Patent Application
20150232999
The present invention relates to technical possibilities for an environmentally-friendly integrated installation for producing chemical and petrochemical products that are not based on fossil fuels.
For more efficient and more environmentally-friendly utilization of energy from fossil fuels, currently, various techniques are offered, for instance the oxy fuel method, or combustion in an integrated gasification combined cycle (IGCC) installation.
Thus, an IGCC installation, for instance, permits not only an increase in efficiency during the combustion and use of low-grade energy sources, in that the fossil fuel is converted into hydrogen by substoichiometric combustion with oxygen and subsequent introduction into a water gas shift reactor by means of steam, which hydrogen can then be utilized for energy production, but also a method for generating simple chemical products from the reagents used oxygen, water, carbon and nitrogen, in an integrated installation.
In this case, a conventional IGCC installation generally shows at least one air separation unit for providing oxygen and nitrogen, a gasifier for combustion of the fossil fuels, a water gas shift reactor having an installation for removing acid gases such as hydrogen sulfide (acid gas removal unit) for producing hydrogen, and a combined cycle power plant for producing electrical energy from the process heat or the combustion of the products, in particular hydrogen.
In addition, such an IGCC installation can also comprise a unit for binding and storage of carbon dioxide (carbon capture and storage, CCS), wherein carbon dioxide, CO2, after production of the hydrogen in the water gas shift reactor is removed from the process using an installation for removing acid gases such as hydrogen sulfide (hereinafter also termed water gas shift reactor, if nothing else results from the description) and is stored.
Furthermore, it is also possible, from the synthesis gas SG produced in the water gas shift reactor (WGS), to produce chemical products for use or production of further, possibly complex, chemical products, for example hydrogen (compressed gaseous hydrogen, CGH, or gaseous hydrogen, GH2), methanol MeOH, fuels T, synthetic natural gas (SNG), ammonia NH3, or to use the synthesis gas SG itself as a product for further processing.
One example of a conventional IGCC installation is shown in
However, a disadvantage with the method in the IGCC installation and further installations which are based on fossil fuels is that carbon dioxide is produced as raw material in the integrated installation by the combustion of fossil fuels and is only available as a raw material subsequently by binding and storage of carbon dioxide, which firstly leads to more complex installations having a plurality of various apparatuses, for example for producing and separation of carbon dioxide, and also to increased environmental pollution by the fossil fuels. Moreover, fossil fuels are burnt, that is to say energy stored in chemical substances is consumed before products of higher value chemically can be produced.
There is therefore a requirement for installations which need not generate intermediates, such as carbon dioxide, for an integrated installation on the basis of fossil fuels. In addition, there is a requirement for integrated installations which are based on more environmentally-friendly raw materials.
This object is achieved by the integrated installation according to claim 1.
An integrated installation of the invention comprises a combined air separation unit and carbon dioxide separation unit 1, and an electrolysis unit 2. In certain embodiments, in addition, a unit 3 for producing renewable energy is provided which, at least in part, provides energy for operating the combined air separation unit and carbon dioxide separation unit 1 and/or the electrolysis unit 2.
An integrated installation according to the invention is distinguished in that it is more environmentally friendly and in certain embodiments can dispense with the use of fossil fuels. In addition, an integrated installation according to the invention permits the complete use of all products produced in the combined air separation unit and carbon dioxide separation unit 1. Furthermore, via the integrated installation according to the invention, in certain embodiments, chemical and petrochemical, CO2-neutral products can be produced. These products produced can, as “green” products, that is to say as products which are not based on fossil fuels, permit high prices on the targeted markets, for example approximately 800 Euro/t (as of 2012) of green (CO2-neutral) methanol. In addition, products from the air separation unit can also be obtained as such, such as, for example, oxygen O2, nitrogen N2 or argon which can also be marketed as such, wherein for argon, for example, 3000 to 50 000 US Dollars per ton can be achieved, for nitrogen 300 to 500 US Dollars per ton and for oxygen approximately 90 US Dollars per ton (as of 2012). The products produced can then again be converted to electrical energy, without fossil fuels needing first to be used therefor.
