Carbon Capture Plant Research Articles

A Guideline for Cross-Sector Coupling of Carbon Capture Technologies

Many governments around the world have taken action to utilise carbon capture (CC) technologies to reduce CO2 emissions. This technology is particularly important to reduce unavoidable emissions from industries like cement plants, oil refineries, etc. The available literature in the public domain explores this theme from two distinct perspectives. The first category of papers focuses only on modelling the CC plants by investigating the details of the processes to separate CO2 from other gas components without considering the industrial applications and synergies between sectors. On the other hand, the second category investigates the required infrastructure that must be put in place to allow a suitable integration without considering the specific particularities of each carbon capture technology. This review gives a comprehensive guideline for the implementation of CC technologies for any given application while also considering the coupling between different energy sectors such as heating, power generation, etc. It also identifies the research gaps within this field, based on the existing literature. Moreover, it delves into various aspects and characteristics of these technologies, while comparing their energy penalties with the minimum work required for CO2 separation. Additionally, this review investigates the main industrial sectors with CC potential, the necessary transportation infrastructure from the point sources to the end users, and the needs and characteristics of storage facilities, as well as the utilisation of CO2 as a feedstock. Finally, an overview of the computation tools for CC processes and guidelines for their utilisation is given. The guidelines presented in this paper are the first attempt to provide a comprehensive overview of the technologies, and their requirements, needed to achieve the cross-sector coupling of CC plants for a wide range of applications. It is strongly believed that these guidelines will benefit all stakeholders in the value chain while enabling an accelerated deployment of these technologies.

Artificial intelligence‐driven sustainability: Enhancing carbon capture for sustainable development goals– A review

AbstractArtificial intelligence (AI) and environmental points are equally important components within the response to local weather change. Therefore, based on the efforts of reducing carbon emissions more efficiently and effectively, this study tries to focus on AI integration with carbon capture technology. The urgency of tackling climate change means we need more advanced carbon capture, and this is an area where AI can make a huge impact in how these technologies are operated and managed. It will minimize manufacturing emissions and improve both resource efficiency as well as our planet's environmental footprint by turning waste into something of value again. Artificial intelligence could be leveraged to analyze huge data sets from carbon capture plants, searching for optimal system settings and more efficient ways of identifying patterns in the available information at a larger scale than currently possible. In addition, AI incorporated sensors and monitoring mechanisms in the supply chain can identify any operational failure at reception itself allowing for timely action to protect those areas. Artificial intelligence also helps generative design for carbon capture materials, which allows researchers to explore new types of carbon‐absorbing material, including metal–organic frameworks and polymeric materials that are important in industrial CO2, such as moisture. In addition, it increases the accuracy of reservoir simulations and controls CO2 injection systems for storage or enhanced oil recovery. Through applying AI algorithms on reservoir geology, production performance and real‐time data this study would like to facilitate the optimization of injection processes as well as minimize CO2 emissions while assuring a maximum efficiency. Artificial intelligence integrates with renewable‐based carbon capture efforts that can be employed by AI‐driven smart grid systems to improve carbon capture methods.

Techno-Economic Assessment of Amine-Based Carbon Capture in Waste-to-Energy Incineration Plant Retrofit

This study offers a detailed techno-economic assessment of Carbon Capture (CC) integration in an existing Waste-to-Energy (WtE) incineration plant, focusing on retrofit application. Post-combustion carbon capture using monoethanolamine (MEA) was modeled for various low-scale plant sizes (3000, 6000, and 12,000 t of CO2 per year), using a process simulator, highlighting the feasibility and implications of retrofitting a WtE incineration plant with CC technology. The comprehensive analysis covers the design of the CC plant and a detailed cost evaluation. Capture costs range from 156 EUR/t to 90 EUR/t of CO2. Additionally, integrating the CO2 capture system reduces the overall plant absolute efficiency from 22.7% (without carbon capture) to 22.4%, 22.1%, and 21.5% for the different capture capacities. This research fills a gap in studying small-scale CC applications for the WtE incineration plants, providing critical insights for similar retrofit projects.

