Air contactor

Abstract

In one aspect, an air contactor includes an air inlet, an air outlet, a fan assembly for generating an airflow, a heat exchanger operable to transfer heat between a process fluid and the airflow, and an air pollutant trapping system configured to selectively remove air pollutants from the airflow. The controller has fluid cooling and air contaminant trapping modes, wherein the controller controls the fan assembly to facilitate the heat exchanger to transfer heat between the process fluid and the airflow and the air contaminant trapping system to remove air contaminants from the airflow. The controller has a fluid cooling mode in which the controller controls the fan assembly to facilitate the heat exchanger to transfer heat between the process fluid and the airflow and the air contaminant trapping system to remove less air contaminants from the air.

Description

CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS

[0001] This application claims the benefit of U.S. Provisional Application No. 63 / 392,018, filed on July 25, 2022, the entire contents of which are incorporated herein by reference. Technical Field

[0002] The present disclosure relates to air contactors, and more particularly, to air contactors having contaminant capture media to remove one or more contaminants from air. Background Art

[0003] Some carbon capture systems utilize air contactors to remove air pollutants, such as CO2, from the air. Some of these air contactors have a packing and a carbon capture solution recirculation system that sprays a carbon capture solution onto the packing. The air contactor has a fan assembly for generating an air flow through the packing. The air contacts and chemically reacts with the carbon capture solution, causing the carbon in the air to transfer to the carbon capture solution as CO2, forming different molecules, such as K2CO3.

[0004] The fan assembly of these known air contactors is located downstream of the carbon capture media. In some applications, spraying the carbon capture solution onto the fill generates carbon capture solution droplets that may accumulate on the fan assembly. The carbon capture solution may include harsh chemicals that may impair the operation of the fan assembly over time. Summary of the invention

[0005] In one aspect, an air contactor is provided, comprising an air inlet, an air outlet, a fan assembly for generating an air flow from the air inlet to the air outlet, and a heat exchanger operable to transfer heat between a process fluid and the air flow. The air contactor has an air pollutant capture system, which is configured to selectively remove air pollutants in the air flow, and the air pollutant capture system has an air pollutant capture medium that matches the air pollutants to remove the air pollutants in the air flow. In one embodiment, the air pollutant capture medium is configured to remove gaseous air pollutants in the air flow. For example, the air pollutant capture medium can be a liquid solution or a solid material that is configured to chemically react with one or more air pollutants (e.g., CO2) in the air. In other embodiments, the air pollutant capture medium removes one or more air pollutants in the air by physical absorption or physical adsorption.

[0006] The air contactor also includes a controller operably connected to a fan assembly, a heat exchanger, and an air pollutant capture system. The controller has a process fluid cooling and air pollutant capture mode and a process fluid cooling mode. In the process fluid cooling and air pollutant capture mode, the controller is configured to control the fan assembly to promote the heat exchanger to transfer heat between the process fluid and the airflow, and control the air pollutant capture system to remove air pollutants in the airflow. In the fluid cooling mode, the controller is configured to control the fan assembly to promote the heat exchanger to transfer heat between the process fluid and the airflow, and control the air pollutant capture system to remove less air pollutants from the air than when the controller is in the fluid cooling and air pollutant capture mode. In this way, when the airflow travels between the air inlet and the air outlet, the air contactor can remove air pollutants in the airflow and transfer heat between the airflow and the process fluid. In addition, when no air pollutant capture is required, the controller can operate in the process fluid cooling mode, thereby saving one or more resources (such as water, electricity, gas used in solid adsorbent-based systems, etc.) for removing air pollutants in the airflow.

[0007] The present disclosure also provides an air contactor having a fan assembly operable to generate an airflow, an indirect heat exchanger configured to exchange heat between the airflow and a process fluid, and a liquid absorbent material configured to allow the airflow to travel through the liquid absorbent material. The air contactor includes a liquid distribution system, which includes an air pollutant capture solution supply device. The liquid distribution system is configured to provide an air pollutant capture solution from the air pollutant capture solution supply device to the liquid absorbent material.