In addition, the integrated installation according to the invention permits a flexible passage from electrical energy to chemical energy or products. In addition, the integrated installation according to the invention can be used as a store for fluctuating renewable energy, if, in certain embodiments, the combined air separation unit and carbon dioxide separation unit 1 and/or the electrolysis unit 2 are operated with energy from a unit 3 for producing renewable energy. Therefore, the integrated installation according to the invention differs from a classical store in which that which is to be stored corresponds to that which is withdrawn from the store such as, for example, in petroleum or natural gas tanks or in rechargeable batteries.
The integrated installation according to the invention acts, through operation thereof, overall also as a store, since it can be operated in different ways depending on the supply of energy from the unit 3 for producing renewable energy.
Furthermore, the integrated installation according to the invention can also act as a buffer against the energy fluctuations with the renewable energy produced. This can also be advantageous with regard to the fact that no problems or reduced problems can occur with the grid stabilization in the energy grid, for example in the power grid, such as in the case of direct feed-in of fluctuating energy, for example fluctuating power from renewable energy.
In addition, the present invention comprises a control unit for controlling an integrated installation according to the invention, a method for producing chemical products, using the integrated installation according to the invention, a computer program product for controlling an integrated installation according to the invention, and also the use of the integrated installation according to the invention as a store for fluctuating renewable energies.
The invention will be described in detail hereinafter with reference to figures, wherein these figures are not intended to limit the scope of the invention.
An integrated installation in this case is taken to mean an installation for optionally alternating production of different end products from the same intermediates. That is to say, differing end products can be produced at different time points from the same intermediates, for example carbon dioxide, nitrogen, hydrogen and optionally oxygen. In certain initial forms, in such integrated installations, an integrated process having at least three energy raw materials takes place. In certain embodiments, an integrated installation does not comprise a refinery.
An integrated installation according to the invention has a combined air separation unit and carbon dioxide separation unit 1 and an electrolysis unit 2.
In addition, in certain embodiments in the case of the integrated installation according to the invention, a unit 3 for producing renewable energy can be provided, which unit provides, at least in part, energy for operating the combined air separation unit and carbon dioxide separation unit 1 and/or the electrolysis unit 2. In certain embodiments, the unit 3 for producing renewable energy is integrated into the integrated installation according to the invention or dedicated to the integrated installation. Dedicated in this case means that the energy produced in the unit 3 for producing renewable energy is principally, for example more than 50%, optionally more than 75%, further optionally more than 90%, and preferably completely, apart from losses, for example in transmission, fed into the integrated installation according to the invention. The feed in this case can proceed, for example, via one or more cables. An integration of the unit 3 for producing renewable energy into the integrated installation can proceed, for example, by connection to a further installation section of the integrated installation, for example the combined air separation unit and carbon dioxide separation unit 1 and/or the electrolysis unit 2.
In the case of a connection of the unit 3 for producing renewable energy, in the context of a dedication, in this case, in addition an advantage can result in that only the cable for connecting the unit 3 for producing renewable energy to the further installation sections, for example the combined air separation unit and carbon dioxide separation unit 1 and/or the electrolysis unit 2, transports the fluctuating energy, for example fluctuating power from the renewable energy, without this fluctuating energy being fed into the general energy grid, for example the power grid, or an additional buffer unit being required therefor for trapping large fluctuations in the energy supply. Therefore, in such embodiments, the integrated installation according to the invention can act as a buffer for the fluctuating energy from the unit 3 for producing renewable energy. This can be the case in a similar manner also in the integration of a unit 3 for producing renewable energy into the integrated installation according to the invention, since here also the fluctuations in the production of renewable energy can be trapped by the installation sections and this fluctuating energy is therefore not delivered into the general energy grid. Therefore, here also, no buffer units are required.