Sustainable development of the water-energy-Co2 nexus in the refining sector: A stochastic multi-objective optimization under emissions trading systems

Refineries consume substantial energy and water while emitting significant CO2. Solvent-based Carbon Capture (CC) offers a viable CO2 mitigation solution but increases water and energy consumption and requires considerable investments. This research aims to overcome these barriers and improve the Iranian refining sector towards Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) 6, 7, and 13 by mitigating CO2 emissions, producing low-carbon hydrogen, and utilizing unconventional water resources for CC plants. A comprehensive nexus approach was incorporated to account for the intricate interconnections between SDGs and refineries' water, energy, and CO2 networks. We evaluate the implementation of CO2 market regulations corresponding to seven international Emissions Trading Systems (ETSs) of the EU, UK, New Zealand (NZ), Regional Greenhouse Gas Initiative (RGGI), South Korea, California, and China in the Iranian refining sector to incentivize CC integration. The problem was formulated using Stochastic Multi-Objective Mixed-Integer Linear Programming optimization, with K-means Clustering applied to account for ETS CO2 price fluctuations and uncertainties. Results showed intense competition between economic and environmental objectives without ETS regulations, but appropriate ETS implementation could transform this conflict into a cooperative compromise. Under EU and UK scenarios, 60.3% and 67% of CO2 emissions could be avoided with fully covered capture costs, potentially leading to net economic profit through surplus allowance sales. Implementation of the other five ETSs could reduce capture costs by 18–67%, with a 16.4% CO2 avoidance.

A method for siting adsorption-based direct air carbon capture and storage plants for maximum CO2 removal

Adsorption-based direct air carbon capture and storage (DACCS) is an emerging approach to mitigate climate change by removing CO2 from the atmosphere. Recent studies show separately that thermodynamic and environmental performance strongly depend on regional ambient conditions and energy supply but neglect regional CO2 storage potentials. To assess DACCS performance holistically, a detailed global analysis is needed that accounts for the interplay of regional ambient conditions, energy supply, and CO2 storage potential. Hence, we present a novel method for the optimal siting of DACCS plants derived from optimising a dynamic process model that uses global hourly weather data and regionalised data on electricity supply and CO2 storage potential. The carbon removal rate (CRR) measures the climate benefit and describes the speed at which a DACCS plant generates net negative emissions. First, we assume that CO2 storage is possible everywhere. For four electricity supply scenarios, we show that the optimal siting of DACCS significantly increases the CRR when comparing the best and worst locations in each scenario: For a DACCS plant with a nameplate capture capacity of 4 kt CO2 y−1, the CRR can be increased by 63% from 2.16 to 3.53 kt CO2 y‑1 when using photovoltaic, and by 39% from 2.95 to 4.1 kt CO2 y‑1 when using wind power. Assuming a carbon-free electricity supply, the CRR varies between 3.17 and 4.17 kt CO2 y‑1 (32%). Second, we significantly narrow down optimal locations for DACCS considering regional CO2 storage potential through CO2 mineralisation. Overall, accounting for the interplay of regional DAC performance, energy supply, and CO2 storage potential can significantly improve DACCS siting.

A Low-Carbon Economic Dispatch Method for Power Systems With Carbon Capture Plants Based on Safe Reinforcement Learning

A Low-Carbon Economic Dispatch Method for Power Systems With Carbon Capture Plants Based on Safe Reinforcement Learning

Vapor absorption, compression and cascade heat pumps for carbon capture plants: Multi-criteria analysis and techno-economic assessment with different working fluids

