Carbon Dioxide Emission Management in Power Generation. Prof. Lars O. Nord

PS polysulfone PSA pressure swing adsorption PTFE polytetrafluoroethylene PVDF polyvinylidene fluoride PTFE polytetrafluoroethylene, also known by the DuPont brand name Teflon RTI Research Triangle Institute RTIL room temperature ionic liquids SACS saline aquifer CO₂ storage programme, monitoring the sleipner CO₂ injection project SCOC semi-closed oxy-combustion SCR selective catalytic reactor (for the removal of NO and NO₂) SE sorption-enhanced SERP sorption-enhanced reaction process SEWGS sorption-enhanced water-gas shift SF supplementary firing SFGD seawater flue gas desulfurisation SMR steam methane reforming SNCR selective non-catalytic reduction SO₂ sulfur dioxide SOFC solid oxide fuel cell SPECC specific energy penalty SR steam reforming ST steam turbine STP standard conditions for gases; standard temperature (273.15 K or 0 °C) and pressure (10⁵ Pa) as defined by IUPAC (McNaught 1997) SUP super-heater TEA triethanolamine TEG triethylene glycol THAM tri(hydroxymethyl) aminomethane THF tetrahydrofuran ThOD theoretical oxygen demand TIT turbine inlet temperature TSA temperature swing adsorption TSIL task-specific ionic liquid US United States (refers to USA) USA United States of America VPSA vacuum pressure swing adsorption VSA vacuum swing adsorption WGS water-gas shift YSZ yttria-stabilised zirconia

Organisation and Use of Book

      The first chapter gives a general introduction on CO₂ emissions and CO₂ capture and storage (CCS). CCS also involves both CO₂ transport and storage, and although not the focus of the book, Chapter 2 gives an overview related to long-term storage of CO₂.

      Before covering thermal power plant technologies in Chapter 5, both the fuels used in the power plants, and CO₂ and its properties are covered in Chapters 3 and 4, respectively. Chapters 6 and 7 deal with fundamentals of gas separation and plant efficiencies, important topics related to CO₂ capture.

      The CO₂ capture methods are covered from Chapter 8 and onwards, both in terms of gas separation methods, Chapters 9–11, and capture processes integrated in power plants, Chapters 12–14, dealing with pre-combustion, post-combustion, and oxy-combustion capture methods. Absorption is the most commonly used method to separate CO₂ from gas mixtures. This method is discussed in separately in Chapter 9, while other methods, such as membranes and adsorption, are lumped together in Chapter 10.

      This text was designed to bridge the gap between the many disciplines involved in CO₂ capture and is fit for undergraduate students, graduate students, practicing process engineers, and others interested in an understanding and overview of CO₂ capture from thermal power plants in particular and of CCS in general. The research in the field is evolving and it is not the purpose of the book to cover all the latest developments and research within CCS. If this was the goal, the book would be outdated already at the time of publishing. For the latest in research, the reader is referred to review and research journal articles.

1 Introduction

      1.1 Greenhouse Effect

      The temperature in the Earth's atmosphere and at ground level is a result of a complex energy balance between incoming solar radiation energy and outgoing radiation energy from the Earth's surface and atmosphere. This balance varies naturally in daily and annual cycles. There are also variations with long-term cycles, such as the Milankovitch cycles, which are related to the Earth's orbital patterns (Milankovitch 1941). The heat balance is the basis for the temperatures that we have in the atmosphere and at ground level.

In general, the gases present in the atmosphere convert radiation energy into thermal energy – by absorption