The unit 3 for producing renewable energy or regenerative energy is not limited in the context of the invention, and one or more units 3 for producing renewable energy can be integrated into the integrated installation according to the invention or dedicated to the integrated installation. Examples of units 3 for producing renewable energy comprise solar installations and solar cells or photovoltaic installations, solar thermal installations, thermal installations, hydropower plants, run-of-the-river power plants, wind power plants, geothermal installations, installations for producing bioenergy from biomass and tidal power plants. In the context of the invention, it is also conceivable that a plurality of identical or different units 3 for producing renewable energy are used. It is also conceivable that one or more units 3 for producing renewable energy supply the energy only to one unit of the integrated installation according to the invention, for example the combined air separation unit and carbon dioxide separation unit 1 and/or the electrolysis unit 2.
Preferably, the unit 3 for producing renewable energy, under full load, provides at least the energy E which is required for operating the combined air separation unit and carbon dioxide separation unit 3 and/or the electrolysis unit 2 at full capacity of the integrated installation with respect to the production of the products. In particular embodiments, the unit 3 for producing renewable energy, at full load, provides the energy E which is required for operating the combined air separation unit and carbon dioxide separation unit 3 and the electrolysis unit 2 at full capacity of the integrated installation with respect to production of the products. This ensures that in the case of optimal energy production in the unit 3 for producing renewable energy, the combined air separation unit and carbon dioxide separation unit 1 and/or the electrolysis unit 2 do not require further energy from external energy sources, that is energy sources not belonging to the integrated installation according to the invention. In certain embodiments, however, energy from external sources can also be fed to the integrated installation according to the invention, at least in part, for example at less than 75%, preferably less than 50%, and further preferably less than 25%. Preferably, such an energy can be from external energy sources which are not based on fossil fuels, and particularly preferably it can originate from external energy sources which are based on regenerative energy.
Furthermore, the unit 3 for producing renewable energy can also supply energy E to other installation sections of the integrated installation according to the invention, for example for use in pumps and/or compressors, or for use in reactors in product production, or for operating electrical heaters in the process, or trace heating for heating pipelines, for producing light and heat in buildings, for operating other electrochemical reactions.
The combined air separation unit and carbon dioxide separation unit 1 can be used for providing carbon dioxide CO2 and/or for providing nitrogen N2 (gaseous nitrogen, GAN) for the synthesis of chemical products, for example also ammonia NH3. In this case, the type of the combined air separation unit and carbon dioxide separation unit 1 is in no way restricted as long as air separation and separation of carbon dioxide are permitted in the installation. Combined air separation and carbon dioxide separation units, however, generally require a large amount of energy in order to separate nitrogen, carbon dioxide and oxygen, and also the further components of the air by compression and subsequent cooling, in order that these components of the integrated installation can be available. For this reason, in certain embodiments, it can be advantageous to provide a part of the energy required or all of the energy required of the combined air separation unit and carbon dioxide separation unit 1 by the unit 3 for producing renewable energy, in order thereby to decrease or minimize and optionally reduce to zero the demand for this energy from other sources.
The carbon dioxide separation in the combined air separation unit and carbon dioxide separation unit 1 is not particularly restricted and can proceed, for example, in a usual manner via adsorption and stripping in the combined air separation unit and carbon dioxide separation unit 1. Also, the separation of the carbon dioxide can proceed, for example, via carbon dioxide absorbers from which the carbon dioxide can then be desorbed again later. Examples of methods and devices for carbon dioxide separation are also known from carbon dioxide removal in IGCC installations. For example, carbon dioxide can be removed, for instance, by a Rectisol method using methanol at about −40° C., a Selexol method using polyglycol ethers at approximately 4° C., scrubbing with a potassium carbonate solution, a pressurized water scrubbing, or a lithium scrubbing, reversible binding to carbon dioxide-storing substances such as lithium silicate, etc.
The carbon dioxide can be obtained in the combined air separation unit and carbon dioxide separation unit 1 from the ambient air or from exhaust gases of combustion products or other carbon dioxide-containing gas mixtures. Ambient air in this case is the air in the direct surroundings of the combined air separation unit and carbon dioxide separation unit 1, for example the air in the atmosphere at the site of the integrated installation according to the invention.