Post-combustion CO2 capture plants include high costs that are associated with intense energy consumption. Heat pumps can recover heat from the flue gas and other sources in the CO2 emitting plant and upgrade it to reduce the use of fossil-based steam. The few studies regarding heat pumps in CO2 capture systems include arbitrary selection among limited working fluids, without optimizing the underlying cycle. This work implements a multi-criteria investigation of the performance of 20 working fluids for vapor compression heat pumps (VCHP) and 21 refrigerant/absorber pairs for absorption heat transformers (AHT), considering the operating optimization of each cycle for each fluid. A cascade cycle combining the two configurations (AHT-VCHP) is proposed, using the optimum fluids cyclopentane and water/potassium nitrate identified for the VCHP and the AHT. The annual operating costs are higher than the annualized capital expenditures. The proposed fluids outperform the conventional options. The VCHP with cyclopentane covers 58 % (2.68 GJ/t CO2) of the reboiler duty with recovered heat and exhibits the lowest cost of $33.8/tCO2. This is $18.7/tCO2 lower than the cost of the conventional direct contact cooling unit that is used in capture plants. The VCHP remains competitive for up to 57 % increase in the electricity price.

Hybrid Advanced Control Strategy for Post-Combustion Carbon Capture Plant by Integrating PI and Model-Based Approaches

Even though the energy penalties and solvent regeneration costs associated with amine-based absorption/stripping systems are important challenges, this technology remains highly recommended for post-combustion decarbonization systems given its proven capture efficacy and technical maturity. This study introduces a novel centralized and decentralized hybrid control strategy for the post-combustion carbon capture plant, aimed at mitigating main disturbances and sustaining high system performance. The strategy is rooted in a comprehensive mathematical model encompassing absorption and desorption columns, heat exchangers and a buffer tank, ensuring smooth operation and energy efficiency. The buffer tank is equipped with three control loops to finely regulate absorber inlet solvent solution parameters, preventing disturbance recirculation from the desorber. Additionally, a model-based controller, utilizing the model predictive control (MPC) algorithm, maintains a carbon capture yield of 90% and stabilizes the reboiler liquid temperature at 394.5 K by manipulating the influent flue gas to the lean solvent flowrates ratio and the heat duty of the reboiler. The hybrid MPC approach reveals efficiency in simultaneously managing targeted variables and handling complex input–output interactions. It consistently maintains the controlled variables at desired setpoints despite CO2 flue gas flow disturbances, achieving reduced settling time and low overshoot results. The hybrid control strategy, benefitting from the constraint handling ability of MPC, succeeds in keeping the carbon capture yield above the preset minimum value of 86% at all times, while the energy performance index remains below the favorable value of 3.1 MJ/kgCO2.

Multi-objective optimization of a hybrid carbon capture plant combining a Vacuum Pressure Swing Adsorption (VPSA) process with a Carbon Purification unit (CPU)

The imperative challenge posed by climate change requires urgent actions to counteract the harmful effects of greenhouse gas emissions, particularly CO2, which contributes to approximately 80 % of emissions responsible for global warming. A hybrid system combining Vacuum Pressure Swing Adsorption (VPSA) unit with a Cryogenic Carbon Purification Unit (CPU) is evaluated to enhance recovery and purity of CO2captured from flue gas containing CO2concentration ranging from 5 % to 20 %. VPSA preconcentrates the CO2and CPU completes the separation and purifies the CO2. The study uses surrogate models for multi-objective optimization, considering energy consumption, cost, and CO2recovery, providing a time-efficient approach for investigating computationally demanding processes. Results from the study indicate that the hybrid system achieves over 90 % recovery for flue gas concentration range considered, while ensuring the production of high-purity CO2(>99.99 %) suitable for transportation. A trade-off analysis reveals the balance between recovery, electricity consumption, and economic viability. A sensitivity analysis identifies parameters influencing recovery and energy consumption, providing guidance for future optimization efforts. The techno-economic analysis highlights the impact of electricity prices and carbon taxes on total costs, identifying an optimum towards higher recovery values under rising carbon taxes. Furthermore, the research underscores concentration-dependent economic feasibility, emphasizing the attractiveness of concentrations above 10 % compared with other technologies, which require higher concentrations. For an electricity price of 75 €.MWh−1, the total cost of the CO2 capture hydride system considering CO2 emissions with carbon tax of 100 €.tCO2−1 for concentrations ranging from 10 % to 20 % is from 123 to 80 €.tCO2−1, respectively. The analysis of the electricity source shows the importance of a low-carbon emission energy mix for optimal carbon emission reduction.

