Systems and methods for co2 capture

Abstract

The present disclosure relates to the separation of CO2 from a gas mixture. The CO2 may be removed by cooling the gas mixture such that the CO2 can be removed as a solid or liquid. In various embodiments the gas mixture from which the CO2 is removed may include exhaust gases generated as part of a combustion process, such as may be employed in a power generation process, though the gas mixture may be any gas mixture that includes CO2.

Description

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION[0001]The subject matter disclosed herein relates to systems and methods for separating CO2 and / or other gaseous species from a gas mixture, such as a gas mixture resulting from a combustion process.[0002]Power generating processes that are based on combustion of carbon containing fuel produce carbon dioxide (CO2) as a byproduct. Typically the CO2 is one component of a mixture of gases that result from or pass unchanged through the combustion process. It may be desirable to capture or otherwise remove the CO2 and / or other components of this gas mixture to prevent the release of these gases into the environment and / or to utilize these gases in the power generation process or in other processes.[0003]Unfortunately, CO2 capture (as well as the capture of other gaseous combustion byproducts) can be energy intensive as well as capital intensive. For example, amine processes used to capture CO2 may require installation of the capital equipment associated with th...

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Benefits of technology

[0004]With the foregoing background in mind, the present disclosure describes a cryogenic CO2 separation method that relies on the principle of cooling the gas mixtures to separate CO2 as liquid or solid and thus making it easier to separate from other gas mixtures.

Problems solved by technology

Unfortunately, CO2 capture (as well as the capture of other gaseous combustion byproducts) can be energy intensive as well as capital intensive.

For example, amine processes used to capture CO2 may require installation of the capital equipment associated with the amine system (which may result in an 80% increase in the cost of the system) and may be costly and energy intensive to operate.

In addition, such CO2 capture processes are typically associated with substantial water usage (i.e., a large water footprint).

As a result, these capture and removal processes may be expensive and / or infeasible to perform using existing technologies.

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