due to power plant outages and derates (which limits flue gas availability to the capture island) and the performance of capture island. Capture operations stop during all outages of the power plant; this presents a constraint to be accommodated when applying CCS. Minimizing costs by improving capture island performance while also satisfying outage constraints is key. As CCS technologies seek increased deployment, not limited to electricity generation but to other industries as well, it is necessary to identify, review, and eliminate existing barriers of capture system performance. Performance evaluation is becoming increasingly important. Derate and outage analysis identifies areas of concern and provides a means for reporting performance. Such analysis helps to better understand how the process works and to identify process bottlenecks, for daily operation decisions as well as long term impacts. This paper presents and explains fundamental concepts of data analysis to improve derates and outage analysis at BD3. An analytic model to evaluate the outages and derates of the coal-fired unit and the carbon capture facility is presented. The proposed model accounts for hourly data from the CO2 capture plant which was extracted from the OSI PI historian during the six-year operating period (October 2, 2014- October 1, 2020). The model describes how basic Microsoft Excel analysis can be used to detect outage and derate problems. Data analysis included: flue gas flow estimation; CO2 mol fraction; CO2 emissions, maximum theoretical amount of CO2 captured by the plant; and actual amount of CO2 capture by the plant.

SaskPower’s Boundary Dam Unit 3 Carbon Capture Facility - The Journey to Achieving Reliability

SaskPower’s Integrated Carbon Capture and Storage Project on Boundary Dam’s Unit 3 (BD3 ICCS) began operations in October of 2014. By early October 2020, the facility had captured its 3.5 millionth metric tonne of carbon dioxide (CO2). The road to 3.5 million tonnes of CO2 abated was not without difficulties. As a “first of kind” project, the capture facility at BD3 has been a platform for in-depth learning and optimization. The capture facility experienced unforeseen operational challenges and design oversights which hindered overall performance and significantly reduced its reliability and availability in the early days of operation. Availability of the capture facility did not exceed 70% during the first year and a half of operations while the average daily capture rate in the first 12 months of operation was merely 1240 tonnes/day. Based on experience, reduced capture performance can be attributed to difficulties in three broad categories of process flows: limitations in flue gas flow, limitations in amine flow, and limitations in heat transfer. Equipment responsible for facilitating these flows was identified. Major issues included fly ash accumulation, fouling of key heat exchangers and amine foaming. Corrections and additions to the capture facility were made to increase the facility’s reliability and availability. Corrections and additions to the capture facility including the installation of redundancy and isolations to key pieces of equipment was instrumental in correcting the performance of the facility, increasing its reliability and availability. By the summer of 2019 (May to July) the daily average capture rate was 2580 tonnes/day while availability in the 2018 to 2019 period had improved to over 90%. This paper documents the challenges and measures taken over the first five years of operations to improve the performance of the BD3 ICCS facility.

Experimental Study on Bubble Acoustic Characteristics of Elliptical Nozzles

Bubble acoustic signals were reported experimentally using five different nozzles with the same exit cross-sections. The bubble morphology was captured by a home-made experiment setup, which could synchronously obtain images of two perpendicular directions. Short-Time Fourier Transform and synchronization of video and audio were adopted to analyse the acoustic signal. Results demonstrated that the sound pressure of symmetrical bubble formation was higher than that of asymmetrical bubble formation, while the sound pressure of asymmetrical bubble formation was higher than that of the bubble with an unapparent necking fracture detached from the nozzle of the aspect ratio is 4:1. Furthermore, the last bubble of bubble chains would change the shape and decay rate of the acoustic signal due to the difference in the period of bubble formation. These studies can provide more effective information to predict the leaks from undersea gas pipelines, seabed methane reserves, and carbon capture and storage facilities.