Carbon Neutrality Computational Cost Optimization for Economic Dispatch With Carbon Capture Power Plants in Smart Grid

To achieve carbon neutrality, reducing carbon emissions is crucial in dispatching problems in smart grid. Though renewable energy such as wind power has low carbon emissions, it suffers from random generation, which makes the thermal power necessary for a stable supply power system. To reduce carbon emissions, the thermal power plants are transformed into carbon capture power plants, which brings new challenges to economic dispatch algorithms. Besides, there are usually many constraints to keep the security operation of power systems, which incurs a large problem scale and high computational cost. Most existing methods either do not consider reducing carbon emissions, or suffer from high computational costs. In this paper, a framework for the carbon capture plants with wind power to reduce both running costs and carbon emissions is designed to support carbon neutrality. To reduce computational cost, initial-training and fine-tuning are used. A deep neural network is employed to describe the relationship between users' load and the constraints, which provides guides for finding the active constraints. Therefore, the problem scale can be significantly decreased, making the optimal dispatching strategy obtained quickly. The experimental results on real-world data show that the proposed framework can obtain the optimal strategy efficiently.

Ambient wind conditions impact on energy requirements of an offshore direct air capture plant

This study proposes an off-grid direct air (carbon) capture (DAC) plant installed on the deck of an offshore floating wind turbine. The main objective is to understand detailed flow characteristics and CO2 dispersion around air contactors when placed in close proximity to one another. A solid sorbent DAC design is implemented using a commercially deployed air contactor configuration and sorbent. The sorbent is assumed to undergo a temperature vacuum swing adsorption cycle. Computational fluid dynamics (CFD) is used to determine the local conditions entering each unit based on varying wind speed and angle. Two-dimensional (2D) simulations were used to determine the pressure drop through a detailed air contactor design considering the sorbents APDES-NFC, Tri-PE-MCM, MIL-101(Cr)-PEI-800, and Lewatit VP OC 106. Only APDES-NFC was explored for further analysis in the three dimensional (3D) CFD dispersion model. 3D simulations were used to model flow patterns and CO2 dispersion using passive scalars. A worst case scenario is analyzed for all DAC units in adsorption mode with fans running simultaneously. 2D simulations show an under utilization of contactor length, and quantify pressure loss curves for four common sorbents. One commercially deployed sorbent is considered for further analysis; a pressure drop of 390.62 Pa is experienced for a flow velocity of 0.73 m s−1 through a 1.5m×1.5m×1.5m contactor. Using 3D simulations, fan energy demands are computed based on flow velocities and applied pressure gradients. There is found to be a decrease in overall fan power demand as wind speed increases. High wind speeds can passively drive the adsorption process with fans shut off at certain wind directions. This occurs at an average contactor inlet velocity of 17.5 m s−1, correlating to a hub height (150 m) wind speed of 24 m s−1. Thermal energy demands are computed based on inlet CO2 concentrations entering downstream units. Thermodynamic work for desorption based on an assumed second law efficiency is compared to thermal energy for desorption computed using a simplified isotherm method, taking into account the impacts of humidity on CO2 adsorption. Going from 414.72 ppm to 300 ppm CO2 inlet concentration requires an additional 63.9 kWh (t- CO2)−1 using the 2nd law thermodynamic efficiency method and 25.9 kWh (t- CO2)−1 using the isotherm method. Contactor arrangement, wind angles, and wind speeds have a significant impact on flow patterns experienced, and resulting CO2 dispersion. High wind speeds assist in CO2 dispersion, resulting in higher inlet concentrations to downstream DAC units and decreased thermal energy requirement.