[0008] The air contactor also includes a controller operably connected to the fan assembly and the liquid distribution assembly. The controller is configured to control the liquid distribution system to provide the air pollutant capture solution to the liquid absorbent material. The controller is configured to control the fan assembly so that air flows through the liquid absorbent material with the air pollutant capture solution so that the air pollutant capture solution removes air pollutants in the air flow and a portion of the water of the air pollutant capture solution evaporates. Thus, the air contactor utilizes the evaporation of water during the interaction between the air flow and the air pollutant capture solution to adiabatically cool the air flow, or increase the humidity of the air flow as required by a specific embodiment.

[0009] The present disclosure also provides an air contactor having an airflow generator operable to generate an airflow. The air contactor has an air pollutant capture system, which includes: an air pollutant capture device for transferring air pollutants from an airflow to a fluid; a fluid regeneration device configured to remove air pollutants from the fluid using heat from a heat source; and a thermal energy storage device operable to receive heat from the fluid or provide heat to the fluid regeneration device. The heat source can be an intermittent heat source, such as a heat source driven by solar energy or wind energy. The fluid can be an air pollutant capture fluid, such as a liquid carbon capture solution sprayed onto a filler of the air pollutant capture device. In another embodiment, the air contactor includes a solid adsorbent, and the fluid is a carrier gas (e.g., nitrogen or steam) for removing air pollutants from the solid adsorbent.

[0010] The air pollutant capture system has a regeneration and charging mode, wherein the fluid regeneration device receives heat from the heat source, the fluid regeneration device removes air pollutants from the fluid, and the thermal energy storage receives heat from the fluid. The air pollutant capture system also has a regeneration and discharge mode, wherein the fluid regeneration device receives heat from the thermal energy storage, and the fluid regeneration device removes air pollutants from the fluid. The air contactor also includes a controller operably connected to the air pollutant capture system, the controller being configured to operate the air pollutant capture system in the regeneration and discharge mode in response to determining that the air pollutant capture system in the regeneration and discharge mode meets the operating criteria. In this way, the air contactor can use the thermal energy storage to provide heat to the fluid regeneration device when, for example, the heat source cannot provide sufficient heat, such as at night when the heat source utilizes solar energy.

[0011] In another aspect of the present disclosure, an air contactor is provided, which includes a fan assembly for generating an air flow and an air pollutant capture system. The air pollutant capture system includes an air pollutant capture device for transferring air pollutants from an air flow to a fluid and a fluid regeneration device configured to remove air pollutants in the fluid. The air contactor also includes a mechanical heat generator, which includes at least one of a cooler and a heat pump, and the mechanical heat generator is configured to receive a process fluid at a first temperature from an industrial process (e.g., manufacturing, HVAC, energy production, data center), and receive a heat transfer fluid from the air pollutant capture system. The mechanical heat generator is operable to increase the temperature of the heat transfer fluid to a second temperature higher than the first temperature, and return the heat transfer fluid to the fluid regeneration device at a second temperature to promote the fluid regeneration device to remove air pollutants in the fluid. Since the mechanical heat generator provides a heat transfer fluid at a higher second temperature, the air contactor is still able to regenerate the fluid despite the process fluid having a first temperature that itself may not be sufficient to drive the regeneration process. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0012] Figure 1 is a perspective view of an air contactor train having a plurality of rows of air contactors for removing pollutants from the air;

[0013] Figure 2 Yes Figure 1 Schematic diagram of a carbon capture system with an air contactor train.

[0014] Figure 3 is a cross-sectional view of an air contactor;

[0015] Figure 4 yes Figure 3 End view of an air contactor.

[0016] Figure 5 yes Figure 3 Cross-sectional view of an air contactor group.

