Carbon Dioxide Removal from Coal-Fired Power Plants


Book Description

1. 1. Greenhouse gas emissions and climate change . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3 1. 1. 1. Emissions and concentrations of greenhouse gases 3 1. 1. 2. Impact of increasing greenhouse gases concentration 4 1. 2. Options to reduce carbon dioxide emissions 5 1. 2. 1. Carbon dioxide removal 8 1. 3. Scope of the thesis 10 1. 4. Outline of the thesis. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 11 1. 4. 1. General evaluation method. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 12 1. 4. 2. Some notes . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 13 II. Simulation and optimization of carbon dioxide recovery from the flue gases of a coal-fired power plant using amines 14 Abstract 19 2. 1. Introduction . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 20 2. 2. The chemical absorption process. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 22 2. 2. 1. General process description. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 22 2. 2. 2. Types of absorbent 23 2. 2. 3. Effects of flue gas contaminants 24 2. 3. Simulation of the scrubber in ASPEN PLUS . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 25 2. 3. 1. ASPEN PLUS for flow sheet simulation 26 2. 3. 2. Simulation of the performance for the base-case design . . 26 the scrubber . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 29 2. 3. 3. Optimization of 2. 3. 4. Design and results 32 2. 3. 5. Discussion. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 34 2. 4. Integration of the scrubber in the power plant 35 2. 4. 1. Power loss caused by steam extraction 36 2. 4. 2. Power saved by avoiding preheating boiler feed water . . . 38 2. 4. 3. Power consumption by the carbon dioxide scrubber . . . . . 38 2. 4. 4. Power consumption for carbon dioxide compression . . . . . 38 2. 4. 5. Calculation of plant efficiency losses " . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 39 2. 5.




Climate Intervention


Book Description

The signals are everywhere that our planet is experiencing significant climate change. It is clear that we need to reduce the emissions of carbon dioxide and other greenhouse gases from our atmosphere if we want to avoid greatly increased risk of damage from climate change. Aggressively pursuing a program of emissions abatement or mitigation will show results over a timescale of many decades. How do we actively remove carbon dioxide from the atmosphere to make a bigger difference more quickly? As one of a two-book report, this volume of Climate Intervention discusses CDR, the carbon dioxide removal of greenhouse gas emissions from the atmosphere and sequestration of it in perpetuity. Climate Intervention: Carbon Dioxide Removal and Reliable Sequestration introduces possible CDR approaches and then discusses them in depth. Land management practices, such as low-till agriculture, reforestation and afforestation, ocean iron fertilization, and land-and-ocean-based accelerated weathering, could amplify the rates of processes that are already occurring as part of the natural carbon cycle. Other CDR approaches, such as bioenergy with carbon capture and sequestration, direct air capture and sequestration, and traditional carbon capture and sequestration, seek to capture CO2 from the atmosphere and dispose of it by pumping it underground at high pressure. This book looks at the pros and cons of these options and estimates possible rates of removal and total amounts that might be removed via these methods. With whatever portfolio of technologies the transition is achieved, eliminating the carbon dioxide emissions from the global energy and transportation systems will pose an enormous technical, economic, and social challenge that will likely take decades of concerted effort to achieve. Climate Intervention: Carbon Dioxide Removal and Reliable Sequestration will help to better understand the potential cost and performance of CDR strategies to inform debate and decision making as we work to stabilize and reduce atmospheric concentrations of carbon dioxide.