An optimal sustainable planning strategy for national carbon capture deployment: A review on the state of CO2 capture in Canada

AbstractThis study reviews the steps Canada is taking to address sustainable decarbonization in the context of carbon capture. This work also presents a new optimal framework for national optimal deployment in need of strategic carbon capture implementation. This framework considers external environmental and social considerations often missing from implementation frameworks, which will aid policy makers in more well‐rounded deployment decisions. Thus far, Canada's carbon projects have captured a total of 36.3 Mt of CO2 which has cost over $2.7 billion to implement. The Canadian case study utilizing the proposed optimal planning strategy shows that implementation of 58 post‐combustion carbon capture (PCC) plants located in seven provinces (Alberta, British Columbia, New Brunswick, Nova Scotia, Ontario, Quebec, and Saskatchewan) would result in Canada meeting the national targets. This implementation includes 16 plants removing emissions from the Electricity sector, 16 from the Heavy Industry sector, and 26 from the Oil and gas sector resulting in new emissions levels of 11.82 MtCO2, 27.63 MtCO2, and 107.01 MtCO2 in each sector, respectively. Additional case studies examined the impact of Alberta's emissions and varying the national targets resulting in different optimal implementations plans. Through a sensitivity analysis on these targets, it was determined that plant distribution is heavily dependent on provincial energy and CO2 transport prices. Additionally, if Alberta were to reduce their GHG emissions by 50% through alternative sustainable methods, only 35 PCC plants would be required to meet national targets. This framework provides a sustainable tool for decision‐makers to accelerate decarbonization.

Measurement report: Method for evaluating CO2 emissions from a cement plant using atmospheric δ(O2 ∕ N2) and CO2 measurements and its implication for future detection of CO2 capture signals

Abstract. Continuous observations of atmospheric δ(O2/N2) and CO2 amount fractions have been carried out at Ryori (RYO), Japan, since August 2017. In these observations, the O2 : CO2 exchange ratio (ER, -Δy(O2)Δy(CO2)-1) has frequently been lower than expected from short-term variations in emissions from terrestrial biospheric activities and combustion of liquid, gas, and solid fuels. This finding suggests a substantial effect of CO2 emissions from a cement plant located about 6 km northwest of RYO. To evaluate this effect quantitatively, we simulated CO2 amount fractions in the area around RYO by using a fine-scale atmospheric transport model that incorporated CO2 fluxes from terrestrial biospheric activities, fossil fuel combustion, and cement production. The simulated CO2 amount fractions were converted to O2 amount fractions by using the respective ER values of 1.1, 1.4, and 0 for the terrestrial biospheric activities, fossil fuel combustion, and cement production. Thus obtained O2 and CO2 amount fraction changes were used to derive a simulated ER for comparison with the observed ER. To extract the contribution of CO2 emissions from the cement plant, we used y(CO2∗) as an indicator variable, where y(CO2∗) is a conservative variable for terrestrial biospheric activities and fossil fuel combustion obtained by simultaneous analysis of observed δ(O2/N2) and CO2 amount fractions and simulated ERs. We confirmed that the observed and simulated ER values and also the y(CO2∗) values and simulated CO2 amount fractions due only to cement production were generally consistent. These results suggest that combined measurements of δ(O2/N2) and CO2 amount fractions will be useful for evaluating CO2 capture from flue gas at carbon capture and storage (CCS) plants, which, similar to a cement plant, change CO2 amount fractions without changing O2 values, although CCS plants differ from cement plants in the direction of CO2 exchange with the atmosphere.