Energy and Economic Costs of Chemical Storage

The necessity of neutralizing the increase of the temperature of the atmosphere by the reduction of greenhouse gas emissions, in particular carbon dioxide (CO2), as well as replacing fossil fuels, leads to a necessary energy transition that is already happening. This energy transition requires the deployment of renewable energies that will replace gradually the fossil fuels. As the renewable energy share increases, energy storage will become key to avoid curtailment or polluting back-up systems. This paper considers a chemical storage process based on the use of electricity to produce hydrogen by electrolysis of water. The obtained hydrogen (H2) can then be stored directly or further converted into methane (CH4 from methanation, if CO2 is available, e.g. from a carbon capture facility), methanol (CH3OH, again if CO2 is available), and/or ammonia (NH3 by an electrochemical process). These different fuels can be stored in liquid or gaseous forms, and therefore with different energy densities depending on their physical and chemical nature. This work aims at evaluating the energy and the economic costs of the production, storage and transport of these different fuels derived from renewable electricity sources. This applied study on chemical storage underlines the advantages and disadvantages of each fuel in the frame of the energy transition.

Climate-energy-water nexus in Brazilian oil refineries

Oil refineries are major CO2 emitters and are usually located in water-stress sites. While some CO2 mitigation options can reduce water demand, others can increase it, and still others are neutral. By simulating two parametric models, one for all Brazilian refineries, and the other locally detailing the water balance of the country´s largest refinery, this study aimed to quantify the impacts of CO2 mitigation options on the water use of oil refineries. Findings show that, by pricing CO2 emissions up to 100 US$/tCO2, the list of mitigation options was able to abate 25% of the annual emissions in Brazilian refineries. A relevant share of this abatement derives from the implementation of carbon capture (CC) facilities in fluid catalytic cracking and hydrogen generation units. However, these CC facilities offset the co-benefits of other CO2 mitigation options that can reduce steam and cold-water requirements in refineries. In fact, for the largest Brazilian oil refinery, the implementation of all mitigation measures had almost no effect on its water balance. This means that CO2 abatement in refineries has no significant impact on water demand (no negative trade-off). However, this also means that the water stress in oil refineries should be dealt with measures not directly linked to CO2 abatement (no significant co-benefits).

Overview of Carbon Capture and Storage (CCS) Facilities Globally

The Carbon Capture and Storage (CCS) Facilities Database maintained by the Global CCS Institute contains a comprehensive list of CCS facilities around the world, covering large-scale, pilot and demonstration scale facilities and test centres. This report presents a complete overview of the status of global CCS facilities. The review spans the full life cycle of the facilities, from early development to in completion, and covers a wide range of industries and sectors. Globally, as of September 2018, there are 23 large-scale CCS facilities in operation and under construction, capturing ~ 40 million tonnes per annum (Mtpa) of CO2. There are over 28 key demonstration-scale CCS facilities in operation and under construction. These demonstration-scale CCS facilities have a cumulative CO2 capture capacity of over 3 Mtpa. Early CCS facilities in the 1970s and 1980s involved processes in which CO2 was already routinely separated in a high purity form, such as in natural gas processing and fertiliser production for CO2 for enhanced oil recovery (EOR). The technology and techniques derived from these early operations have significantly advanced the deployment of CCS. Nowadays, the portfolio of CCS facilities covers a diverse range of sectors, including power generation, iron and steel manufacturing, cement production, chemical and hydrogen production, and bioenergy. Consistent learning from the existing portfolio of large-scale and demonstration-scale facilities, when combined with rising global R&D efforts and commitments to emission reductions, can lower costs further and drive global CCS deployment using next generation and transformational technologies. Since 1972, more than 230 million tonnes of anthropogenic CO2 has been captured and injected into deep storage complexes. Over half of that CO2 is concentrated in the United States and mostly in CO2-EOR operations. It is critical to maintain the momentum by growing the pipeline of facilities in development. That pipeline currently includes six large-scale facilities in advanced development and 14 in early development. However, the current pipeline of large-scale CCS deployment does not go anywhere near the envisaged role of CCS to meet the Paris Agreement climate goals. To avoid dangerous climate change, CCS must be deployed across a broad range of industrial processes, particularly in regions that are heavily reliant on fossil fuels, where CCS can deliver on emission reductions and meanwhile meet economic development and energy security goals.