GAS STREAM PROCESSING

• US 20110100216A1
• Filed: 10/30/2009
• Published: 05/05/2011
• Est. Priority Date: 10/30/2009
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: General Electric Technology GmbH (GE Aerospace)
• Original Assignee: Alstom Technology Ltd. (Alstom SA)
• Inventors: KOZAK, Frederic Z., SHABDE, Vikram, PETIG, Arlyn V.
• Granted Patent: US 8,292,989 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 95/168
• CPC Class Codes: B01D 2252/102 Ammonia
• CPC Class Codes: B01D 2257/504 Carbon dioxide
• CPC Class Codes: B01D 2258/0283 Flue gases
• CPC Class Codes: B01D 53/1493 Selection of liquid materials for use as absorbents
• CPC Class Codes: B01D 53/62 Carbon oxides
• CPC Class Codes: B01D 53/96 Regeneration, reactivation or recycling of reactants
• CPC Class Codes: F23J 15/022 for removing solid particulate material from the gasflow
• CPC Class Codes: F23J 15/04 using washing fluids scrubbers for removing solids only F23J15/022
• CPC Class Codes: F23J 15/06 of coolers
• CPC Class Codes: F23J 2215/50 Carbon dioxide
• CPC Class Codes: F23J 2217/50 by cleaning fluids (washers or scrubbers)
• CPC Class Codes: F23J 2219/40 Sorption with wet devices, e.g. scrubbers
• 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
• CPC Class Codes: Y02E 20/32 Direct CO2 mitigation

Abstract

A power generation plant (112), a method, and a CO₂ capture system (122) for removing carbon dioxide (104) from a flue gas stream (106) are disclosed. As shown in FIG. 2, a CO₂ capture system (122), comprises an absorber vessel (202), a water wash vessel (210), and a stripper (214). The CO₂ capture system (122) can be configured to introduce both a lean ionic ammonia solution (204) from a regeneration system (124) and a flue gas stream (106) from a cooling system (120) and to provide a rich ionic ammonia solution (206) to a regeneration system (124), wherein the introduction of the lean ionic ammonia solution (204) to the flue gas stream (106) produces a flue gas substantially devoid CO₂ (224). The water wash vessel (210) can be configured to receive the flue gas substantially devoid CO₂ (224) and produce ammoniated water (212) by introducing water (218) to the flue gas substantially devoid CO₂ (224). The stripper (214) can be configured to receive the ammoniated water (212) and to remove ammonia (216) from the ammoniated water (212) thereby producing a cleaned flue gas stream (116), the stripper (214) being operable in at least partial vacuum conditions.

Claims

1. A CO₂ capture system (122) for removing carbon dioxide (104) from a flue gas stream (106), the CO₂ capture system (122) comprising:

an absorber vessel (202) configured to introduce both a lean ionic ammonia solution (204) from a regeneration system (124) and the flue gas stream (106) from a cooling system (120), wherein the lean ionic ammonia solution (204) interacts with the flue gas stream (106) to provide a rich ionic ammonia solution (206) to the regeneration system (124), wherein the introduction of the lean ionic ammonia solution (204) to the flue gas stream (106) further produces a flue gas substantially devoid of CO₂ (224);

a water wash vessel (210) configured to receive the flue gas substantially devoid of CO₂ (224) and produce ammoniated water (212) by introducing water (218) to the flue gas substantially devoid of CO₂ (224); and

a stripper (214) configured to receive the ammoniated water (212) and configured to remove ammonia (216) from the ammoniated water (212) thereby producing a cleaned flue gas stream (116), the stripper (214) being operable in at least partial vacuum conditions.

2. The CO₂ capture system (122) of claim 1, wherein the at least partial vacuum conditions include a pressure of less than about 10 psia.

3. The CO₂ capture system (122) of claim 1, wherein the at least partial vacuum conditions include a pressure of less than about 1 psia.

4. The CO₂ capture system (122) of claim 1, wherein heat for operating the stripper (214) is provided by a reject water stream from a power generation plant (112), the reject water stream having a temperature of about 90°

F.

5. The CO₂ capture system (122) of claim 1, wherein the lean ionic ammonia solution (204) includes a ratio of ammonia to CO₂ from about 2.3:

1 to about 3.5;

1.

6. The CO₂ capture system (122) of claim 1, wherein the rich ionic ammonia solution (206) includes a ratio of ammonia to CO₂ from about 1.5:

1 to about 1.9;

1.

7. The CO₂ capture system (122) of claim 1, further comprising the cooling system (120) configured to cool and provide the flue gas stream (106) to the CO₂ capture system (122) and configured to receive the cleaned flue gas stream (116) from the CO₂ capture system (122).

