Cryogenic Carbon Capture Research Articles

A Review on Process Modeling and Simulation of Cryogenic Carbon Capture for Post-Combustion Treatment

The cryogenic carbon capture (CCC) process is a promising post-combustion CO2 removal method. This method is very novel compared with conventional and well-developed methods. However, cryogenic carbon capture is not yet commercially available despite its techno-economic benefits. Thus, a model-based design approach for this process can provide valuable information. This paper will first introduce the cryogenic carbon capture process. Then, a comprehensive literature overview that focuses on different methods for modeling the process at the component level will be given. The modelling methods which are deemed most effective are presented more in depth for each of the key system components. These methods are compared with each other in terms of complexity and accuracy and the simplest methods with an acceptable level of precision for modelling a specific component in the CCC process are recommended. Furthermore, potential research areas in modeling and simulation of the CCC process are also highlighted.

Spontaneous desublimation of carbon dioxide in turbo-expander applied for cryogenic carbon capture

Spontaneous desublimation of carbon dioxide in turbo-expander applied for cryogenic carbon capture

Preliminary study of CO2 frost formation during cryogenic carbon capture using tomography analysis

Cryogenic carbon capture (CCC) is a potential technological solution to reduce CO2 emissions and achieve the needed environmental targets. CCC provides a relatively compact solution to industries where more mature technologies would have difficulty scaling down economically. However, there is a lack of research on frost formation of CO2 within packed bed systems, despite the influence of the CO2 frost layer on thermal conductivity leading to excessive cooling costs. Understanding the rate of CO2 frost growth and accumulation within a packed bed is critical to the design of the capture column. Therefore, real-time quantitative imaging becomes increasingly desirable to study the CO2 frost formation during cryogenic carbon capture, but it may be difficult by most of the traditional measurement methods. This study aims to investigate the use of an Electrical Capacitance Tomography (ECT) to monitor the real-time CO2 frost formation in a fixed packed bed. In this work, the evolution of the permittivity distribution during the capture process has been investigated in detail by experiments, elucidating the effect of the bed material type and bed material temperature. An ECT sensor was constructed to measure frost distribution to elucidate the mechanisms of CO2 frost formation by first testing on ice frost in the packed bed. The ECT images of ice formation were reconstructed by measurement data with a conventional algorithm. The results show that ECT could effectively monitor the changes of relative permittivity caused by the frost formation in real-time. With the help of an image reconstruction algorithm, the outline and position of the permittivity change area can be monitored. These results indicate that ECT has the potential to be a novel technique for monitoring CO2 frost formation during cryogenic carbon capture.

On the feasibility of precompression for direct atmospheric cryogenic carbon capture

Carbon dioxide (CO2) capture is a crucial approach to reducing greenhouse gases in the atmosphere to directly combat climate change. Major components of the technology to desublimate CO2 at cryogenic temperatures are mature and have the potential to be applied to build large Artic/Antarctic direct-air CO2 capture plants. The discussion of precompression of atmospheric air for a direct-air capture CO2 system using an attached “waste-cool” precooler is examined in this study. In this novel approach, a thermodynamic model based on psychrometric theories is evaluated to determine the required work input of the system at various inlet compression ratios and various inlet temperatures. Turbine recovery is also considered for the potential to capture waste energy. The results show that precompression integrated with a turbine recovery system does not provide a net energy benefit compared to a system with no precompression.

Study of cryogenic CO2 capture with solar-assisted VAR system

One of the major contributors to the rise in global warming potential (GWP) is the continuous accumulation of carbon dioxide (CO2) in the atmosphere. Carbon capture and storage (CCS) is a modern approach to capture CO2 from various industrial processes and store it efficiently for further use. In the cryogenic carbon capture method, CO2 is liquefied by condensation and separated from the CO2 contained gas. The CO2 capture by the cryogenic method can yield high purity CO2 and negligible secondary emissions. However, huge energy is required for the condensation process. In the present study, a low energy penalty method for a post-combustion carbon capture process by the application of the cryogenic technique is performed using process simulation. To reduce energy consumption, a solar integrated vapor absorption refrigeration (VAR) system is designed. The designed solar VAR system provides the required refrigeration cooling load for condensing CO2 in a flue gas stream. For this purpose, the flue gas mixture composed of CO2, N2, and water vapor with respective molar fractions of 15%, 75%, and 10% is considered. The mass flow rate of the flue gas considered is 673.4 kg/s at 1.1 bar and 40 °C. CO2 is separated by condensing the gas at a pressure of 40 bar and temperature of −28 °C. The heat energy required to operate the VAR is 83.3 MW at 75 °C which is supplied by the solar collector. The simulation result indicates that for a post-combustion process, a high-grade electrical energy penalty is found to be about 1.26 MJ/kg CO2 captured, which is better than the most common approaches like absorption, adsorption, and membrane methods. It is also observed that with the increase in the CO2 concentration from 15 to 25 mol% in the flue gas, the energy penalty is reduced by about 37.5%. The performance analysis is also carried out by varying the CO2 recovery rate and purity. It is observed that the energy penalty is decreased by about 10.3% with the increase of CO2 recovery from 90% to 100%. Also, the energy penalty is increased by 4.2% with the increase of CO2 purity from 95% to 100%. The specific CO2 capture process cost is found to be about 1.008 million USD/(kg.s−1).

