The present subject matter relates generally to a system and method for carbon dioxide capture and, more particularly, to a high temperature system and method for capturing carbon dioxide from the shifted syngas used within a power plant.
As society becomes more conscious of the potential for global warming, attempts have been made to reduce the amount of carbon dioxide (CO2) emitted into the atmosphere. Specifically, in fossil fuel burning power plants, attempts have been made to capture CO2 at various points in time during the operating cycle of the various applications and systems forming the power plant. For example, various systems have been developed for Integrated Gasification Combined Cycle (IGCC) power plants that utilize liquid-based solvents to capture and remove CO2 from the synthesis gas (syngas) produced by the gasification process prior to such syngas being delivered to the power block for subsequent combustion. However, these conventional systems require that the pressure and temperature be reduced significantly to allow for CO2 captured by the liquid-based solvent to be released for disposal. For example, a refrigeration system is typically required to cool the syngas conditioning solvent to an appropriate temperature for CO2 capture, which necessitates large amounts of auxiliary power. As a result, a significant portion of the power generated by the power plant is used to operate the refrigeration system, thereby reducing the plant's overall power output and power conversion efficiency. Moreover, by requiring a reduction in the temperature and pressure of the syngas, power plants incorporating conventional CO2 capture systems often require temperature conditioning of the decarbonized fuel gas prior to it being supplied to the power block, thereby further reducing the overall efficiency of the power plant.
Accordingly, a system and method for capturing carbon dioxide within a power plant at high temperatures and/or pressures would be welcomed in the technology.
Aspects and advantages of the invention will be set forth in part in the following description, or may be obvious from the description, or may be learned through practice of the invention.
In one aspect, the present subject matter is directed to a system for capturing carbon dioxide from a shifted syngas. The system may generally include a solid sorbent configured to absorb carbon dioxide at a first temperature and release carbon dioxide at a second temperature. In addition, the system may include an absorption chamber configured to receive the shifted syngas at the first temperature and a regeneration chamber separate from the absorption chamber. The regeneration chamber may be maintained at the second temperature. The solid sorbent may be cycled between the absorption chamber and the regeneration chamber such that carbon dioxide from the shifted syngas is absorbed within the absorption chamber to produce a decarbonized fuel gas and released within the regeneration chamber to produce a carbon dioxide stream.
In another aspect, the present subject matter is directed to a power plant including a gasifier configured to produce a raw syngas and a shift reactor downstream of the gasifier. The shift reactor may be configured to convert the raw syngas into a shifted syngas including hydrogen and carbon dioxide. The power plant may also include a carbon dioxide capture system downstream of the shift reactor. The carbon dioxide capture system may generally include a solid sorbent configured to absorb carbon dioxide at a first temperature and release carbon dioxide at a second temperature. In addition, the carbon dioxide capture system may include an absorption chamber configured to receive the shifted syngas at the first temperature and a regeneration chamber separate from the absorption chamber. The regeneration chamber may be maintained at the second temperature. The solid sorbent may be cycled between the absorption chamber and the regeneration chamber such that carbon dioxide from the shifted syngas is absorbed within the absorption chamber to produce a decarbonized fuel gas and released within the regeneration chamber to produce a carbon dioxide stream.
In a further aspect, the present subject matter is directed to a method for capturing carbon dioxide from a shifted syngas. The method may generally include cycling a solid sorbent between an absorption chamber and a regeneration chamber, the solid sorbent being configured to absorb carbon dioxide at a first temperature and release carbon dioxide at a second temperature, supplying shifted syngas into the absorption chamber at the first temperature such that the solid sorbent absorbs carbon dioxide from the shifted syngas as the solid sorbent is cycled through the absorption chamber to produce a decarbonized fuel gas and heating the solid sorbent to the second temperature as the solid sorbent is cycled through the regeneration chamber such that the solid sorbent releases the carbon dioxide to produce a carbon dioxide stream.
These and other features, aspects and advantages of the present invention will become better understood with reference to the following description and appended claims. The accompanying drawings, which are incorporated in and constitute a part of this specification, illustrate embodiments of the invention and, together with the description, serve to explain the principles of the invention.