[0017] Figure 6 is a plan view of a carbon capture facility having trains of air contactors oriented to prevent exhaust from one train of air contactors from entering another train of air contactors;

[0018] Figure 7 is a flow chart of a liquid solvent-based carbon capture method;

[0019] Figure 8 and Fig. 9 is a schematic diagram of an air contactor based on a solid adsorbent;

[0020] Fig.10 and Fig.11 is a schematic diagram of an electrochemical carbon capture system;

[0021] Fig.12 yes Fig.10 and Fig.11 A perspective view of a portion of an electrochemical cell of an electrochemical carbon capture system;

[0022] Fig.13 is a schematic diagram of an air contactor having a carbon capture media upstream of an indirect heat exchanger;

[0023] Fig.14 is a schematic diagram of an air contactor having a make-up water supply to compensate for water evaporating from a carbon capture solution;

[0024] Fig.15 is a schematic diagram of an air contactor having louvers, carbon capture media, drift eliminator, and indirect heat exchanger;

[0025] Fig.16is a schematic diagram of an air contactor having a carbon capture media and a three-way valve, the three-way valve allowing the air contactor to utilize a carbon capture solution or water on the carbon capture media;

[0026] Fig.17A is a schematic diagram of an air contactor having a tubular membrane mass exchanger receiving a carbon capture solution from an enclosed sump;

[0027] Fig. 17B is Fig.17A an enlarged view of one of the tubular membranes shown in the dashed circle;

[0028] Fig.18 is a schematic diagram of an air contactor having a dehumidifier upstream of a carbon capture medium and an indirect heat exchanger;

[0029] Fig.19 is a schematic diagram of an air contactor having an indirect heat exchanger upstream of a carbon capture medium;

[0030] Fig. 20 is a schematic diagram of an air contactor having an adiabatic cooling pad, an indirect heat exchanger, and a carbon capture medium;

[0031] Fig.21 is a schematic diagram of an air contactor having a dehumidifier, an adiabatic cooling pad, an indirect heat exchanger, and a carbon capture pad;

[0032] Fig. 22 is a schematic diagram of an air contactor having an adiabatic cooling pad, a plate heat exchanger, and a carbon capture solution distribution system operable to distribute carbon capture solution onto the plate heat exchanger;

[0033] Fig.23 is a schematic diagram of an air contactor having a solid sorbent-based carbon capture media upstream of an indirect heat exchanger;

[0034] Fig.24 is a schematic diagram of an air contactor having an insulation pad and an indirect heat exchanger upstream of a fan assembly and a carbon capture system downstream of the fan assembly;

[0035] Fig.25 is a schematic diagram of an air contactor having an indirect evaporative heat exchanger above a carbon capture system of the air contactor;

[0036] Fig.26 is a schematic diagram of an air contactor having an indirect heat exchanger having a serpentine coil above a carbon capture system of the air contactor;

[0037] Fig. 27is a schematic diagram of an air contactor having a controller that operates the air contactor based at least in part on data from an air sensor, a carbon capture solution sensor, and a heat exchanger sensor;

[0038] Fig.28 is a schematic diagram of an air contactor having a controller in communication with a sump level sensor, the controller operating a makeup water valve in response to data from the sump level sensor;

[0039] Fig.29 is a schematic diagram of an air contactor having a controller that uses sensors to monitor parameters of the air contactor and to control a water and carbon capture solution distribution system of the air contactor;

[0040] Fig.30 is a schematic diagram of an air contactor having a controller that operates a make-up water valve of a carbon capture solution distribution system in response to a level of carbon capture solution in a sump of the air contactor dropping below a threshold value due to evaporation of water in the carbon capture solution;

[0041] Fig.31 is a schematic diagram of an air contactor having a solid carbon capture medium and a controller that operates a valve to release CO2 collected by the solid carbon capture medium;

[0042] Fig.32 is a schematic diagram of an air contactor having a heat pump cold component upstream of a CO2 capture device of the air contactor;

