Techno-economic assessment of pulverized coal boilers and IGCC power plants with CO 2 capture

The current studies on power plant technologies suggest that Integrated Gasification Combined Cycle (IGCC) systems are an effective and economic CO₂ capture technology pathway. In addition, the system in conventional configuration has the advantage of being more “CO₂ capture ready” than other technologies. Pulverized coal boilers (PC) have, however, proven high technical performance attributes and are economically often most practical technologies. To highlight the pros and cons of both technologies in connection with an integrated CO₂ capture, a comparative analysis of ultrasupercritical PC and IGCC is carried out in this paper. The technical design, the mass and energy balance and the system optimizations are implemented by using the ECLIPSE chemical plant simulation software package. Built upon these technologies, the CO₂ capture facilities are incorporated within the system. The most appropriate CO₂ capture systems for the PC system selected for this work are the oxy-fuel system and the postcombustion scheme using Monoethanolamine solvent scrubber column (MEA). The IGCC systems are designed in two configurations: Water gas shift reactor and Selexol-based separation. Both options generate CO₂-rich and hydrogen rich-gas streams. Following the comparative analysis of the technical performance attributes of the above cycles, the economic assessment is carried out using the economic toolbox of ECLIPSE is seamlessly connected to the results of the mass and energy balance as well as the utility usages. The total cost assessment is implemented according to the step-count exponential costing method using the dominant factors and/or a combination of parameters. Subsequently, based on a set of assumptions, the net present value estimation is implemented to calculate the breakeven electricity selling prices and the CO₂ avoidance cost.     

Techno-economic assessment of pulverized coal boilers and IGCC power plants with CO2 capture

The current studies on power plant technologies suggest that Integrated Gasification Combined Cycle (IGCC) systems are an effective and economic CO₂ capture technology pathway. In addition, the system in conventional configuration has the advantage of being more “CO₂ capture ready” than other technologies. Pulverized coal boilers (PC) have, however, proven high technical performance attributes and are economically often most practical technologies. To highlight the pros and cons of both technologies in connection with an integrated CO₂ capture, a comparative analysis of ultrasupercritical PC and IGCC is carried out in this paper. The technical design, the mass and energy balance and the system optimizations are implemented by using the ECLIPSE chemical plant simulation software package. Built upon these technologies, the CO₂ capture facilities are incorporated within the system. The most appropriate CO₂ capture systems for the PC system selected for this work are the oxy-fuel system and the postcombustion scheme using Monoethanolamine solvent scrubber column (MEA). The IGCC systems are designed in two configurations: Water gas shift reactor and Selexol-based separation. Both options generate CO₂-rich and hydrogen rich-gas streams. Following the comparative analysis of the technical performance attributes of the above cycles, the economic assessment is carried out using the economic toolbox of ECLIPSE is seamlessly connected to the results of the mass and energy balance as well as the utility usages. The total cost assessment is implemented according to the step-count exponential costing method using the dominant factors and/or a combination of parameters. Subsequently, based on a set of assumptions, the net present value estimation is implemented to calculate the breakeven electricity selling prices and the CO₂ avoidance cost.     

Techno-economic assessment of pulverized coal boilers and IGCC power plants with CO<Subscript>2</Subscript> capture

The current studies on power plant technologies suggest that Integrated Gasification Combined Cycle (IGCC) systems are an effective and economic CO₂ capture technology pathway. In addition, the system in conventional configuration has the advantage of being more “CO₂ capture ready” than other technologies. Pulverized coal boilers (PC) have, however, proven high technical performance attributes and are economically often most practical technologies. To highlight the pros and cons of both technologies in connection with an integrated CO₂ capture, a comparative analysis of ultrasupercritical PC and IGCC is carried out in this paper. The technical design, the mass and energy balance and the system optimizations are implemented by using the ECLIPSE chemical plant simulation software package. Built upon these technologies, the CO₂ capture facilities are incorporated within the system. The most appropriate CO₂ capture systems for the PC system selected for this work are the oxy-fuel system and the postcombustion scheme using Monoethanolamine solvent scrubber column (MEA). The IGCC systems are designed in two configurations: Water gas shift reactor and Selexol-based separation. Both options generate CO₂-rich and hydrogen rich-gas streams. Following the comparative analysis of the technical performance attributes of the above cycles, the economic assessment is carried out using the economic toolbox of ECLIPSE is seamlessly connected to the results of the mass and energy balance as well as the utility usages. The total cost assessment is implemented according to the step-count exponential costing method using the dominant factors and/or a combination of parameters. Subsequently, based on a set of assumptions, the net present value estimation is implemented to calculate the breakeven electricity selling prices and the CO₂ avoidance cost.     