Negative Emissions Technologies and Reliable Sequestration


Book Description

To achieve goals for climate and economic growth, "negative emissions technologies" (NETs) that remove and sequester carbon dioxide from the air will need to play a significant role in mitigating climate change. Unlike carbon capture and storage technologies that remove carbon dioxide emissions directly from large point sources such as coal power plants, NETs remove carbon dioxide directly from the atmosphere or enhance natural carbon sinks. Storing the carbon dioxide from NETs has the same impact on the atmosphere and climate as simultaneously preventing an equal amount of carbon dioxide from being emitted. Recent analyses found that deploying NETs may be less expensive and less disruptive than reducing some emissions, such as a substantial portion of agricultural and land-use emissions and some transportation emissions. In 2015, the National Academies published Climate Intervention: Carbon Dioxide Removal and Reliable Sequestration, which described and initially assessed NETs and sequestration technologies. This report acknowledged the relative paucity of research on NETs and recommended development of a research agenda that covers all aspects of NETs from fundamental science to full-scale deployment. To address this need, Negative Emissions Technologies and Reliable Sequestration: A Research Agenda assesses the benefits, risks, and "sustainable scale potential" for NETs and sequestration. This report also defines the essential components of a research and development program, including its estimated costs and potential impact.




Coal-Fired Generation


Book Description

Coal-Fired Generation is a concise, up-to-date and readable guide providing an introduction to this traditional power generation technology. It includes detailed descriptions of coal fired generation systems, demystifies the coal fired technology functions in practice as well as exploring the economic and environmental risk factors. Engineers, managers, policymakers and those involved in planning and delivering energy resources will find this reference a valuable guide, to help establish a reliable power supply address social and economic objectives. - Focuses on the evolution of the traditional coal-fired generation - Evaluates the economic and environmental viability of the system with concise diagrams and accessible explanations




Climate and Energy: The Feasibility of Controlling CO2 Emissions


Book Description

Rapidly increasing concentrations of greenhouse gases in the atmosphere, emerging evidence of global warming and the threat of uncontrollable climate feedback mechan:i,sms are now triggering international action to reduce the emissions of greenhouse gases. In 1989 the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC), established by the United Nations Environment Pro gramme and the World Meteorological Organization, started preparations for an international convention on climate. This convention is to be followed by protocols (agreements) on the reduction of the emissions of greenhouse gases and other measures and implementation mechanisms to preserve the global climate. After the CFC's, CO is the next in line, as the sources 2 and abatement measures for CH and N 0 are as yet insuffi 4 2 ciently understood. However, the abatement of CO . is a far 2 reaching issue. It will require major changes wi thin the most important sectors of the economy: energy (production and use) and agriculture (deforestations and land use pat terns). Given this situation it is not so surprising that national governments are hesitant to take action. One reason is the remaining uncertainty regarding the rat,e and the extent of climate change. However, further analysis will show that the uncertainties will be outweighed by the increasing risks when measures to reduce the emission of greenhouse gases are delayed.




Absorption-Based Post-Combustion Capture of Carbon Dioxide


Book Description

Absorption-Based Post-Combustion Capture of Carbon Dioxide provides a comprehensive and authoritative review of the use of absorbents for post-combustion capture of carbon dioxide. As fossil fuel-based power generation technologies are likely to remain key in the future, at least in the short- and medium-term, carbon capture and storage will be a critical greenhouse gas reduction technique. Post-combustion capture involves the removal of carbon dioxide from flue gases after fuel combustion, meaning that carbon dioxide can then be compressed and cooled to form a safely transportable liquid that can be stored underground. - Provides researchers in academia and industry with an authoritative overview of the amine-based methods for carbon dioxide capture from flue gases and related processes - Editors and contributors are well known experts in the field - Presents the first book on this specific topic




Coal


Book Description

Coal will continue to provide a major portion of energy requirements in the United States for at least the next several decades. It is imperative that accurate information describing the amount, location, and quality of the coal resources and reserves be available to fulfill energy needs. It is also important that the United States extract its coal resources efficiently, safely, and in an environmentally responsible manner. A renewed focus on federal support for coal-related research, coordinated across agencies and with the active participation of the states and industrial sector, is a critical element for each of these requirements. Coal focuses on the research and development needs and priorities in the areas of coal resource and reserve assessments, coal mining and processing, transportation of coal and coal products, and coal utilization.




