Gas stream processing

• US 8,292,989 B2
• Filed: 10/30/2009
• Issued: 10/23/2012
• 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., Petig, Arlyn V., Shabde, Vikram
• Primary Examiner(s): Smith, Duane
• Assistant Examiner(s): Wu, Ives
• Application Number:
  US12/609,076
• Publication Number:
  US 20110100216A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,089 Days
• Field of Search: 951/91, 951/99, 952/07, 952/32, 952/36, 95159-160, 95168-169, 962/34, 962/42, 110/215
• US Class Current: 95/169
• 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 for removing carbon dioxide from a flue gas stream, the CO₂ capture system comprising:

an absorber vessel configured to introduce both a lean ionic ammonia solution from a regeneration system and the flue gas stream from a cooling system, wherein the lean ionic ammonia solution interacts with the flue gas stream to provide a rich ionic ammonia solution to the regeneration system, wherein the introduction of the lean ionic ammonia solution to the flue gas stream further produces a flue gas substantially devoid of CO₂;

a water wash vessel configured to receive the flue gas substantially devoid of CO₂ and produce ammoniated water by introducing water to the flue gas substantially devoid of CO₂; and

a stripper configured to receive the ammoniated water and configured to remove ammonia from the ammoniated water, the stripper being operable in at least partial vacuum conditions;

the cooling system configured to cool and provide the flue gas stream to the CO₂ capture system and configured to receive a cleaned flue gas stream from the CO₂ capture system

wherein the CO₂ capture system produces the cleaned flue gas stream.

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

3. The CO₂ capture system of claim 1, wherein the lean ionic ammonia solution includes a ratio of ammonia to CO₂ from about 2.3:

1 to about 3.5;

1.

4. The CO₂ capture system of claim 1, wherein the rich ionic ammonia solution includes a ratio of ammonia to CO₂ from about 1.5:

1 to about 1.9;

1.

5. The CO₂ capture system of claim 1, further comprising the regeneration system configured to receive the rich ionic ammonia solution from the CO₂ capture system and provide the lean ionic ammonia solution to the CO₂ capture system while removing CO₂.

6. The CO₂ capture system of claim 1, wherein the CO₂ capture system is part of a power generation plant.

7. The CO₂ capture system of claim 6, wherein the power generation plant further comprises a boiler system having a combustion chamber.

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

9. The CO₂ capture system of claim 1, further comprising a gas-liquid contacting device configured to contact the lean ionic ammonia solution with the flue gas stream.

10. The CO₂ capture system of claim 9, wherein the gas-liquid contacting device includes a first gas-liquid contacting device having a predetermined structure and a second gas-liquid contacting device having a random structure.

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

11. A power generation plant, comprising:

a CO₂ capture system for removing carbon dioxide from a flue gas stream, the CO₂ capture system comprising;

an absorber vessel configured to introduce a lean ionic ammonia solution from a regeneration system and the flue gas stream from a cooling system, wherein the lean ionic ammonia solution interacts with the flue gas stream to provide a rich ionic ammonia solution to the regeneration system, wherein the introduction of the lean ionic ammonia solution to the flue gas stream further produces a flue gas substantially devoid of CO₂;

a water wash vessel configured to receive the flue gas substantially devoid of CO₂ and water thereby producing ammoniated water; and

a stripper configured to receive the ammoniated water and remove ammonia from the ammoniated water, the stripper being operable in at least partial vacuum conditions;

wherein the CO₂ capture system produces a cleaned flue gas stream;

the cooling system configured to provide the flue gas stream to the CO₂ capture system after reducing the temperature of the flue gas stream and configured to receive the cleaned flue gas stream from the CO₂ capture system; and

the regeneration system configured to receive the rich ionic ammonia solution from the CO₂ capture system and provide the lean ionic ammonia solution to the CO₂ capture system; and

,

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

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

F.

12. The CO₂ capture system of claim 11, wherein the lean ionic ammonia solution includes a ratio of ammonia to CO₂ from about 2.3:

1 to about 3.5;

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

1 to about 1.9;

1.

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

interacting a lean ionic ammonia solution from a regeneration system and a flue gas stream from a cooling system in an absorber vessel;

providing a rich ionic ammonia solution resulting from the interaction in the absorber vessel to the regeneration system, wherein the introduction of the lean ionic ammonia solution to the flue gas stream in the absorber vessel further produces a flue gas substantially devoid CO₂;

introducing the flue gas substantially devoid CO₂ to water in a water wash vessel thereby producing ammoniated water;

providing ammoniated water from the water wash vessel to a stripper; and

removing ammonia from the ammoniated water in the stripper, the stripper operating in at least partial vacuum conditions;

the cooling system configured to provide the flue gas stream to the CO₂ capture system after reducing the temperature of the flue gas stream and configured to receive the cleaned flue gas stream from the CO₂ capture system; and

;

wherein the method produces a cleaned flue gas stream.

14. The method of claim 13, wherein the at least partial vacuum conditions include a pressure of less than about 1 psia.

15. The method of claim 13, wherein the lean ionic ammonia solution includes a ratio of ammonia to CO₂ from about 2.3:

1 to about 3.5;

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

1 to about 1.9;

1.

17. The method of claim 13, wherein the at least partial vacuum conditions include a pressure of less than about 10 psia.

18. A CO₂ capture system for removing carbon dioxide from a flue gas stream, the CO₂ capture system comprising:

an absorber vessel configured to introduce both a lean ionic ammonia solution from a regeneration system and the flue gas stream from a cooling system, wherein the lean ionic ammonia solution interacts with the flue gas stream to provide a rich ionic ammonia solution to the regeneration system, wherein the introduction of the lean ionic ammonia solution to the flue gas stream further produces a flue gas substantially devoid of CO₂;

a water wash vessel configured to receive the flue gas substantially devoid of CO₂ and produce ammoniated water by introducing water to the flue gas substantially devoid of CO₂; and

a stripper configured to receive the ammoniated water and configured to remove ammonia from the ammoniated water, the stripper being operable in at least partial vacuum and wherein heat is provided to the stripper by a reject water stream from a power generation plant;

the cooling system configured to cool and provide the flue gas stream to the CO₂ capture system and configured to receive a cleaned flue gas stream from the CO₂ capture system;

wherein the CO₂ capture system produces the cleaned flue gas stream.

19. The CO₂ capture system of claim 18, wherein the reject water stream from the power generation plant has a temperature of about 90°

F.

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

interacting a lean ionic ammonia solution from a regeneration system and a flue gas stream from a cooling system in an absorber vessel;

providing a rich ionic ammonia solution resulting from the interaction in the absorber vessel to the regeneration system, wherein the introduction of the lean ionic ammonia solution to the flue gas stream in the absorber vessel further produces a flue gas substantially devoid CO₂;

introducing the flue gas substantially devoid CO₂ to water in a water wash vessel thereby producing ammoniated water;

providing ammoniated water from the water wash vessel to a stripper; and

removing ammonia from the ammoniated water in the stripper, the stripper operating in at least partial vacuum conditions of less than about 10 psia;

the cooling system configured to provide the flue gas stream to the CO₂ capture system after reducing the temperature of the flue gas stream and configured to receive the cleaned flue gas stream from the CO₂ capture system; and

;

wherein the method produces a cleaned flue gas stream.

21. The method of claim 20, wherein the reject water stream has a temperature of about 90°

F.