[0043] Fig.33 is a schematic diagram of an air contactor having an evaporator having a temperature below the dew point temperature of an inlet purge gas, and a supplemental control system for collecting condensed water from the evaporator and directing the collected water to an air contaminant capture solution regenerator of the air contactor;

[0044] Fig.34 is a schematic diagram of an air contactor having an air pollutant capture solution regenerator that receives process heat in lieu of or in addition to receiving heat from a condenser of the air contactor;

[0045] Fig.35 is a schematic diagram of an air contactor having an evaporator upstream of a CO2 capture device and a heat exchanger downstream of the CO2 capture device;

[0046] Fig.36 is a schematic diagram of an air contactor having an evaporator having a temperature below the dew point temperature of an inlet purge gas, the air contactor having a make-up control system for directing condensed water from the evaporator to an air contaminant capture solution regenerator;

[0047] Fig.37 is a schematic diagram of an air contactor having a controller operable to selectively release capture solution regeneration material from a storage tank to an endothermic regeneration process and provide heat to the process;

[0048] Fig.38 is a schematic diagram of a hyperbolic cooling tower with a CO2 capture device and a waste heat source that generates an air flow through the CO2 capture device due to a temperature buoyancy effect;

[0049] Fig.39 is a schematic diagram of an air contactor system with a thermal energy storage system for selectively providing heat to an endothermic regeneration process. Fig.39 shows the system in a charging mode, wherein the endothermic process is powered by a heat source and the thermal energy storage system is being charged;

[0050] Fig.40 is with Fig.39 A similar view showing the system in a mode in which one of the thermal energy storage systems is rejecting heat to an endothermic regeneration process while the other thermal energy storage system is fully charged;

[0051] Fig.41 is with Fig.39 A similar view shows the system in a mode in which Fig.40 The thermal energy storage system that was discharging in one is now charging, while the other thermal energy storage system is rejecting heat to the endothermic regeneration process;

[0052] Fig.42 is with Fig.39 A similar view shows the system in a mode in which the Fig.40 The endothermic regeneration process in the thermal energy storage system that discharges heat discharges heat again, except that another thermal energy storage system is now being charged;

[0053] Fig.43 is with Fig.39 A similar view showing the system in a mode where both thermal energy storage systems reject heat to the endothermic regeneration process;

[0054] Fig.44 is a schematic diagram of an air contactor system having an intermittent renewable heat source for providing heat to an endothermic regeneration process and a thermal energy storage for storing thermal energy during periods when the renewable heat source is unavailable;

[0055] Fig.45 is a schematic diagram of a building with a natural gas boiler and cooling tower;

[0056] Fig.46is a schematic diagram of a building having an air contactor for removing CO2 from ambient air, a natural gas boiler, and a carbon capture system for removing CO2 from flue gas of the natural gas boiler and CO2-rich exhaust gas of the air contactor;

[0057] Fig.47 is a schematic diagram of an air contactor having a heat exchanger for a carbon capture regeneration process external to the air path of the air contactor;

[0058] Fig.48 is a schematic diagram of an air contactor with a heat pump for transferring heat from a process fluid to a carbon capture regeneration process;

[0059] Fig.49 is a schematic diagram of an air contactor having a cooler for transferring heat from a process fluid to a carbon capture regeneration process;

[0060] Fig.50 is a schematic diagram of an air contactor having an air-cooled heat exchanger located downstream of a carbon capture medium and a heat pump for transferring heat from a process fluid to a carbon capture regeneration process;

[0061] Fig.51 is a schematic diagram of an air contactor having an air-cooled heat exchanger downstream of a carbon capture media and a chiller for transferring heat from a process fluid to a regeneration process;

[0062] Fig.52 is a schematic diagram of an air contactor having an air-cooled heat exchanger and an evaporator located downstream of the carbon capture medium, the evaporator being connected to a heat pump to provide heat to the carbon capture regeneration process;

