Chilled ammonia based CO2 capture system with water wash system

• US 7,846,240 B2
• Filed: 09/09/2009
• Issued: 12/07/2010
• 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
• Primary Examiner(s): LAWRENCE JR, FRANK M
• Application Number:
  US12/556,043
• Publication Number:
  US 20100083831A1
• Time in Patent Office: 454 Days
• Field of Search: 951/56, 951/59, 951/69, 951/87, 951/99, 952/10, 952/11, 95223-225, 952/29, 952/32, 952/36, 423/220, 423/234, 423/235, 423/237, 423/238
• US Class Current: 95/159
• 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 method of reducing an amount of ammonia in a CO2 lean flue gas stream resulting from an ammonia-based CO2 capture system, the method comprising:

contacting a flue gas stream with an ammoniated slurry or solution within an absorption tower, 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 from the absorption tower to a wash vessel, the wash vessel having first and second 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, each of the first and second absorption stages including a mass transfer device and a liquid delivery path;

introducing a first liquid to the liquid delivery path of the first absorption stage such that the first liquid flows in a direction countercurrent to the ammonia-containing flue gas stream to contact the ammonia-containing flue gas stream and the mass transfer devices of the first and second absorption stages;

introducing a second liquid having a different ammonia content than the first liquid to the liquid delivery path of the second absorption stage such that the second liquid flows in a direction countercurrent to the ammonia-containing flue gas stream to contact the ammonia-containing flue gas stream and the mass transfer device of the second absorption stage, whereby the first and second liquids absorb ammonia from the ammonia-containing flue gas stream.

2. A method according to claim 1, wherein the second liquid has a higher ammonia content than the first liquid.

3. A method according to claim 2, further comprising:

collecting the first and second liquids in the wash vessel;

removing the collected first and second liquids from the wash vessel; and

providing at least a portion of the removed first and second liquids to the liquid delivery path of the second absorption stage as the second liquid.

4. A method according to claim 3, further comprising

providing a portion of the removed first and second liquids to a stripping column;

removing ammonia from the portion of the removed first and second liquids in the stripping column to produce the first liquid for introduction to the liquid delivery path of the first absorption stage.

5. A method according to claim 2 wherein the first liquid is water and the second liquid is water containing ammonia.

6. A method according to claim 1, wherein the liquid delivery path of each of the first and second absorption stages includes a spray head system positioned above the mass transfer device for introducing the liquid to the absorption stage.

7. A method according to claim 1, wherein the mass transfer device of at least one of the first and second absorption stages comprises a hydrophilic packing material.

8. A method according to claim 1, wherein the mass transfer device of at least one of the first and second absorption stages comprises structural packing.

9. A method according to claim 1, wherein the mass transfer device of at least one of the first and second absorption stages comprises random packing material.

10. A method according to claim 1, wherein the mass transfer device of the first absorption stage comprises a different packing material than the mass transfer device of the second absorption stage.

11. A method according to claim 10, wherein the mass transfer device of one of the first absorption stage and the second absorption stage comprises random packing material and the mass transfer device of the other of the first absorption stage and the second absorption stage comprises structural packing material.

12. A method according to claim 11, wherein the mass transfer device of the first absorption stage comprises random packing material and the mass transfer device of the second absorption stage comprises structural packing material.