European Union funds 7 decarbonization projects

The European Union’s Innovation Fund will put a total of more than $1.2 billion into seven decarbonization efforts across the continent, including a carbon-capture-and-sequestration (CCS) project at BASF’s chemical complex in Antwerp, Belgium . That project, dubbed Kairos@C, will install partner company Air Liquide’s Cryocap cryogenic carbon-capture technology, as well as infrastructure to pump the carbon dioxide into permanent undersea storage. Over 10 years starting in 2025, the firms say, they will sequester 14.2 million metric tons of CO 2 beneath the North Sea. Though not as common today as systems that catch CO2 in amine solvents , cryogenic carbon capture is an up-and-coming technology. The Cryocap platform planned for the Antwerp complex is already in use at Air Liquide’s hydrogen plant in Port-Jérôme-sur-Seine, France, where the firm says it has been making low-carbon H 2 since 2015. The BASF–Air Liquide project will lower the activation barrier for more CCS

Moving packed beds for cryogenic CO2 capture: analysis of packing material and bed precooling

This work expands upon previous work on a moving bed cryogenic carbon capture (CCC). Cryogenic carbon capture using a fixed packed bed captures CO2 frost deposited on the surface of the bed material; this build-up of frost fouls the heat transfer of the capture column and requires periodic shut down of the process to regenerate the bed material and collect CO2 for further storage. Using a moving bed continuously removes frosted bed material from the capture column preventing the excessive build-up of frost and eliminating the need for a regeneration step within the capture column. This paper sets out two objectives in evaluating an experimental moving bed system with a fixed volume of bed material; i) compare two different types of bed material within the capture column, a high-density ceramic and a steel bed material of similar particle sizes, and ii) combine the precooling step and capture step within the cryogenic capture column to allow the cooling of bed material and CO2 frost formation simultaneously. Frost front velocity results for the two different bed materials show 0.78 mm/s for steel bed material and 1.81 mm/s for ceramic bed material. Introducing a vertical gas injector into the capture column for additional cooling during the capture step allowed the capture step to be extended to approximately 5 minutes of continuous CO2 capture.

Review of Cryogenic Carbon Capture Innovations and Their Potential Applications

Our ever-increasing interest in economic growth is leading the way to the decline of natural resources, the detriment of air quality, and is fostering climate change. One potential solution to reduce carbon dioxide emissions from industrial emitters is the exploitation of carbon capture and storage (CCS). Among the various CO2 separation technologies, cryogenic carbon capture (CCC) could emerge by offering high CO2 recovery rates and purity levels. This review covers the different CCC methods that are being developed, their benefits, and the current challenges deterring their commercialisation. It also offers an appraisal for selected feasible small- and large-scale CCC applications, including blue hydrogen production and direct air capture. This work considers their technological readiness for CCC deployment and acknowledges competing technologies and ends by providing some insights into future directions related to the R&D for CCC systems.

Experimental analysis of CO2 frost front behaviour in moving packed beds for cryogenic CO2 capture

In this work, the feasibility of a novel method of cryogenic carbon capture based on carbon dioxide frost deposition onto a cold moving bed is explored. As a gas mixture including CO2 flows through a sufficiently cold packed bed, CO2 is deposited onto the bed material as a frost. As the bed is warmed by the gas stream the frost front advances through the bed. Experimental measurements of the rate of frost advance within a static packed bed are used to set up a moving bed to achieve continuous CO2 removal. Precooled and dry binary gas mixtures of CO2 and nitrogen are used to determine frost front velocity in a capture column. The frost front velocity measured in fixed bed experiments with varying CO2 concentrations and gas flow rates are in the range of 0.4–1 mm/s. The experimental results were used to design a moving bed system that would match this range of frost front velocities so that continuous capture would be possible. Experiments were conducted to investigate the behaviour of temperature profiles within the capture column under moving bed conditions. These show that frost accumulation does not occur and successfully demonstrates continuous cryogenic carbon capture.