In certain embodiments, air or an exhaust gas having a carbon dioxide concentration of greater than or equal to the concentration of the carbon dioxide in the atmosphere, preferably greater than or equal to 390 ppm and having a carbon dioxide concentration of not greater than 15% by volume, preferably less than 12% by volume, for example less than 11% by volume or less than 10% by volume, and preferably ambient air, can be fed to the combined air separation unit and carbon dioxide separation unit (1).
Since the carbon dioxide from the combined air separation unit and carbon dioxide separation unit 1 is used for the production of chemical products, in certain embodiments, it is preferred that air having a higher proportion of carbon dioxide is introduced into the combined air separation unit and carbon dioxide separation unit 1, for example also from combustion processes of fossil fuels in power plants or from chemical processes in which carbon dioxide is formed as a byproduct. A higher proportion in this case is, for example, more than the carbon dioxide proportion in the air of the atmosphere, 390 ppm volume fraction (as of 2011), optionally more than 500 ppm, further optionally more than 700 ppm volume fraction, for example more than 0.1% by volume or more than 1% by volume.
The oxygen produced in the combined air separation unit and carbon dioxide separation unit 1 can, in certain embodiments, be used for producing energy, for example in combustion and/or oxidation processes, and/or for producing chemical products in the integrated installation according to the invention. In certain embodiments, it can also be stored in liquid oxygen stores. Likewise, the oxygen can be marketed as such as a product. In addition, the products that are further produced in the combined air separation unit and carbon dioxide separation unit 1, such as, for example, nitrogen and argon, which can be obtained in an air separation, can be obtained as such and optionally stored.
The air separation can proceed in certain embodiments in the combined air separation unit and carbon dioxide separation unit 1, for example by the Linde method, wherein after removal of oxygen and nitrogen, approximately 4% by volume of carbon dioxide remain in the air, and optionally after a further separation of argon, approximately 95% by volume or approximately 98% by weight carbon dioxide remain in the air, which then in certain embodiments can be separated in the combined air separation unit and carbon dioxide separation unit 1. However, it is also possible already to separate off the carbon dioxide before a separation of argon or nitrogen and/or oxygen or at another time point. An argon separation can, in certain embodiments, such as in a Linde method, be obtained, for example, in a separate argon column, in addition to the main rectification column, and the argon can then also be further purified.
Furthermore, the integrated installation according to the invention has an electrolysis unit 2 in which, for example from water, hydrogen H2 and oxygen O2 are produced. This electrolysis unit 2, in various embodiments, can also be operated with the unit 3 for producing renewable energy.
Also, the oxygen produced in the electrolysis unit 2 can, in certain embodiments, be used for producing energy, for example in combustion and/or oxidation processes, and/or for producing chemical products in the integrated installation according to the invention. In certain embodiments, it can also be stored in oxygen stores, for example after compression as liquid oxygen.
It is conceivable, for example in certain embodiments, that the oxygen from the combined air separation unit and carbon dioxide separation unit 1 and/or the electrolysis unit 2 is used for producing chemical products, for example in an oxidation, or a combustion, for example of fossil fuels or of hydrogen, for energy generation, for example in an IGCC installation, or coal power plants.
The hydrogen, H2, produced in the electrolysis unit 2 can be provided for producing hydrocarbons or further products from the carbon dioxide produced in the combined air separation unit and carbon dioxide separation unit 1, or can be obtained as product as CO2-neutral hydrogen.
In certain preferred embodiments, the electrolysis unit 2 can be started very rapidly, i.e., started up, for example within a period of up to 50 s, but also in the range of several minutes, for example 5 or 10 minutes, or 15 minutes, up to half an hour in certain cases, in order to be able to react rapidly to fluctuations in the energy supply from the unit 3 for producing renewable energy, as is possible, for example, using an electrolysis with proton-exchange membrane (PEM, or polymer electrolyte membrane), or the conventional alkaline atmospheric electrolysis or pressure electrolysis. For instance, such energy fluctuations occur, for example in the use of wind energy, in the unit 3 for producing renewable energy, as is conceivable, for instance, in the case of storms, but also sometimes first in the range of several minutes. In certain embodiments, however, electrolyses having a slower starting time such as, for example, in certain types of solid oxide electrolysis, are sufficient, for instance in the range of some minutes up to several hours. Such slower electrolysis units achieve in this case an increase in total output which can be taken up by the unit, but are not so suitable for trapping rapid fluctuations in the energy, and so in this case, the fluctuations from the unit 3 for producing renewable energy can firstly be trapped by the combined air separation unit and carbon dioxide separation unit 1.