A full and enabling disclosure of the present invention, including the best mode thereof, directed to one of ordinary skill in the art, is set forth in the specification, which makes reference to the appended figures, in which:
Reference now will be made in detail to embodiments of the invention, one or more examples of which are illustrated in the drawings. Each example is provided by way of explanation of the invention, not limitation of the invention. In fact, it will be apparent to those skilled in the art that various modifications and variations can be made in the present invention without departing from the scope or spirit of the invention. For instance, features illustrated or described as part of one embodiment can be used with another embodiment to yield a still further embodiment. Thus, it is intended that the present invention covers such modifications and variations as come within the scope of the appended claims and their equivalents.
In general, the present subject matter is directed to a system and method for capturing carbon dioxide (CO2) from the shifted syngas used within a power plant. Specifically, in several embodiments, the CO2 capture system may include a solid sorbent configured to be cycled between separate absorption and regeneration chambers positioned downstream of the shift reactor(s) of the power plant. The solid sorbent may, for example, comprise a ceramic material or any other high temperature catalyst configured to absorb carbon dioxide from the shifted syngas at a first, relatively high temperature and release such carbon dioxide at a second, higher temperature. Such high temperature absorption and regeneration may generally allow for the CO2 to be captured without any loss of pressure within the power plant.
As will be apparent from the description provided below, the disclosed high temperature and high pressure CO2 capture system may significantly improve the overall efficiency of a power plant. Specifically, the system may be capable of producing a decarbonized fuel gas that does not require further temperature conditioning and/or pressurization. In addition, the CO2 capture system may be capable of operating without the need for expensive refrigeration systems.
Referring now to
The shifted syngas 20 may then be directed to the CO2 capture system in order to capture and remove the CO2 contained therein. As shown in
In general, the solid sorbent 22 used within the CO2 capture system 14 may comprise any suitable solid, regenerable material that is capable of absorbing and releasing CO2. However, in several embodiments, the solid sorbent 22 may be selected based on its ability to absorb and regenerate CO2 at high temperatures. For example, the solid sorbent 22 may comprise a ceramic material, such as lithium silicate, calcium oxide, magnesium oxide and/or the like, and/or any other suitable high temperature catalyst (including mixtures and/or combinations of high temperature catalysts) that is capable of absorbing and releasing CO2 at temperatures at or above about 800° F. Specifically, in one embodiment, the solid sorbent 22 may be configured to absorb CO2 at a first temperature ranging from about 800° F. to about 1300° F., such as from about 900° F. to about 1250° F. or from about 1050° F. to about 1250° F. and all other subranges therebetween, and release CO2 at a second temperature above 1300° F., such as at a temperature ranging from greater than 1300° F. to about 1500° F. or from about 1350° F. to about 1500° F. and all other subranges therebetween. In such an embodiment, the absorption chamber 24 may be configured to receive the shifted syngas 20 at the first temperature (e.g., within a temperature range of about 800° F. to about 1300° F.) to allow the sorbent 22 to absorb CO2 from the syngas 20 as it is transferred through the absorption chamber 24. Similarly, the regeneration chamber 26 may be maintained at the second temperature (e.g., at a temperature above 1300° F.) to allow the sorbent 22 to release the CO2 as it is transferred through the regeneration chamber 26.
It should be appreciated that the solid sorbent 22 may generally be formed into any suitable shape and/or object that allows it to capture CO2 from the shifted syngas 20. For example, in several embodiments, the solid sorbent 22 may be formed into relatively small balls or pellets in order to increase the exposed surface area of the sorbent 22, thereby increasing its effectiveness to capture CO2. However, in other embodiments, the solid sorbent 22 may be configured to have any other suitable form that allows it to effectively capture CO2 from the shifted syngas 20.