Integration of a Ca looping system for CO2 capture in existing power plants

This work analyses a Ca looping system that uses CaO as regenerable sorbent to capture CO₂ from the flue gases generated in power plants. The CO₂ is captured by CaO in a CFB carbonator while coal oxycombustion provides the energy required to regenerate the sorbent. Part of the energy introduced into the calciner can be transferred to a new supercritical steam cycle to generate additional power. Several case studies have been integrated with this steam cycle. Efficiency penalties, mainly associated with the energy consumption of the ASU, CO₂ compressor and auxiliaries, can be as low as 7.5% p. of net efficiency when working with low‐CaCO₃ make‐up flows and integrating the Ca looping with a cement plant that makes use of the spent sorbent. The penalties increase to 8.3% p. when this possibility is not available. Operation conditions aiming at minimum calciner size result in slightly higher‐efficiency penalties. © 2010 American Institute of Chemical Engineers AIChE J, 2011     

Techno-economic evaluation of advanced IGCC lignite coal fuelled power plants with CO2 capture

The techno-economic evaluation of four novel integrated gasification combined cycle (IGCC) power plants fuelled with low rank lignite coal with CO₂ capture facility has been investigated using ECLIPSE process simulator. The performance of the proposed plants was compared with two conventional IGCC plants with and without CO₂ capture. The proposed plants include an advanced CO₂ capturing process based on the Absorption Enhanced Reforming (AER) reaction and the regeneration of sorbent materials avoiding the need for sulphur removal component, shift reactor and/or a high temperature gas cleaning process. The results show that the proposed CO₂ capture plants efficiencies were 18.5–21% higher than the conventional IGCC CO₂ capture plant. For the proposed plants, the CO₂ capture efficiencies were found to be within 95.8–97%. The CO₂ capture efficiency for the conventional IGCC plant was 87.7%. The specific investment costs for the proposed plants were between 1207 and 1479 €/kW_e and 1620 €/kW_e and 1134 €/kW_e for the conventional plants with and without CO₂ capture respectively. Overall the proposed IGCC plants are cleaner, more efficient and produce electricity at cheaper price than the conventional IGCC process.     

Real-time monitoring of milk powder moisture content during drying in a spouted bed dryer using a hybrid neural soft sensor

The direct measurement of the moisture content of dried products would be more interesting for process control purposes. However, the most common procedures for such measurement are either slow or expensive for industrial dryers. Alternatively, one might reduce the cost of an effective measurement procedure by using other sensors (which are less expensive and whose response is faster), which can provide information for a physical–mathematical model representing well the drying process. In this context, the objective of this work was the application of a previously developed soft sensor for the online measurement of milk powder produced in a spouted bed dryer. A hybrid neural model was used as part of a soft sensor and coupled to the data acquisition interface. The sensor was capable of estimating milk powder moisture content when the dryer was submitted to disturbances on air inlet temperature and paste inlet flow rate. On the other hand, the model failed to describe paste accumulation within the bed, which is the reason why the soft sensor tended to overestimate moisture content for longer operation times.     

Constrained optimization of combustion in a simulated coal-fired boiler using artificial neural network model and information analysis

Combustion in a boiler is too complex to be analytically described with mathematical models. To meet the needs of operation optimization, on-site experiments guided by the statistical optimization methods are often necessary to achieve the optimum operating conditions. This study proposes a new constrained optimization procedure using artificial neural networks as models for target processes. Information analysis based on random search, fuzzy c-mean clustering, and minimization of information free energy is performed iteratively in the procedure to suggest the location of future experiments, which can greatly reduce the number of experiments needed. The effectiveness of the proposed procedure in searching optima is demonstrated by three case studies: (1) a bench-mark problem, namely minimization of the modified Himmelblau function under a circle constraint; (2) both minimization of NO_x and CO emissions and maximization of thermal efficiency for a simulated combustion process of a boiler; (3) maximization of thermal efficiency within NO_x and CO emission limits for the same combustion process. The simulated combustion process is based on a commercial software package CHEMKIN, where 78 chemical species and 467 chemical reactions related to the combustion mechanism are incorporated and a plug-flow model and a load-correlated temperature distribution for the combustion tunnel of a boiler are used.     