Optimal Scheduling Considering Carbon Capture and Demand Response under Uncertain Output Scenarios for Wind Energy

In light of the uncertainties associated with renewable energy sources like wind and photovoltaics, this study aims to progressively increase their proportion in the energy mix. This is achieved by integrating carbon capture devices into traditional thermal power plants and enhancing demand-side management measures, thereby advancing low-carbon objectives in the energy and electricity sectors. Initially, the research proposes utilizing the K-means clustering algorithm to consolidate and forecast the fluctuating outputs of renewable energies such as wind and photovoltaics. Further, it entails a comprehensive analysis of low-carbon resources on both the supply and demand sides of the electricity system. This includes installing carbon storage and power-to-gas facilities in carbon capture plants to create a versatile operating model that can be synchronized with wind power systems. Additionally, the limitations of carbon capture plants are addressed by mobilizing demand-side response resources and enhancing the system’s low-carbon performance through the coordinated optimization of supply and demand resources. Ultimately, this study develops an integrated energy system model for low-carbon optimal operation, aimed at minimizing equipment investment, carbon emission costs, and operational and maintenance expenses. This model focuses on optimizing the load and supply distribution plans of the electrical system and addressing issues of load shedding and the curtailment of wind and solar power. Validation through three typical scenarios demonstrates that the proposed scheduling method effectively utilizes adjustable resources in the power system to achieve the goal of low-carbon economic dispatch.

Techno-economic assessment of a floating photovoltaic power plant assisted methanol production by hydrogenation of CO2 captured from Zawiya oil refinery

This study aims a techno-economic analysis of a plant that produces methanol by hydrogenating carbon dioxide in the waste gas from an oil refinery using the electricity from floating photovoltaic power plant. First, carbon dioxide in the flue gas is captured in the carbon capture plant (CCP), and the hydrogen obtained from the seawater in the hydrogen plant (HP) with the help of photovoltaic energy is combined in the methanol plant (MPP) to produce methanol fuel. Using the Engineering Equation Solver (EES), a calculation was made of the amount of energy required and the number of solar panels or wind turbines that would be required to meet this demand, and then the environmental impact of the methanol plant was investigated. The Libyan Az-Zawiya oil refinery was considered for the case study due to its high solar potential, proximity to the sea and energy security. Systems' processes for CO2 emissions, heat integration, energy efficiency, and thermo-economic performance were all taken into consideration. Renewable energy, synthetic fuel, and the methanol plant showed efficiencies of 0.21%, 0.5872%, and 0.1626%, respectively, and at the optimum density of the electrolyzer, 2.2 kA/m2, the efficiency of the electrolyzer was 0.782%. According to this study, all output parameters increase with the increase in the flue gas in the process, showing that flue gas is the most important input parameter affecting the outputs. The total cost of the plant for 30 years of operation was found to be $11.350 billion, with a production capacity of over 43.360 million tons of methanol, which equates to $412.9 per ton and $0.4129 per kg. Environmentally, the rate of captured emissions was about 4890 tons per day, and the mitigation rate was approximately 4513 tons per day. According to the results, the current plant is competitive with other clean synthetic fuel production plants.

Techno-economic assessment of the CO2 value chain with CCUS applied to a waste-to-energy Italian plant