In addition, it should be appreciated that the solid sorbent 22 may be cycled between the absorption and regeneration chambers 24, 26 using any suitable means known in the art. For example, as shown in
It should be appreciated that, although the CO2 capture system 14 is shown in
Referring now to
The raw syngas 38 may then be directed into a syngas cooler 40 (e.g., any suitable heat exchanger) configured to reduce the temperature of the syngas 28. For example, the temperature of the syngas 38 exiting the gasifier 36 may often be around 2400° F. As a result, the syngas cooler 40 may be used to cool the syngas 38 to a suitable temperature for subsequent processing of the syngas 38 by the downstream components of the power plant 10. For example, in one embodiment, the syngas cooler 40 may be utilized to reduce the temperature of the raw syngas 38 to less than about 1250° F.
In addition, the power plant 10 may also include one or more cleaning devices 42 configured to remove one or more undesirable constituents of the raw syngas 38. For example, as shown in
Moreover, as shown in
In several embodiments, the shifted syngas 20 produced by the shift reactor(s) 44, 46 may then be directed to a syngas heater 48 (e.g., a regenerative heat exchanger) positioned upstream of the CO2 capture system 14. The syngas heater 48 may generally be configured to increase the temperature of the shifted syngas 20 to a suitable processing temperature for removing CO2 from the syngas 20. For example, as will be described below, in a particular embodiment of the present subject matter, the syngas heater 48 may be configured to heat the shifted syngas 20 to a temperature ranging from about 800° F. to about 1050° F.
Additionally, as shown in
Referring still to
Additionally, as indicated above, in several embodiments, the solid sorbent 22 may be configured to release the CO2 absorbed from the shifted syngas 20 at a second temperature exceeding 1300° F. Thus, in one embodiment, the power plant 10 may include a burner 54 (e.g., any suitable combustor) associated with the regeneration chamber 26 that is configured to heat the regeneration chamber 26 (and, thus, the solid sorbent 22) to a suitable temperature for releasing the absorbed CO2. For example, as shown in
As shown in
Additionally, as shown in
Moreover, in several embodiments, the decarbonized fuel gas 28 may also be directed through a fuel expander 56 positioned upstream of the power production system 18. As is generally understood, the fuel expander 56 may be utilized to reduce the pressure of the decarbonized fuel gas 28 to the level required by one or more components of the power production system 18 (e.g., a gas turbine). The energy captured from reducing the pressure of the decarbonized fuel gas 28 may then be utilized to drive a load (e.g., a generator or other suitable equipment).
Referring still to
Moreover, as shown in
In addition, the power plant 10 may also include an air separation unit 62. As is generally understood, the air separation unit 62 may be configured to receive compressed air from a compressor of the power production system 18 (or an auxiliary compressor) and divide such air into separate flows of oxygen and a gas by-product. The oxygen flow may then be directed to the gasifier 36 for use in producing raw syngas 38.
Referring now to
Additionally, as shown in
Moreover, as shown in
It should be appreciated that, as indicated above, the present subject matter is also directed to a method for capturing CO2 from shifted syngas 20. In one embodiment, the method may include cycling a solid sorbent 22 between an absorption chamber 24 and a regeneration chamber 26, wherein the solid sorbent 22 is configured to absorb CO2 at a first temperature and release CO2 at a second temperature. In addition, the method may include supplying shifted syngas 20 into the absorption chamber 24 at the first temperature such that the solid sorbent 22 absorbs CO2 from the shifted syngas 20 as the it is cycled through the absorption chamber 24 to produce a decarbonized fuel gas 28. The method may also include heating the solid sorbent 22 to the second temperature as the sorbent 22 is cycled through the regeneration chamber 24 such that it releases CO2 to produce a carbon dioxide stream 30.
This written description uses examples to disclose the invention, including the best mode, and also to enable any person skilled in the art to practice the invention, including making and using any devices or systems and performing any incorporated methods. The patentable scope of the invention is defined by the claims, and may include other examples that occur to those skilled in the art. Such other examples are intended to be within the scope of the claims if they include structural elements that do not differ from the literal language of the claims, or if they include equivalent structural elements with insubstantial differences from the literal languages of the claims.
This invention was made with Government support under Contract No. DE-FC26-05NY42643, awarded by the Department of Energy. The Government may have certain rights in this invention.