In a rapid electrolysis which is controllable in the millisecond range, then, for example, the uptake of electrical energy from renewable sources and the associated production of oxygen and hydrogen in the electrolysis unit 2 can also be controlled in the millisecond range, which permits control of the input, for example into the product production.
In addition, the integrated installation can contain various stores for storing reagents, for example oxygen and/or hydrogen and/or nitrogen and/or carbon dioxide, and also further substances, such as, for example, cooling water, and also products, for example synthesis gas SG, carbon monoxide, carbon dioxide, synthetic natural gas, synthetic methane from methanization, various hydrocarbons, for example alkanes according to the Fischer-Tropsch synthesis or alkenes or alkynes, for example methane, ethane, propane, butane, aldehydes, for example from the oxo synthesis, ketones, carboxylic acids such as formic acid and acetic acid, ammonia, amine compounds, nitric acid, fuels T, alcohols such as, for example, methanol MeOH, ethanol, or else oxygen, nitrogen and/or argon, etc. from which in the combined air separation unit and carbon dioxide separation unit 1, and also optionally raw materials for the unit 3 for producing renewable energy, such as, for example, in biomass power plants. With the aid of these stores, it can then be possible to shut off individual parts of the integrated installation according to the invention without the integrated installation itself needing to be shut down. For instance, it is possible, for example, in the event of an excess of renewable energy from the unit 3 for producing renewable energy, to use this excess for producing hydrogen and oxygen in the electrolysis unit 2 in such a manner that then hydrogen and oxygen can be stored. Stored hydrogen can then also be provided for producing, for example, synthesis gas SG, if at a low energy from the unit 3 for producing renewable energy, less hydrogen is produced in the electrolysis unit 2. The type of the stores is not restricted, and usual stores, for example tanks for gases and/or liquids or else stores for solids, can be present. Also, a plurality of stores can be present for one reagent or one product, for example oxygen, nitrogen, hydrogen, carbon dioxide etc. Likewise, the stores, in particular gas stores, can have valves for storage of reagents and/or products.
The stores can therefore also serve for trapping the dynamic, for example owing to the fluctuating energy from the unit 3 for producing renewable energy, or the various stocks of reagents or the demand for products. For example, through an oxygen store, the supply with oxygen can be ensured when the renewable energy from the unit 3 for producing renewable energy is insufficient for operating the combined air separation unit and carbon dioxide separation unit 1 and/or the electrolysis unit 2, in such a manner that energy can then be used from a combustion or oxidation of fuels, for example also stored hydrogen or other fuels, with the oxygen for operating for example the combined air separation unit and carbon dioxide separation unit 1.
The various stores can be connected via various tubes, which are not restricted, for the transport of reagents and/or products to the various installation sections of the integration installation according to the invention, for example the combined air separation unit and carbon dioxide separation unit 1 and/or the electrolysis unit 2, which can also have various valves.
Likewise, the various installation sections of the integrated installation according to the invention are connected, where required, via various tubes, as is the case also in conventional integrated installations, for example also various reactors for product production to one another and/or to the combined air separation unit and carbon dioxide separation unit 1 and/or the electrolysis unit 2. It is also possible that in certain embodiments of the integrated installation according to the invention, in the unit 3 for producing renewable energy materials are produced, for example methane in biogas installations, which are introduced as reagents and/or products into the integrated installation according to the invention, for example into one or more stores, or else into other installation sections, for example when hydrogen is produced, into product production, via tubes.