Techno-economic study of CO2 capture and storage in coal fired oxygen fed entrained flow IGCC power plants

The attractiveness of fossil fuel as a feedstock for power generation depends on the development of energy conversion systems that are efficient, clean and economical. Coal fired power plants are generally considered to be “dirty” since they have high CO₂ emissions, with the exception of those coal fired power plants that employ CO₂ capture technology. Among the coal fired options, Integrated Gasification Combined Cycle (IGCC) systems have the best environmental performance and are potentially suitable candidates. The objective of this work is to provide an assessment and analysis of the potential for reduction of the output of greenhouse gas from the oxygen fed entrained flow gasifier systems, including the cost and cost-effectiveness of each likely conceptual scheme.     

以长效碳铵为载体固定电厂烟气中二氧化碳的技术进展

温室气体二氧化碳的减排和固定问题已引起国际社会的广泛关注,火电厂是CO2的主要排放源之一;以长效碳铵为载体固定电厂烟气中CO2可望实现CO2的减排、固定与农用肥料长效碳铵生产的有机统一。对该方案的技术原理进行了详细评述,指出今后应加强工艺系统及操作条件,特别是长效碳铵肥料施入土壤后,其碳素去向的研究。     

催化反应技术在滨海电厂的CO2资源化利用和海洋防污领域的应用

二氧化碳（CO₂）减排和海洋生物污损防治是滨海火电厂亟待解决的重大课题。近年来,CO₂固体吸附材料及新能源催化反应技术的快速发展,推动了碳捕集与利用技术（CCU）的实用化进程。在燃煤火电厂原有的基础上增加碳捕集与利用技术,将其改造成碳捕集与CO₂资源化电厂,有望从根本上实现CO₂减排的目标,是火电企业未来发展的方向。另外,洁净能源驱动的催化反应技术也已延伸至海洋生物污损防治领域,并取得了积极的成效。本文综述了固体CO₂吸附材料研发的新进展,重点介绍了金属有机框架（MOF）材料结构改性和功能化修饰对提高CO₂选择性吸附性能等方面的研究成果,并基于滨海火电厂的生产实况和能源资源优势,分析、总结了热催化、光/电催化反应技术在CO₂资源化利用及生物污损防治等方面的研究现状和存在的问题,提出并论证了利用光触媒涂层阻断或抑制海洋生物黏附与生长的污损防护策略及其在具体场景中应用的可行性。最后从环保和实用化的角度对滨海电厂在CO₂减排和生物污损防治技术方面的发展趋势进行了展望。     

New process development and process evaluation for capturing CO2 in flue gas from power plants using ionic liquid [emim][Tf2N]

Using the ionic liquid [emim][Tf_2N] as a physical solvent, it was found by Aspen Plus simulation that it was possible to attempt to capture CO_2 from the flue gas discharged from the coal-fired unit of the power plant.Using the combination of model calculation and experimental determination, the density, isostatic heat capacity,viscosity, vapor pressure, thermal conductivity, surface tension and solubility of [emim][Tf_2N] were obtained.Based on the NRTL model, the Henry coefficient and NRTL binary interaction parameters of CO_2 dissolved in[emim][Tf_2N] were obtained by correlating [emim][Tf_2N] with the gas–liquid equilibrium data of CO_2. Firstly,the calculated relevant data is imported into Aspen Plus, and the whole process model of the ionic liquid absorption process is established. Then the absorption process is optimized according to the temperature distribution in the absorption tower to obtain a new absorption process. Finally, the density, constant pressure heat capacity,surface tension, thermal conductivity, and viscosity of [emim][Tf_2N] were changed to investigate the effect of ionic liquid properties on process energy consumption, solvent circulation and heat exchanger design. The results showed that based on the composition of the inlet gas stream to the absorbers, CO_2 with a capture rate of 90% and a mass purity higher than 99.5% was captured. These results indicate that the [emim][Tf_2N] could be used as a physical solvent for CO_2 capture from coal-fired units. In addition, the results will provide a theoretical basis for the design of new ionic liquids for CO_2 capture.     

Estimation of the temperature profiles of reinforced concrete cross sections exposed to standard fires by using artificial neural networks with different topologies

The thermal analysis in structural members can be extremely complex, especially for materials that retain moisture and have a low thermal conductivity. The simplest method of defining the temperature profile through the cross section is to use test data presented in tables or charts, which are published in codes or design guides. These tabulated data are generally based on standard fire conditions. Annex A of TS‐EN1992‐1‐2 provides a series of calculated temperature profiles for concrete slabs or walls, beams, and columns. But these profiles are given for specific cross‐section dimensions and standard fire resistance durations. The main purpose of this study is to estimate the temperature profiles of reinforced concrete beam and column cross sections by using artificial neural networks (ANN) with different topologies. When modeling ANN, it is benefited from multi‐layer ANN, which uses supervised learning rule. During training and testing stage of ANN, the results obtained from the aforementioned temperature profiles are used. The temperatures values were read from the temperature profile charts according to standard fire durations, cross‐sections height and widths, and x and y coordinates of the points by the reference point. By testing ANN with different topologies in conclusions, its usability, advantages, and disadvantages are evaluated. Copyright © 2015 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Economical assessment of competitive enhanced limestones for CO2 capture cycles in power plants