[0063] Fig.53 is a schematic diagram of an air contactor having an air-cooled heat exchanger and an evaporator located downstream of the carbon capture media, the evaporator being connected to a chiller to provide heat to the carbon capture regeneration process;

[0064] Fig.54 is a schematic diagram of an air contactor having an open main louver and closed first and second intermediate louvers such that air flows through a dehumidifier, an air pollutant capture medium, and a heat exchanger of the air contactor;

[0065] Fig.55 is with Fig.54 A similar schematic diagram showing the main louver and the second intermediate louver closed and the first intermediate louver open so that air bypasses the dehumidifier;

[0066] Fig.56 is with Fig.54A similar schematic diagram showing the main louver and the first intermediate louver closed and the second intermediate louver open, allowing air to bypass the dehumidifier and capture media;

[0067] Fig.57 is with Fig.54 A similar schematic diagram showing the main louver and the second intermediate louver open and the first intermediate louver closed so that ambient air can be drawn directly into the heat exchanger;

[0068] Fig.58 is a schematic diagram of an asymmetric air contactor, one side of the air contactor being configured to provide air pollutant capture and the other side of the air contactor being configured to provide heat exchange; and

[0069] Fig.59 is a schematic diagram of an asymmetric air contactor having louvers for selectively controlling airflow through a dehumidification component, an air pollutant capture component, a heat exchange component, and a precooling component of the air contactor. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0070] refer to Figure 1 , an air contactor array 10 is provided having an array of air contactors 12 that draw air into the air contactors 12 in a direction 16. The air contactors 12 are configured to remove one or more air pollutants, such as CO2, methane, volatile organic compounds (VOCs), and / or volatile halogenated organic carbons (VOXs), from the air.

[0071] about Figure 2 , an air pollutant capture system 20 is provided, which includes an air contactor train 10 for removing one or more pollutants from air 22. In one example, the air pollutant capture system 20 is configured to remove CO2 from the air 22. The air contactor train 10 receives a carbon capture solution 24 with a low CO2 content and discharges a carbonate solution 28 with a high CO2 content due to the entrainment of CO2 into the carbonate solution 28. The carbon capture solution 24 may include, for example, KOH or NaOH. The carbonate solution 28 may include, for example, K2CO3.

[0072] The air pollutant capture system 20 includes a particle reactor 26 that receives a carbonate solution 28 and contains a chemical that reacts with the carbonate solution 28 to precipitate carbon in the carbonate solution 28 from the solution as a solid 29 (e.g., particles). For example, the particle reactor 26 can contain CaOH2. The CaOH2 in the particle reactor 26 reacts with the K2CO3 in the carbonate solution 28 to form liquid KOH and precipitate CaCO3 as a solid 29 (e.g., particles). The solids 29 precipitated in the particle reactor 26 are collected and provided to a calciner 31. The calciner 31 burns natural gas and oxygen 32. In one embodiment, the calciner 31 releases CO2 and forms CaO. The CO2 is released as an output 34, for example in the form of a gas.

[0073] The CaO is sent to a digester 40 and mixed with water to form CaOH. The system 20 may also include a steam turbine 36 and a cryogenic air separation unit 38, the steam turbine 36 using waste heat from the calciner 31 to generate electricity. The cryogenic air separation unit 38 produces high concentration oxygen under pressure to feed the calciner 31, such as 99% or higher purity O2 at 10 MPa. In this way, the system 20 produces pure CO2 34 from air passing through the air contactor train 10.

[0074] refer to Figure 3 , the air contactor 12 has a housing 50, an air inlet 54, and an air outlet 80. The air contactor 12 has an air flow generator, such as a fan assembly 56, which draws CO2-rich ambient air into the air inlet 54 in a direction 58. The fan assembly 56 has a fan 60 and a motor 62, and is generally located upstream of a CO2 capture system 64 of the air contactor 12. The CO2 capture system has a CO2 capture medium, such as a liquid carbon capture solution 27, distributed on a support, such as a filler 67. As another example, the support can be a liquid absorbent material, such as a pad.

