Carbon capture and storage using low-temperature post-combustion technologies

ABSTRACT

To reach the short-term targets of the carbon dioxide limit, measures such as carbon capture and storage are necessary. The objective of this paper is to assess some low-temperature post-combustion technologies for the capture of CO₂ from combustion gases. Two methods for the liquefaction and separation of CO₂ are discussed: The use of the low-temperature exergy of liquefied natural gas (LNG), while regasifying the LNG, and a refrigeration cycle with helium as the working fluid. Each of these methods is evaluated at three CO₂ concentrations: 30%, 13%, and 4%. The results showed that an increase in the concentration of CO₂ in the combustion gases causes a large increase in the overall exergetic efficiency and a large decrease in the cost of CO₂ capture and energy penalty of the capture process. In addition, these advantages can be seen when the liquefaction method is changed from helium refrigeration cycle to LNG regasification. For a 30% CO₂ concentration using LNG, the overall exergetic efficiency is 41.2%, and the cost of CO₂ capture is 45.5 $/tCO₂ with a CO₂ capture rate of 96.3%.

KEYWORDS:

• Carbon capture
• carbon storage
• post-combustion technology
• exergy analysis
• economic analysis

Additional information

Notes on contributors

Tala Rifka

Tala Rifka received a master’s degree in Process and Energy Engineering from the Technical University of Berlin in 2018, and a bachelor’s degree in Chemical Engineering from Texas A&M University at Qatar in 2015. Currently, she works as a Junior Consultant at ÖKOTEC Energiemanagement GmbH in Berlin, Germany in the field of energy efficiency.

Tatiana Morosuk

Tatiana Morosuk is since 2013 the Professor of Exergy-Based Methods for Refrigeration Systems at the Technische Universität Berlin, Germany. She studied refrigeration engineering in the Odessa State Academy of Refrigeration, Ukraine, and received her Diploma in 1990. She received her Ph.D. in 1994, Dr Habilitatus Degree and Professorship in 2001, all in Ukraine. Further development and applications of exergy-based methods to the improvement of the thermodynamic, economic, environmental performance of different power generation systems, refrigeration/cryogenic systems and energy-intensive chemical plants. She is the author or co-author of 7 books and more than 350 publications, and has 10 patents.

George Tsatsaronis

George Tsatsaronis has been since 1994 the Bewag Professor of Energy Engineering and Environmental Protection at the Technische Universität Berlin, Germany. He received his Diploma in Mechanical Engineering (NTU Athens, Greece), and MBA, PhD, and Dr Habilitatus Degree, all from the RWTH Aachen University, Germany. In the time period 1982-1994 he worked in the USA. His areas of interest include the design, development, analysis and optimization of energy conversion systems. He contributed significantly to the fundamentals and terminology of exergy-based methods. He has published more than 500 papers, received several international honors and awards, and has served as Chairman or Co-chairman of 20 international conferences.