In addition, an integrated installation according to the invention can additionally comprise all further components or installation sections which are used in conventional integrated installations, for example gas purification systems/gas purification units and/or heat recovery systems/heat recovery units. For example, impurities can be removed from the air by corresponding purification systems/purification units upstream and/or downstream of the combined air separation unit and carbon dioxide separation unit 1. The heat recovered in the heat recovery systems can be used, for example, in the reactors for producing the products.
The integrated installation according to the invention can require a relatively complex control of the installation in certain embodiments, for example also in connection with fluctuating energy supply from a unit 3 for producing renewable energy, but also the carbon dioxide supply from the combined air separation unit and carbon dioxide separation unit 1. Such a control of the integrated installation according to the invention can proceed, for example, via a control unit according to the invention. In particular, a control unit according to the invention controls the energy supply and/or the reagent streams and/or the product streams and/or optionally the reagent storage and/or the product storage within the integrated installation according to the invention. The control can, in certain embodiments in the control logic SL, be adjusted to the market demand for certain products, in that, for example, market models MM are integrated in the control software SSO and these are matched with the strategy ST of a trader/dealer TR, in order to control the installation in accordance with demand also. In addition, the control software SSO can have projections PR for the installation, which then likewise can have an influence on the installation control.
Such projections PR can also comprise projections on the availability of energy from the unit 3 for producing renewable energy, for example on the basis of wind data in the case of wind power plants, or on the basis of sunshine intensities in the case of solar power plants. In addition to the control software SSO, the controller of the integrated installation according to the invention can also have a control appliance which can be provided as a balancing controller AR, and ensures that the installation is operated within the component-specific and rule-specific limits in order to prevent defects and/or breakdowns in individual installation sections. Furthermore, the controller according to the invention, in certain embodiments, also has a control system SSY for the individual installation sections and their connections, valves, etc., which controller monitors and administrates the installation configuration AK, that is to say the units thereof. The control software SSO in this case can then send targets ZV to the control system SSY which then controls individual units of the integrated installation correspondingly via the unit controller ES, and the control system SSY can in addition communicate the current states IS of the respective units to the control software. In the control software SSO, then the individual units can then be compared also with respect to external circumstances, such as the availability of energy from the unit 3 for producing renewable energy, or the store states in individual reagent and/or product stores, which can have limiting effects, in such a manner that then adaptation of the controller to these circumstances can proceed.
In certain embodiments, the control unit according to the invention can control the energy supply of individual installation sections of the integrated installation, for example the combined air separation unit and carbon dioxide separation unit 1 and/or the electrolysis unit 2 and/or optionally also the unit 3 for producing renewable energy, for example for starting the unit 3 for producing renewable energy in cases in which it is necessary, and/or the reagent streams and/or the product streams to and/or from individual installation sections, for example the combined air separation unit and carbon dioxide separation unit 1 and/or the electrolysis unit 2 and/or the reactors for producing products and/or optionally also the unit 3 for producing renewable energy.
Using the integrated installation according to the invention, chemical products can be produced as stores for renewable energy. For example, carbon dioxide and nitrogen and optionally oxygen can be produced as raw materials/intermediates in the combined air separation unit and carbon dioxide separation unit 1 and hydrogen and optionally oxygen as raw materials/intermediates in the electrolysis unit 2 and converted to chemical products. In the method according to the invention, it is also possible that additionally carbon dioxide from external sources, for example from other combustion processes, or from external stores or from further chemical processes which produce carbon dioxide, is reacted with the raw materials/intermediates produced in the combined air separation unit and carbon dioxide separation unit 1 and/or the electrolysis unit 2 to form chemical products.
As reagents in the production of chemical products, also the products proceeding from the reaction of the raw materials/intermediates, which products can be reacted further, can be considered, such as, for example, carbon monoxide, ammonia or methane, which can be reacted further. Also, reagents from, for example, the unit 3 for producing renewable energy such as, for example, gas products from a biogas installation are conceivable.