CO₂ capture systems based on the carbonation/calcination loop have gained rapid interest due to promising carbonator CO₂ capture efficiency, low sorbent cost and no flue gases treatment is required before entering the system. These features together result in a competitively low cost CO₂ capture system. Among the key variables that influence the performance of these systems and their integration with power plants, the carbonation conversion of the sorbent and the heat requirement at calciner are the most relevant. Both variables are mainly influenced by CaO/CO₂ ratio and make-up flow of solids. New sorbents are under development to reduce the decay of their carbonation conversion with cycles. The aim of this study is to assess the competitiveness of new limestones with enhanced sorption behaviour applied to carbonation/calcination cycle integrated with a power plant, compared to raw limestone. The existence of an upper limit for the maximum average capture capacity of CaO has been considered. Above this limit, improving sorbent capture capacity does not lead to the corresponding increase in capture efficiency and, thus, reduction of CO₂ avoided cost is not observed. Simulations calculate the maximum price for enhanced sorbents to achieve a reduction in CO₂ removal cost under different process conditions (solid circulation and make-up flow). The present study may be used as an assessment tool of new sorbents to understand what prices would be competitive compare with raw limestone in the CO₂ looping capture systems.     

Neural network aided design of Pt-Co-Ce/Al2O3 catalyst for selective CO oxidation in hydrogen-rich streams

In this study, the design of Pt-Co-Ce/Al₂O₃ catalyst for the low temperature CO oxidation in hydrogen streams was modeled using artificial neural networks. The effects of five design parameters, namely Pt wt.%, Co wt.%, Ce wt.%, calcination temperature and calcination time, on CO conversion were investigated by modeling the experimental data obtained in our laboratory for 30 catalysts. Although 30 points data set can be considered as small for the neural network modeling, the results were quite satisfactory apparently due to the fact that the experimental data generated with response surface method were well balanced over the experimental region and it was very suitable for neural network modeling. The success of neural network modeling was more apparent when the number of data points was increased to 120 by using the time on stream as another input parameter. It was then concluded that the neural network modeling can be very helpful to improve the experimental works in catalyst design and it may be combined with the statistical experimental design techniques so that the successful models can be constructed using relatively small number of data points.     

Techno-economic evaluation of a PVAm CO2-selective membrane in an IGCC power plant with CO2 capture

Published data for an operating power plant, the ELCOGAS 315 MWe Puertollano plant, has been used as a basis for the simulation of an integrated gasification combined cycle process with CO₂ capture. This incorporated a fixed site carrier polyvinylamine membrane to separate the CO₂ from a CO-shifted syngas stream. It appears that the modified process, using a sour shift catalyst prior to sulphur removal, could achieve greater than 85% CO₂ recovery at 95 vol% purity. The efficiency penalty for such a process would be approximately 10% points, including CO₂ compression. A modified plant with CO₂ capture and compression was calculated to cost €2320/kW, producing electricity at a cost of 7.6 € cents/kWh and a CO₂ avoidance cost of about €40/tonne CO₂.     

Photochemical and acoustic interactions of biochar with CO2 and H2O: Applications in power generation and CO2 capture

A critical literature review suggests that carbonaceous compounds react with (CO₂ +H₂O) mixture through thermal, photochemical, and sonochemical/sonophysical routes. A biochar was selected for studying these effects at 60°C and 1 atm for its potential benefits on power generation and CO₂ capture. All treatments remove sizable minerals (K, Na, and Si) detrimental in power generation, and introduce carbon (up to 16% of original carbon in biochar) into the biochar matrix. Most treatments show increased hydrogen (up to 24%). Treatments lead to notable increased heating value of biochar (up to 50%). Treated biochars show increase (up to 19 fold) in internal surface area. The ultrasound energy output is a fraction of the increased heating value. Thus, pretreatment is potentially attractive for increasing the energy efficiency in combustion and gasification. Moreover, better understandings of the salient reactions of these processes will be advantageous for the development of advanced adsorbents for CO₂ capture. © 2014 American Institute of Chemical Engineers AIChE J, 60: 1054–1065, 2014     