Recently, post-combustion CO2 removal has been considered also for the CO2 separation from the flue gases of Waste-to-Energy (WtE) plants, that manage high amounts of Municipal Solid Waste (MSW) by combusting it and generating power and heat. Moreover, because of the presence in MSW of an organic waste fraction, net negative CO2 emissions are feasible when integrating CCUS systems into WtE plants. Currently, to the best of the authors’ knowledge, there are only few incineration plants around the world that are successfully coupled with a carbon capture system, resulting in near-zero (or even negative) CO2 emission power generation.This work focuses on the evaluation of the whole value chain of the non-biogenic CO2 that is emitted in a power plant located in Northern Italy and on its possible utilization, from the CO2 source in the flue gas to the market-ready product.The design of the process for the CO2 removal from the flue gas has been carried out specifically for the considered flue gas to be treated with an aqueous solution of MonoEthanolAmine 30% wt., the benchmark solvent used in other types of power plants (fuelled by coal and natural gas). The main process parameters (e.g., lean loading, absorber packing height, regenerator packing height, regenerator pressure, gas inlet temperature, solvent inlet temperature) have been selected in order to optimize the reboiler duty and the water requirement, the latter being usually not considered in literature works dealing with this type of analysis. Then, the CO2 utilization has been evaluated, considering the options of both sequestration in the Adriatic Sea and utilization of CO2 for production of sodium bicarbonate, on the basis of the information available in the literature.In compliance with Directive 2003/87/EC and with the Italian legislation, Waste-to-Energy plants that treat municipal solid waste are currently exempt from the application of the CO2 Emissions Trading System (ETS). This article speculates about the application of the ETS to an urban WtE plant, located in Northern Italy, and evaluates its economic implications by comparing the purchase of emission quotas with the construction of a CCS or CCU plant.A business plan, detailing the obtained revenues from the utilization and from the avoided cost of purchasing emission allowances and the expenses related to the operation of the carbon capture plant, taking into account the taxes and the inflation, has been created and used for comparing the two considered CO2 value chains. For the option of CO2 sequestration, sensitivity analyses on the variation of investment costs (+10 %), operating costs (+10 %) and revenues (−10 %) have been performed and the breakeven value of the ETS certificate that can make the Net Present Value (NPV) non-negative has been determined. For the option of CO2 utilization, the revenue from sodium bicarbonate that can make its production profitable has been evaluated.

Water-Energy-Carbon Nexus: Water Supply Risk for a Power and Carbon Capture Plant

Water-Energy-Carbon Nexus: Water Supply Risk for a Power and Carbon Capture Plant

Operation and Optimization of Carbon Capture Plant Using BASF’s OASE Blue Technology

Operation and Optimization of Carbon Capture Plant Using BASF’s OASE Blue Technology

Thermodynamic Study on Decarbonization of Combined Cycle Power Plant

Integrating hydrogen firing and a carbon capture plant (CCP) into a natural gas combined cycle (NGCC) power plant is a promising strategy for reducing CO2. In this study, process simulation in Aspen PLUS of hydrogen co-firing in a 40 MW turbine gas combined cycle power plant was done at an identical gas turbine inlet temperature from 0%.cal to 30%.cal. The evaluated cases were hydrogen co-firing with CCP (H2 Co-firing + CCP) and hydrogen co-firing without CCP (H2 Co-firing). The results showed a 6% CO2 emission reduction per 5% increase in hydrogen, albeit with increased NOx emissions. H2 Co-firing experienced a decrease in net power with rising hydrogen co-firing, while H2 Co-firing + CCP saw an increase but remained below Case 2 due to the energy penalty from the carbon capture plant. The capital cost of H2 Co-firing + CCP exceeds that of H2 Co-firing due to CCP usage, impacting gross revenue. The sensitivity analysis indicated that the cost of hydrogen has higher sensitivity compared to the cost of CCP. Lowering hydrogen prices is recommended to effectively reduce CO2 emissions in NGCC.

Including CFD rigorous models in the optimal design of carbon capture plants through trust-region methods

Efficient technology alternatives are required to fulfill the environmental goals of reducing CO2 emissions at short and medium term. In this context, carbon capture using hollow fiber membrane contactors is an interesting alternative due to its operational flexibility, modularity, and high interfacial area. To elucidate the true potential of this technology, cutting-edge modeling and optimization techniques must be applied to improve key process performance indicators. In the present study, we develop a CFD rigorous model for a MEA-based absorber using membrane contactors. This model is included as an external function in the formulation of an optimization problem through the trust-region filter method, to minimize the CO2 avoided cost of the capture plant. As results, we obtain an optimal design with a CO2 avoided cost of 54.16 $/t-CO2 and a specific energy demand of 3.52GJ/t–CO2.