Adsorption Assisted Cryogenic Carbon Capture: an Alternate Path to Steam Driven Technologies to Decrease Cost and Carbon Footprint

Carbon capture has gained momentum in addressing CO2 emissions where substitution of carbon feedstock by renewables is very challenging, such as in steel, refining, chemical, and cement industries. Gas streams containing 15% to 50% CO2 are low-hanging fruits for applying CO2 capture due to their prevalence in industry and lower capture cost linked to their high concentrations. Amine-based processes are historally considered as reference solutions for these applications, but they are no longer the only commercially viable solution today. Air Liquide has been working on a smart combination of its proprietary Adsorption and Cryogenic technologies, where Pressure Swing Adsorption (PSA) is used as a CO2 preconcentration and Cryogenic as CO2 purifiers: the Cryocap™ FG. This paper studies the influence of utilities (steam and electricity) on the carbon footprint and total cost of ownership of both amine and Cryocap™ FG technologies. The paper also studies Scope 1, 2, and 3 emissions and the TCO per ton of reduced CO2 for various footprint scenarios and typical utility costs. As it is a high efficiency power-driven technology, Cryocap™ FG resulted in a 90% reduction of Scope 1 emissions compared to 69-74% reduction with amine, depending on steam footprint, where limited waste heat is available for steam production. Cryocap™ FG was also found to be the most economical choice for electricity prices below 60€/MWh at any steam price, and the breakeven is at 120 €/MWh for a steam cost at around 10 €/t.

Assessment of Thailand Socio-Economic Impact towards Greenhouse Gas Mitigation Actions in 2030 Using a Computable General Equilibrium Model

The threat of climate change has urged increased global awareness and apprehension concerning interactions between society, the economy and the environment. Thailand has made a pledge to the United Nations in the form of NDC (National Determined Contributions) committing that the Kingdom will reduce its GHG emissions within 2030 by 20 % through its own efforts and by 25 % with international support on technology transfer and capacity building compared to the emissions in BaU. To support the GHG emissions reduction target, the country has adopted several mitigation plans including its own sustainable development plan, energy efficiency plan, and renewable energy plan, as well as a sustainable transport plan and others. This study aims to elaborate on the country’s socio-economic impact as it strives to achieve the NDC mitigation target by 2030 using a variety of sustainability scenarios. The research approach used a recursive dynamic computable general equilibrium model of Thailand. The result of employing the model showed that introducing GHG mitigation actions in industrial energy efficiency improvement could help increase GDP by 1.9 % in 2030 compared to BaU. However, it would also increase the GHG price by 2,517 THB/t CO2-eq due to the increase of energy usage from enhanced devices and machinery efficiency. Cryogenic carbon capture technology could minimize GDP loss by 0.4 % while drastically reducing GHG price by 3,978 THB/t CO2-eq compared to a scenario without mitigation action. Combined energy efficiency improvement and cryogenic carbon capture actions show the best result since it potentially increases GDP by 2.1 % compared to BaU while also reducing GHG price by 2,747 THB/t CO2-eq compared to a scenario without mitigation action in 2030. Primary energy supplies in this study have also been shifted from high carbon content to clean energy in all mitigation action scenarios.

Perspective Analysis of Emerging Natural Gas-based Technology Options for Electricity Production

Abstract The growing worldwide interest in low carbon electric generation technologies has renewed interest in natural gas because it is considered a cleaner burning and more flexible alternative to other fossil fuels. Recent shale gas developments have increased natural gas production and availability while lowering cost, allowing a shift to natural gas for electricity production to be a cost-effective option. Natural gas generation in the U.S. electricity sector has grown substantially in recent years (over 31 percent in 2012, up from 17 percent in 1990), while carbon dioxide (CO2) emissions of the sector have generally declined. Natural gas-fired electrical generation offers several advantages over other fossil (e. g. coal, oil) fuel-fired generation. The combination of the lower carbon-to-hydrogen ratio in natural gas (compared to other fossil fuels) and the higher efficiency of natural gas combined cycle (NGCC) power plants (using two thermodynamic cycles) than traditional fossil-fueled electric power generation (using a single cycle) results in less CO2 emissions per unit of electricity produced. Furthermore, natural gas combustion results in considerably fewer emissions of air pollutants such as nitrogen oxides (NOx), sulfur dioxide (SO2), and particulate matter (PM). Natural gas is not the main option for deep de-carbonization. If deep reduction is prioritized, whether of the electricity sector or of the entire economy, there are four primary technologies that would be assumed to play a prominent role: energy efficiency equipment, nuclear power, renewable energy, and carbon capture and storage (CCS). However, natural gas with low carbon generation technologies can be considered a “bridge” to transition to these deep decarbonization options. This paper discusses the economics and environmental impacts, focusing on greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions, associated with alternative electricity production options using natural gas as the fuel source. We also explore pairing NGCC with carbon capture, explicitly examining the costs and emissions of amine absorption, cryogenic carbon capture, carbonate fuel cells, and oxy-combustion.

