Cost-Effective Post-Combustion Carbon Capture From Coal-Fired Power Plants

摘要

Post-combustion capture of carbon dioxide from the flue gas of fossil fuel-fired electric power generation power plants via amine-based absorption-desorption is a proven technology. One attractive feature of this technology is its amenability to being a “bolt-on” addition to existing power plants. However, its commercial deployment on a large scale has not been possible due to its significant detrimental impact on total installed cost and net power delivered to the grid. This impediment has been especially severe for coal-fired power plants with large carbon dioxide content in their exhaust.rnThis paper describes a novel approach to amine-based post-combustion capture of carbon dioxide from the flue gas of a coal-fired power plant, which is aimed to maximizing net power output when it is most needed and, thus, commands the highest market price. The capture system in question retains all features of the proven amine-based stripping technology (i.e., equipment and process) with (ⅰ) a modification of the operating philosophy and (ⅱ) addition of balance-of-plant equipment to facilitate the implementation thereof. Cost and performance benefits of the proposed approach are demonstrated using a case study drawing upon recent Bechtel experience in carbon capture system front-end engineering and design.