[0075] The CO2 capture system 64 includes a carbon capture solution distribution system 66 for distributing the liquid carbon capture solution 27 onto the packing 67. The packing 67 is suspended or otherwise supported in the housing 50 between the gas inlet 54 and the gas outlet 80. The carbon capture solution distribution system 66 has one or more nozzles 70 for distributing the carbon capture solution 24 onto the packing 67.

[0076] The fan assembly 56 directs airflow in the direction 72 within the housing 50 and through the filler 67. The carbon capture solution 24 on the surface of the filler 67 chemically reacts with CO2 in the air to entrain the CO2 in the air into the collected carbon capture solution 24 (see below). Figure 7). Air flows through the filler 67 and exits the housing 50 via the outlet 80 in a direction 82. The air exiting the housing 50 via the outlet 80 is CO2-poor or depleted compared to the CO2-rich ambient air entering the air inlet 54. The air contactor 12 may include a drift eliminator 84 to collect carbon capture solution droplets in the air downstream of the filler 67. Because the carbon capture distribution system 66 is located downstream of the fan assembly 56, there is minimal risk that droplets of the carbon capture solution 24 contact the fan assembly 56. Thus, by preventing the carbon capture solution 24 from contacting the fan assembly 56, the useful life of the fan assembly 56 is increased, which improves the durability of the air contactor 12. In one embodiment, the diameter 90 of the fan 60 is 11 feet, the length 92 of the housing 50 is 25 feet 4 inches, the height 94 of the housing 50 is 13 feet, and the filler 67 includes a rectangular filler piece having a height 98 of 9 feet 4 inches and a length 100 of 13 feet 4 inches.

[0077] about Figure 4 , the fan 60 has four blades, but other blade configurations may be used. The air contactors 12 of the air contactor array 10 may each have their own motor 62 that drives the fan 60 of the air contactor 12, or may have a single motor that drives multiple fans 60. The width 102 of the air contactor 12 may be, for example, 14 feet.

[0078] about Figure 5 , the air contactor array 10 includes a plurality of air contactor groups 110 having a plurality of air contactors 12 assembled one on top of another. For example, air contactors 12A, 12B, 12C, 12D are shown stacked one on top of another. Figure 5 In an embodiment of the present invention, the air contactor group 110 includes a carbon capture solution supply 111 that provides carbon capture solution 24 to the carbon capture solution distribution system 66 of the air contactors 12A, 12B, 12C, 12D. The air contactors 12A, 12B, 12C, 12D have a bottom plate 68 with one or more openings that allow the carbon capture solution 24 to fall from the fill 67 of each air contactor 12 into the interior 52 of the air contactor 12 below. The carbon capture solution supply 111 has a main distribution header in the air contactor 12A and a gap distribution header in the air contactors 12B, 12C, 12D, the gap distribution header providing a lower flow rate than the main distribution header. The gap distribution header operates to provide supplemental carbon capture solution to compensate for leakage or drift losses, or operates to provide fresh carbon capture solution along the carbon capture solution flow through the group 110. In another embodiment, the carbon capture solution supply 111 provides carbon capture solution only to the air contactor 12A, and the carbon capture solution trickles down from air contactor to air contactor.

[0079] The air contactor group 111 has a basin 116 that collects the carbon capture solution 24 after it travels through the air contactors 12A-12D in a direction 118. The air contactor group 110 has a carbon capture solution return device 119 that provides the CO2-rich carbonate solution 28 to the particle reactor 26. In one embodiment, the air contactor group 111 has a plurality of basins 116 and a plurality of carbon capture solution return devices 119, such as a basin 116 and a carbon capture solution return device 119 for each air contactor 12A-12D.

