CHILLED AMMONIA BASED CO2 CAPTURE SYSTEM WITH WATER WASH SYSTEM

• US 20100083831A1
• Filed: 09/09/2009
• Published: 04/08/2010
• Est. Priority Date: 10/02/2008
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: General Electric Technology GmbH (GE Aerospace)
• Original Assignee: Alstom Technology Ltd. (Alstom SA)
• Inventors: Jayaweera, Indira, Gal, Eli
• Granted Patent: US 7,846,240 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 95/232
• CPC Class Codes: B01D 2251/2062 Ammonia
• CPC Class Codes: B01D 2257/30 Sulfur compounds
• CPC Class Codes: B01D 2257/504 Carbon dioxide
• CPC Class Codes: B01D 2257/80 Water
• CPC Class Codes: B01D 2259/80 Employing electric, magnetic, electromagnetic or wave energy, or particle radiation
• CPC Class Codes: B01D 53/62 Carbon oxides
• CPC Class Codes: B01D 53/77 Liquid phase processes
• CPC Class Codes: Y02A 50/20 Air quality improvement or preservation, e.g. vehicle emission control or emission reduction by using catalytic converters
• CPC Class Codes: Y02C 20/40 of CO2

Abstract

A method and system for reducing an amount of ammonia in a flue gas stream. The system 100 includes: a wash vessel 180 for receiving an ammonia-containing flue gas stream 170, the wash vessel 180 including a first absorption stage 181a and a second absorption stage 181b, each of the first absorption stage 181a and the second absorption stage 181b having a mass transfer device 184; and a liquid 187 introduced to the wash vessel 180, the liquid 187 for absorbing ammonia from the ammonia-containing flue gas stream 170 thereby forming an ammonia-rich liquid 192 and a reduced ammonia containing flue gas stream 190 exiting the wash vessel 180.

Claims

1. A system for reducing an amount of ammonia in a flue gas stream, the system comprising:

a wash vessel for receiving an ammonia-containing flue gas stream, the wash vessel including a first absorption stage and a second absorption stage, each of the first absorption stage and the second absorption stage having a mass transfer device; and

a liquid introduced to the wash vessel, the liquid for absorbing ammonia from the ammonia-containing flue gas stream thereby forming an ammonia-rich liquid and a reduced ammonia containing flue gas stream exiting the wash vessel.

2. A system according to claim 1, wherein the mass transfer device in at least one of the first absorption stage or the second absorption stage is structural packing material.

3. A system according to claim 1, wherein the mass transfer device in at least one of the first absorption stage or the second absorption stage is random packing material.

4. A system according to claim 1, wherein the mass transfer device in the first absorption stage is random packing material and the mass transfer device in the second absorption stage is structural packing material.

5. A system according to claim 1, wherein each of the first absorption stage and the second absorption stage comprises:

a spray head system directing the liquid in a direction along a length of the wash vessel countercurrent to a direction of the ammonia-containing flue gas stream along the length of the wash vessel.

6. A system according to claim 1, further comprising a stripping column for receiving the ammonia-rich liquid and regenerating the ammonia-rich liquid to form the liquid for absorbing ammonia from the ammonia-containing flue gas.

7. A system according to claim 6, wherein the liquid is introduced to the wash vessel in the first absorption stage.

8. A system according to claim 7 wherein the liquid travels a length of the wash vessel from the first absorption stage to the second absorption stage.

9. A system for reducing an amount of ammonia in a flue gas stream, the system comprising:

an absorbing system having one or more absorbers to absorb carbon dioxide (CO₂) from a cooled flue gas stream having a temperature below ambient temperature, the absorbing system operates at a temperature between 0° and

20°

Celsius, wherein at least a portion of the CO₂ is absorbed by an ammoniated solution or slurry thereby producing an ammonia-containing flue gas stream; and

a wash vessel configured to receive at least a portion of the ammonia-containing flue gas stream, the wash vessel includes one or more absorption stages, each of the one or more absorption stages having a spray head system and a mass transfer device selected from random packing material, hydrophilic packing material, and structural packing,

wherein the spray head system directs a liquid in a direction countercurrent to a direction of the ammonia-containing flue gas stream, the liquid absorbing ammonia from the ammonia-containing flue gas stream and thereby forming an ammonia-rich liquid and a reduced-ammonia flue gas stream, whereby at least a portion of ammonia present in the ammonia-containing flue gas stream is removed from the ammonia-containing flue gas stream in the one or more absorption stages of the wash vessel.

10. A system according to claim 9, wherein the wash vessel comprises:

a first absorption stage having random packing material as the mass transfer device; and

a second absorption stage having structural packing as the mass transfer device,

wherein the fluid passes through the first absorption stage prior to passing to the second absorption stage.

11. A system according to claim 9 further comprising a stripping column for receiving the ammonia-rich liquid and regenerating the ammonia-rich liquid to form the liquid for absorbing ammonia from the ammonia-containing flue gas stream.

12. A method of reducing an amount of ammonia from a flue gas stream, the method comprising:

introducing a cooled flue gas stream having a temperature below ambient temperature to an absorbing system, wherein the absorbing system operates at a temperature between 0° and

20°

Celsius;

contacting the cooled flue gas stream in the absorbing system with an ammoniated slurry or solution, wherein the ammoniated slurry or solution removes carbon dioxide (CO₂) from the cooled flue gas stream thereby forming an ammonia-containing flue gas stream; and

introducing at least a portion of the ammonia-containing flue gas stream to a wash vessel, the wash vessel having one or more absorption stages to absorb ammonia from the ammonia-containing flue gas stream thereby reducing an amount of ammonia in a flue gas stream exiting the wash vessel.

13. A method according to claim 12, further comprising introducing a liquid to each of the one or more absorption stages of the wash vessel.

14. A method according to claim 13, further comprising contacting the liquid with the ammonia-containing flue gas stream, thereby absorbing the ammonia from the ammonia-containing flue gas stream and forming an ammonia-rich liquid and a reduced ammonia containing flue gas stream.

15. A method according to claim 14, further comprising introducing at least a portion of the ammonia-rich liquid to a stripping column.

16. A method according to claim 13 wherein the liquid is water.

17. A method according to claim 13, comprising introducing the liquid to each of the one or more absorption stages of the wash vessel through a spray head system, wherein the spray head system is positioned above a mass transfer device.

18. A method according to claim 17, further comprising passing the liquid through the mass transfer device, wherein the mass transfer device comprises a hydrophilic packing material.

19. A method according to claim 17, further comprising passing the liquid through the mass transfer device, wherein the mass transfer device comprises structural packing.

20. A method according to claim 17, further comprising passing the liquid through the mass transfer device, wherein the mass transfer device comprises random packing material.