In the method according to the invention, the raw materials/intermediates are converted in the integrated installation according to the invention into products, for example synthesis gas SG, carbon monoxide, carbon dioxide, synthetic natural gas, synthetic methane, various hydrocarbons, for example alkanes according to the Fischer-Tropsch synthesis, or alkenes or alkynes, in particular methane, ethane, propane, butane, aldehydes, for example from the oxo synthesis, ketones, carboxylic acids such as formic acid and acetic acid, ammonia, amine compounds, nitric acid, fuels T, alcohols such as, for example, methanol MeOH, ethanol etc. In certain embodiments, the products can be obtained using the energy from the unit 3 for producing renewable energy. The energy from the unit 3 for producing renewable energy can in this case be used, for example, for the combined air separation unit and carbon dioxide separation unit 1 and/or the electrolysis unit 2, depending on availability of the renewable energy, which can also be, for example, fluctuating, but, in certain embodiments, can also be available constantly. In certain embodiments, the energy from the unit 3 for producing renewable energy, however, can be fluctuating, in such a manner that the integrated installation according to the invention acts as a buffer for this fluctuating energy.
Owing to the use of renewable energy from the unit 3 for producing renewable energy in the production of products in the integrated installation according to the invention, products are obtained which are based, preferably completely, on this renewable energy, and therefore are considered to be “green”, i.e. CO2-neutral, products or energy, which is accompanied by an added value for the products and is also more environmentally friendly. For example, for green (CO2-neutral) methanol MeOH, prices up to 800 Euros/t can be obtained, that is to say an added value in the product. Likewise, when the renewable energy from the unit 3 for producing renewable energy is used in the combined air separation unit and carbon dioxide separation unit 1 and/or the electrolysis unit 2, CO2-neutral oxygen can be obtained. Also, in addition, from the electrolysis unit 2, when renewable energy from the unit 3 for producing renewable energy is used, CO2-neutral “green” hydrogen can be obtained which can be obtained as such as a product, or can be used in the production of other “green” chemical products in the integrated installation according to the invention, such as alkanes or synthetic natural gas, etc.
This therefore represents one route for converting renewable energy into valuable chemical products, that is to say what is termed a switching point between principally renewable electricity and chemical processes.
In contrast thereto, for example hydrogen in conventional IGCC installations is not CO2-neutral, since the energy for production thereof from water in the water gas shift reactor originates from the conventional IGCC installation. Also, the electrical energy for operating an air separation unit in conventional IGCC installations is obtained within the IGCC installation, in such a manner that the air separation unit in a conventional IGCC installation cannot be considered as CO2-neutral.
In the integrated installation according to the invention, therefore, the use of renewable energies, for example also in a large amount of more than 50%, preferably more than 75%, further preferably more than 90%, and in particular, in certain embodiments, completely, can take place, and also the production of potentially CO2-neutral products, preferably CO2-neutral products. This also results in novel application possibilities and business fields for the operators of integrated installations.
In addition to the buffer action of the integrated installation according to the invention with respect to fluctuating energy from the unit 3 for producing renewable energy, a buffer action with respect to reagents and/or products can also be achieved in the integrated installation according to the invention, in that, for example, depending on energy input, various installation sections of the integrated installation, such as, for example, the combined air separation unit and carbon dioxide separation unit 1 and/or the electrolysis unit 2, are reduced or not operated at all for a certain time, for example up to the renewed availability of more renewable energy or until the need for a reagent and/or product from one or more stores.
In addition, the storage action in the integrated installation according to the invention can also be considered to be that a raw material, such as carbon dioxide, is converted at least in part by renewable energy into a higher-value substance or a higher-value product having a higher calorific value, for example methane or methanol MeOH. These higher-value products can then be used for energy production, again with energy production in comparison to the original raw material, in such a manner that they can therefore be considered as higher-grade energy stores for the renewable energy used in the integrated installation according to the invention.
Nevertheless, in the integrated installation according to the invention, energy from external sources, for example a conventional combustion/gasification in power plants or nuclear power plants or other sources, can be used for operating the integrated installation when no renewable energy can be produced, for example in the case of still air in the use of wind power plants, or at night or in the case of a covered sky when solar power plants are used.