乙醇胺(MEA)法燃煤电厂CO2捕集系统尾气二次污染分析

在某燃煤电厂用乙醇胺(MEA)作吸收剂进行了CO₂燃烧后捕集中试,并对系统的排放物进行了分析。吸收塔尾气和再生气用GASMET烟气监测系统进行在线监测,可得到二者组分及含量。结合电厂烟气、连续监测系统(CEMS)数据及实验室溶液分析,根据烟气数据对MEA的挥发及降解情况作了研究,比较了系统前后烟气组分的变化,讨论其尾气对环境是否造成二次污染。试验结果表明:MEA在吸收塔中主要发生氧化降解,在再生塔中主要发生热降解,且溶剂损耗主要来自氧化降解和挥发;降解的主要产物为NH₃和乙醛,二者在气体中含量变化情况与溶液中MEA浓度变化基本一致;预洗塔能除去原烟气中部分酸性气体。故CO₂捕集系统可以进一步减少电厂净烟气中的原有污染物,但也会产生新的污染组分。新生成的污染物含量很少,符合国家标准,不会造成二次污染。     

CO2置换天然气水合物中CH4的研究进展

在全面综述国内外天然气水合物开采技术研究现状的基础上,重点介绍了国内外CO2置换开采天然气水合物的研究进展,分别从热力学和动力学角度分析了置换反应过程的可行性. 现有的研究主要集中在自由饱和水体系,而自然界中天然气水合物主要赋存于海底沉积层和永久冻土层中,需结合天然气水合物赋存的自然环境条件,研究其动力学过程,揭示置换反应过程的内在机理. 最后指出了CO2置换开采天然气水合物尚存在的问题和今后的研究方向.     

Techno-economic optimization of IGCC integrated with utility system for CO2 emissions reduction—Maximum power production in IGCC

Environmental legislation, with its increasing pressure on the energy sector to control greenhouse gases, is a driving force to reduce CO₂ emissions. In this paper, pre-combustion CO₂ capture through integration of a site utility system with an integrated gasification combined cycle (IGCC) is investigated as an option to provide a compressed CO₂-rich stream from a process site for sequestration. This work presents a two-step procedure for integration and optimization of a site utility system with an IGCC plant: (i) screening and optimization of IGCC plant performance parameters; (ii) integration and optimization of the utility system of the site with the IGCC plant. In the first step, an optimization approach applies the results of screening studies based on rigorous simulation of the IGCC. Having fixed the inlet fuel flow rate, the IGCC design parameters (including oxygen consumption, diluent flow rate and turbine exit pressure) are optimized for maximum power generation. Energy flows between the IGCC and CO₂ compression train are considered. In the second step, the economic and operating performance of the utility system integrated with the IGCC plant are modeled and optimized for minimum operating cost to find the most appropriate level of integration. In a case study illustrating the approach, 94% of the fuel is gasified; additional power generation offsets the operating costs of pre-combustion CO₂ capture.     

Interactions of dynamic supercritical CO2 fluid with different rank moisture-equilibrated coals:Implications for CO2 sequestration in coal seams

The interactions between CO2 and coals during CO2-ECBM (CO2 sequestration in deep coal seams with enhanced coal-bed methane recovery) could change pore morphology and chemistry property of coals,thereby affecting adsorption,diffusion and flow capability of CO2 and CH4 within coal reservoirs.To sim-ulate CO2-ECBM process more practically,the dynamic interactions of supercritical CO2 (scCO2) and moisture-equilibrated coals were performed at temperature of 318.15 K,pressure of 12.00 MPa,and duration of 12.00 h.The impacts of the interactions on physicochemical properties of coals were inves-tigated.Results indicate that scCO2/H2O exposure shows minor effect on micropores of coals.However,the exposure significantly decreases the mesopore surface area of bituminous coals,while increases that of anthracites.The mesopore volume and the average mesopore diameter of all the coals after scCO2/H2O exposure decrease.The multi-fractal analysis verifies that the scCO2 exposure can enhance the pore con-nectivity of various rank coals.Apart from the pore morphology,the exposure of scCO2/H2O also affects the oxygenic functional groups on coal surface.Particularly,the exposure of scCO2/H2O reduces the con-tent of C-O and C=O of coals.The content of COOH of low rank coals including Hehua-M2# coal,Zhongqiang-4# coal,Buliangou-9# coal and Tashan-5# coal decreases,while the high rank Laochang-11# coal and Kaiyuan-9# coal witness a growth in COOH.The content of total oxygenic functional groups of all coals after interaction with scCO2/H2O decreases;on the contrary,that of C-C/C-H of all coals after SCCO2/H2O exposure increases.In summary,the interaction with SCCO2/H2O significantly changes the pore system and oxygenic functional groups of various rank coals,which needs further attention regard-ing CO2-ECBM.