Struggling for Air


Book Description

Since the beginning of the Obama Administration, conservative politicians have railed against the President's "War on Coal." As evidence of this supposed siege, they point to a series of rules issued by the Environmental Protection Agency that aim to slash air pollution from the nation's power sector . Because coal produces far more pollution than any other major energy source, these rules are expected to further reduce its already shrinking share of the electricity market in favor of cleaner options like natural gas and solar power. But the EPA's policies are hardly the "unprecedented regulatory assault " that opponents make them out to be. Instead, they are merely the latest chapter in a multi-decade struggle to overcome a tragic flaw in our nation's most important environmental law. In 1970, Congress passed the Clean Air Act, which had the remarkably ambitious goal of eliminating essentially all air pollution that posed a threat to public health or welfare. But there was a problem: for some of the most common pollutants, Congress empowered the EPA to set emission limits only for newly constructed industrial facilities, most notably power plants. Existing plants, by contrast, would be largely exempt from direct federal regulation-a regulatory practice known as "grandfathering." What lawmakers didn't anticipate was that imposing costly requirements on new plants while giving existing ones a pass would simply encourage those old plants to stay in business much longer than originally planned. Since 1970, the core problems of U.S. environmental policy have flowed inexorably from the smokestacks of these coal-fired clunkers, which continue to pollute at far higher rates than their younger peers. In Struggling for Air, Richard L. Revesz and Jack Lienke chronicle the political compromises that gave rise to grandfathering, its deadly consequences, and the repeated attempts-by presidential administrations of both parties-to make things right.




Oxy-Fuel Combustion for Power Generation and Carbon Dioxide (CO2) Capture


Book Description

Oxy-fuel combustion is currently considered to be one of the major technologies for carbon dioxide (CO2) capture in power plants. The advantages of using oxygen (O2) instead of air for combustion include a CO2-enriched flue gas that is ready for sequestration following purification and low NOx emissions. This simple and elegant technology has attracted considerable attention since the late 1990s, rapidly developing from pilot-scale testing to industrial demonstration. Challenges remain, as O2 supply and CO2 capture create significant energy penalties that must be reduced through overall system optimisation and the development of new processes.Oxy-fuel combustion for power generation and carbon dioxide (CO2) capture comprehensively reviews the fundamental principles and development of oxy-fuel combustion in fossil-fuel fired utility boilers. Following a foreword by Professor János M. Beér, the book opens with an overview of oxy-fuel combustion technology and its role in a carbon-constrained environment. Part one introduces oxy-fuel combustion further, with a chapter comparing the economics of oxy-fuel vs. post-/pre-combustion CO2 capture, followed by chapters on plant operation, industrial scale demonstrations, and circulating fluidized bed combustion. Part two critically reviews oxy-fuel combustion fundamentals, such as ignition and flame stability, burner design, emissions and heat transfer characteristics, concluding with chapters on O2 production and CO2 compression and purification technologies. Finally, part three explores advanced concepts and developments, such as near-zero flue gas recycle and high-pressure systems, as well as chemical looping combustion and utilisation of gaseous fuel.With its distinguished editor and internationally renowned contributors, Oxy-fuel combustion for power generation and carbon dioxide (CO2) capture provides a rich resource for power plant designers, operators, and engineers, as well as academics and researchers in the field. - Comprehensively reviews the fundamental principles and development of oxy-fuel combustion in fossil-fuel fired utility boilers - Provides an overview of oxy-fuel combustion technology and its role in a carbon-constrained environment - Introduces oxy-fuel combustion comparing the economics of oxy-fuel vs. post-/pre-combustion CO2 capture




The Hydrogen Economy


Book Description

The announcement of a hydrogen fuel initiative in the President's 2003 State of the Union speech substantially increased interest in the potential for hydrogen to play a major role in the nation's long-term energy future. Prior to that event, DOE asked the National Research Council to examine key technical issues about the hydrogen economy to assist in the development of its hydrogen R&D program. Included in the assessment were the current state of technology; future cost estimates; CO2 emissions; distribution, storage, and end use considerations; and the DOE RD&D program. The report provides an assessment of hydrogen as a fuel in the nation's future energy economy and describes a number of important challenges that must be overcome if it is to make a major energy contribution. Topics covered include the hydrogen end-use technologies, transportation, hydrogen production technologies, and transition issues for hydrogen in vehicles.