Evaluation of the performance and economic viability of a novel low temperature carbon capture process

A novel Advanced Cryogenic Carbon Capture (A3C) process is being developed using low cost but high intensity heat transfer to achieve high CO2 capture efficiencies with a much reduced energy consumption and process equipment size. These characteristics, along with the purity of CO2 product and absence of process chemicals, offer the potential for application across a range of sectors. This work presents a techno-economic evaluation for applications ranging from 3% to 35%vol. CO2 content. The A3C process is evaluated against an amine-based CO2 capture process for three applications; an oil-fired boiler, a combined cycle gas turbine (CCGT) and a biogas upgrading plant. The A3C process has shown a modest life cost advantage over the mature MEA technology for the larger selected applications, and substantially lower costs in the smaller biogas application. Enhanced energy recovery and optimization offer significant opportunities for further reductions in cost.

The Role of Industrial Carbon Capture and Storage (Ccs) in Emission Mitigation

Carbon capture and storage (CCS) technology is an important option in the portfolio of emission mitigation technologies in scenarios that lead to deep reductions in greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions consistent with limiting increases in global average surface air temperature to 2 degrees Celsius (2C). Industrial CCS applications are more challenging to analyze than CCS in the power sector -- mainly due to the vast heterogeneity in industrial and fuel processes. Our study focuses on the cement industry and provides the estimated costs associated with several CCS options: coal-fired post-combustion capture (PCC), natural gas-fired PCC, and Cryogenic Carbon Capture (CCC). We explore regional cost estimates with variations in costs of capital and fuels to provide a basis for regional and global projections of industrial CCS deployment. We offer a methodology for incorporating the CCS cost information into energy-economic and integrated assessment models. Our methodology can be applied to other applications of CCS in the industrial sector. We illustrate our method by introducing the industrial CCS options into the MIT EPPA model, a global energy-economic model that provides a basis for the analysis of long-term energy deployment, and we discuss different scenarios for industrial CCS deployment in different parts of the world. We tested in the EPPA model the potential for industrial CCS under the assumptions that CCS is the only mitigation option for deep GHG emission reduction in industry and that negative emission options are not available for other sectors of the economy. Overall, industrial CCS enables the continued use of energy-intensive goods with large reductions in global and sectoral emissions. We find that in scenarios with stringent climate policy, CCS in the industry sector is a key mitigation option, and our approach provides a path to projecting the deployment of industrial CCS across industries and regions.

Evaluation of the Performance and Economic Viability of a Novel Low Temperature Carbon Capture Process

A novel Advanced Cryogenic Carbon Capture (A3C) process is being developed due to its potential to achieve high CO2 capture efficiencies using low cost but high intensity heat transfer to deliver a much reduced energy consumption and process equipment size. These characteristics, along with the absence of process chemicals, offer the potential for application across a range of sectors. This work presents a techno-economic evaluation for applications ranging from 3% to 30% CO2 content.

Numerical modeling and analytical modeling of cryogenic carbon capture in a de-sublimating heat exchanger

Both a numerical and analytical model of the heat and mass transfer processes in a CO2, N2 mixture gas de-sublimating cross-flow finned duct heat exchanger system is developed to predict the heat transferred from a mixture gas to liquid nitrogen and the de-sublimating rate of CO2 in the mixture gas. The mixture gas outlet temperature, liquid nitrogen outlet temperature, CO2 mole fraction, temperature distribution and de-sublimating rate of CO2 through the whole heat exchanger was computed using both the numerical and analytic model. The numerical model is built using EES [1] (engineering equation solver). According to the simulation, a cross-flow finned duct heat exchanger can be designed and fabricated to validate the models. The performance of the heat exchanger is evaluated as functions of dimensionless variables, such as the ratio of the mass flow rate of liquid nitrogen to the mass flow rate of inlet flue gas.