An integrated installation according to the invention can be operated in different phases, depending, for example, on the energy feed from the unit 3 for producing renewable energy and/or the presence of stores for storing reagents and/or products:
Depending on the stocks of reagents or products in stores, an integrated installation according to the invention can also be operated in other ways, and also adapted to the desires of clients, for example consumers of the chemical products that are produced.
Also with reference to these different phases, it can be recognized that the integrated installation according to the invention can become more complex, which requires a more complex controller with an improved control unit which also automatically ensures the installation control in certain embodiments. For the control, therefore, in certain embodiments, various sensors, for example for measuring the available renewable energy from the unit 3 for producing renewable energy and/or also the efficiencies in the various installation sections and/or the statuses of the stocks in the various stores and/or the mass transport streams are also required, which also can be determined by the control unit according to the invention and therefore also lead to an automatic adaptation of the integrated installation by the control unit on the basis of the data from the sensors. This can also proceed via the computer program product according to the invention for controlling the integrated installation.
With the integrated installation according to the invention, it is, in addition, also possible to react to further fluctuations, for example in the production of product, for instance of ammonia. For example it is also possible, in the absence of hydrogen, still to pass nitrogen from the combined air separation unit and carbon dioxide separation unit 1 into an installation for ammonia synthesis, since nitrogen does not damage a catalyst used for the synthesis of ammonia in such an installation, or to keep the catalytic reactor of the ammonia synthesis operationally ready without substantial cooling down without addition of hydrogen/nitrogen and without takeoff of ammonia.
In addition, the present invention comprises a computer program product, optionally a non-transitory computer program product, which is used in the control unit according to the invention for controlling the integrated installation according to the invention.
For example, the computer program product can comprise the control software SSO of the controller according to the invention. In this case, the controller, in certain embodiments, can be directed towards the market demand for certain products, in that, for example, market models MM are integrated in the control software SSO and these are compared with the strategy ST of a dealer TR by the computer program product, in order to control the installation according to demand also. In addition, the control software SSO can have projections PR for the installation which then likewise can act on the installation controller. Such projections PR can also comprise projections on the availability of energy from the unit 3 for producing renewable energy, for example on the basis of wind data in the case of wind power plants. In addition, the control software SSO can provide targets ZV for the entire installation or individual installation sections, and compare these with current states IS from the control system SSY and thereby coordinate the controller in the system.
In the control software SSO, in addition, comparison of the individual units, also with respect to external circumstances such as the availability of energy from the unit 3 for producing renewable energy or the store states in individual reagent and/or product stores can proceed, which can act in a limiting manner, and so then an adaptation of the controller to these circumstances can proceed.
In certain embodiments, the control software SSO can also communicate with a control appliance which can be provided as a balancing controller AR and ensures that the installation is operated within the component- and rule-specific limits, in order to avoid defects and/or breakdowns in individual installation sections. Such a balancing controller AR, in certain embodiments, can also be integrated into a computer program product according to the invention.
Hereinafter, the invention will be described on the basis of an exemplary integrated installation, as is shown in
In
In certain embodiments of such an installation, however, the energy supply for the combined air separation unit and carbon dioxide separation unit 1 and/or the electrolysis unit 2 can be provided in part or in whole from external energy sources.
In the controller of
The control software SSO then sends targets ZV to the control system SSY which then controls the respective unit controllers ES correspondingly, and also reports the current state IS to the control software SSO. In addition, the control system SSY also reports the installation configuration AK as configuration K.
Furthermore, the controller of
Using the integrated installation according to the invention, CO2-neutral “green” products can be obtained. In addition, the integrated installation according to the invention can serve as buffer with respect to fluctuating energy supply from a unit for producing renewable energy. Also, the integrated installation according to the invention can serve as buffer for reagents and/or chemical products in the integrated installation.
| Number | Date | Country | Kind |
|---|---|---|---|
| 102012216090.6 | Sep 2012 | DE | national |
| Filing Document | Filing Date | Country | Kind |
|---|---|---|---|
| PCT/EP2013/067613 | 8/26/2013 | WO | 00 |