8. The CO₂ capture system (122) of claim 1, further comprising the regeneration system (124) configured to receive the rich ionic ammonia solution (206) from the CO₂ capture system (122) and provide the lean ionic ammonia solution (204) to the CO₂ capture system (122) while removing CO₂ (104).

9. The CO₂ capture system (122) of claim 1, wherein the CO₂ capture system (122) is part of a power generation plant (112).

10. The CO₂ capture system (122) of claim 9, wherein the power generation plant (112) further comprises a boiler system (110) having a combustion chamber (108).

11. The CO₂ capture system (122) of claim 1, wherein the lean ionic ammonia solution (204) is an aqueous solution further comprising water, ammonium ions, bicarbonate ions, carbonate ions, and carbamate ions.

12. The CO₂ capture system (122) of claim 1, further comprising a gas-liquid contacting device configured (205) to contact the lean ionic ammonia solution (204) with the flue gas stream (106).

13. The CO₂ capture system (122) of claim 12, wherein the gas-liquid contacting device (205) includes a first gas-liquid contacting device having a predetermined structure and a second gas-liquid contacting device having a random structure.

14. A power generation plant (112), comprising:

a CO₂ capture system (122) for removing carbon dioxide (104) from a flue gas stream (106), the CO₂ capture system (122) comprising;

an absorber vessel (202) configured to introduce a lean ionic ammonia solution (204) from a regeneration system (124) and the flue gas stream (106) from a cooling system (120), wherein the lean ionic ammonia solution (204) interacts with the flue gas stream (106) to provide a rich ionic ammonia solution (206) to the regeneration system (124), wherein the introduction of the lean ionic ammonia solution (204) to the flue gas stream (106) further produces a flue gas substantially devoid of CO₂ (224);

a water wash vessel (210) configured to receive the flue gas substantially devoid of CO₂ (224) and water (218) thereby producing ammoniated water (212); and

a stripper (214) configured to receive the ammoniated water (212) and remove ammonia (216) from the ammoniated water (212), thereby producing a cleaned flue gas stream (116), ammonia (216), and reclaimed water, the stripper (122) being operable in at least partial vacuum conditions;

the cooling system (120) configured to provide the flue gas stream (106) to the CO₂ capture system (122) after reducing the temperature of the flue gas stream (116) and configured to receive the cleaned flue gas stream (116) from the CO₂ capture system (122); and

the regeneration system (124) configured to receive the rich ionic ammonia solution (206) from the CO₂ capture system (122) and provide the lean ionic ammonia solution (204) to the CO₂ capture system (122); and

,

wherein the lean ionic ammonia solution (204) is an absorbent ionic ammonia solution, the absorbent ionic ammonia solution (204) being an aqueous solution comprising water, ammonium ions, bicarbonate ions, carbonate ions, and carbamate ions, and

wherein heat for operating the stripper (214) is provided by a reject water stream from a power generation plant (112), the reject water stream being provided at a temperature of about 90°

F.

15. The CO₂ capture system (122) of claim 14, wherein the lean ionic ammonia solution (204) includes a ratio of ammonia to CO₂ from about 2.3:

1 to about 3.5;

1 and the rich ionic ammonia solution (206) includes a ratio of ammonia to CO₂ from about 1.5;

1 to about 1.9;

1.

16. A method for removing carbon dioxide from flue gas streams, comprising:

interacting a lean ionic ammonia solution (204) from a regeneration system (124) and a flue gas stream (106) from a cooling system (120) in an absorber vessel (202);

providing a rich ionic ammonia solution (206) resulting from the interaction in the absorber vessel (202) to the regeneration system (124), wherein the introduction of the lean ionic ammonia solution (204) to the flue gas stream (106) in the absorber vessel further produces a flue gas substantially devoid CO₂ (224);

introducing the flue gas substantially devoid CO₂ (224) to water (218) in a water wash vessel (210) thereby producing ammoniated water (212);

providing ammoniated water (212) from the water wash vessel (210) to a stripper (122); and

removing ammonia (216) from the ammoniated water (212) in the stripper (122) thereby producing a cleaned flue gas stream (116), the stripper (122) being operable in at least partial vacuum conditions.

17. The method of claim 16, wherein the at least partial vacuum conditions include a pressure of less than about 10 psia.

18. The method of claim 16, wherein the at least partial vacuum conditions include a pressure of less than about 1 psia.

19. The method of claim 16, further comprising operating the stripper (214) with heat produced by a reject water stream from a power generation plant (112), the reject water stream having a temperature of about 90°

F.

20. The method of claim 16, wherein the lean ionic ammonia solution (204) includes a ratio of ammonia to CO₂ from about 2.3:

1 to about 3.5;

1 and the rich ionic ammonia solution (206) includes a ratio of ammonia to CO₂ from about 1.5;

1 to about 1.9;

1.