Effect of Operating Conditions on Cryogenic Carbon Dioxide Removal

AbstractIn this investigation, a natural‐gas (NG) treatment system for NG sources with high CO2 content is simulated experimentally and theoretically using Aspen Plus. The concept uses patented heat exchangers and a process design developed as part of the cryogenic carbon capture(CCC) process to remove enough CO2 to enable the treated gas to be handled without the modification of traditional NG equipment. Simultaneously, the process removes liquefied natural gas (LNG) very efficiently. This process provides a simpler alternative to the solvent‐based CO2 removal, absorbent drying, and cryogenic NG liquid extraction systems found in traditional NG processing. The data from an experimental bench‐scale apparatus verify the results of the simulations as a function of NG composition and pressure. Costing parameters, exergy loss, and heat‐exchanger efficiency are also discussed. The results confirm low exergy losses for bench‐scale apparatus. The system uses heat exchangers with efficiencies of more than 90 %. High pressure and low methane content in the NG result in high CO2 capture.

Automated process synthesis for optimal flowsheet design of a hybrid membrane cryogenic carbon capture process

Process flowsheet synthesis is one critical step in the design of any chemical process and is a key factor for consideration in plant operation and economic efficiencies. Previously an automated process flowsheet synthesis is outlined that using a systematic computational approach. This method considers the design and operation variables to converge to an optimum flowsheet using genetic algorithm (GA). In this study, this algorithm is implemented to investigate the potential for a hybrid process combining membrane and cryogenic separation to achieve an efficient and effective carbon dioxide (CO2) capture plant design. The optimum flowsheet is selected using an objective function by screening among a variety of random flowsheets. The studied objective function is a combination of three effective factors in the performance of a flowsheet for this process which are: permeate CO2 purity, CO2 recovery of the system, and energy penalty of the configuration. The outcome of the optimization algorithm is presented as a structurally and parametrically optimized process flowsheet. Within the defined constraints the algorithm estimates that the optimum configuration of a hybrid structure of the membrane/cryogenic system for a three membrane unit process can provide CO2 permeate purity of 0.941, CO2 recovery of 0.979 and energy penalty of 1.249 GJ/t. While the same values for a membrane-based CO2 capture system are 0.940, 0.865 and 3.722 for the optimum estimated flowsheet. The presented results for the optimum hybrid process in comparison with other options shows a promising possibility of exchanging conventional technologies with the proposed optimal configuration. These results along with a global optimality analysis demonstrate the value of automated process synthesis in developing optimal process flowsheet designs.

Solid deposition in the ITER cryogenic viscous compressor

A transient model for the ITER cryogenic viscous compressor (CVC) is presented. The CVC is designed to separate hydrogen isotopes from helium in the gas-mixture exhaust from the ITER torus. During their residence in the CVC, hydrogen isotopes are captured along the pump wall while helium flows through. The CVC thereby provides the first stage of helium compression. The transient model characterizes the transport phenomena (species, momentum, and energy) that occur in the CVC. The numerical results are compared with experimental data from a scaled down test of the ITER CVC using pure hydrogen. Although the model has been developed for a hydrogen–helium mixture, it is simplified here in order to compare with the experimental data. The transient model, along with other numerical models we have developed, provide guidance for the design and optimization of the ITER CVC. The model can also be a useful tool or a reference for similar analyses, such as those for cryogenic carbon capture and air ingress in vacuum isolated cryogenic vessels.

Dynamic optimization of a hybrid system of energy-storing cryogenic carbon capture and a baseline power generation unit

Recently promulgated regulations of the US Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) aggressively limit CO2 emissions from the US power industry. Carbon capture and increased utilization of renewable energy sources are viable approaches to reduce CO2 emissions from the power industry. Cryogenic carbon capture considered in this study is a post-combustion CO2 removal system that separates CO2 from the flue gas by desublimation. In this investigation, a hybrid system of cryogenic carbon capture and a baseline fossil-fueled power generation unit are optimized with a framework to mathematically represent this hybrid system. Optimization of this hybrid system results in meeting the electricity demand through a combination of coal, gas, and wind power sources with a priority given to wind power for utilization. A comparison of the cost associated with operating the steam turbine as a baseline or load-following unit is also made. A significant decrease in the cycling cost associated with load-following of the coal-fired power plant is observed when it operates as a baseline unit. The decrease in the cycling costs is 82% and 85%, respectively, for when wind power is utilized in meeting the electricity demand and when it is not. The saving in the cycling costs is attributed to the energy storage of cryogenic carbon capture.