[0080] refer to Figure 6 , a plan view of an example air contactor facility 150 is provided. The air contactor facility 150 has air contactor arrays 152, 154, 156, 158 similar to the air contactor array 10 described above. The air contactor arrays 152, 154, 156, 158 each have an air inlet 160 and an air outlet 162, which are oriented to limit the air inlet of one of the air contactor arrays 152, 154, 156, 158 to receive air from the air outlet 162 of the nearby air contactor array 152, 154, 156, 158. To this end, the air contactor facility 150 has an intermediate spacing 166 between the air inlets 160 of the nearby air contactor arrays 152, 154, 156, 158. Air can travel downward (enter Figure 6 ) and travels roughly horizontally along the ground 159 into the air inlet 160. The spacing 166 can be, for example, 160 feet. The air contactor facility 150 has a center spacing 170 between the air outlets 162 of the air contactor trains 154, 156. The center spacing 170 is located between the air outlets 162 and is, for example, 640 feet, which is greater than the middle spacing 166. The larger center spacing 170 keeps the air outlets 162 away from the air inlets 160 of the air contactor trains 154, 156. Keeping the air from the air outlet 162 away from the air inlet 160 ensures that CO2-rich air is drawn into the air inlet 160 and improves the efficiency of the carbon capture process.

[0081] refer to Figure 7, a liquid solution-based carbon capture method 200 is provided, which includes air 202 containing CO2 entering an air contactor 204 (e.g., the air contactor 12 discussed above). The air contactor 204 discharges air 206 having a lower CO2 content than the air 202. In the air contactor 204, the CO2 208 in the air contacts a carbon capture solution 210 (e.g., KOH), which is distributed on a support (e.g., a filler or absorbent pad). The CO2 in the air reacts with the carbon capture solution 210 to form water 212 and a carbonate solution 214, which is then removed from the air contactor 204. A portion of the water 212 and the water in the carbonate solution 214 may be lost due to evaporation. In one method, the carbonate solution 214 is a molar solution, that is, the carbonate solution 214 has one gram of K2CO3 dissolved in water to make one liter of carbonate solution 214. The carbonate solution 214 is provided to a particle reactor 216, such as the particle reactor 26 discussed above.

[0082] In the particle reactor 30, the carbonate solution 214 reacts with CA(OH) 2216 provided as particles to the particle reactor 216. The chemical reaction in the particle reactor 216 produces the carbon capture solution 210 and CaCO3 220. The CaCO3 is provided to the calciner 224, which receives heat 226 from, for example, a geothermal heat source or burning fuel (e.g., natural gas). The calciner 226 produces captured CO2 228 as a gas and quicklime or CaO 230 as a solid. In operation, the captured CO2 gas 228 is directed to a compressor to compress the CO2 and liquefy the CO2 for storage and transportation.

[0083] The CaO 230 is provided to a digester 232 which combines the CaO 230 with water to form slaked lime CA(OH)2 as a solid. The chemical reaction of the digester 232 is exothermic and releases heat 234 which can be captured. The captured heat 234 can be used to reduce the heat required for operation 226 or for another industrial process. Although the method 200 discussed uses a KOH carbon capture solution, other solutions may be used as desired for a particular application.

[0084] refer to Figure 8-9In another embodiment, one or more air contactors 12 utilize a solid adsorbent-based CO2 capture method 250. For example, the air contactor 252 has a first mode 254 and a second mode 256. In the first mode 254, ambient air 258 is drawn into the air inlet 260 (e.g., by a fan of the air contactor 252) and travels through the carbon capture media (e.g., a mass exchanger). The mass exchanger uses adsorption or absorption operation to remove pollutants, such as CO2, from the air. In one embodiment, the mass exchanger includes a filter 262. The air travels through the filter 262 and travels outward from the air contactor 252 via the outlet 264.

[0085] CO2 in the ambient air adheres to the filter 262, so that the CO2 content in the exhaust air 266 is reduced. Once the filter 262 reaches saturation, the air contactor 252 is reconfigured to the second mode 256, in which the air contactor 252 heats the filter 262 to a temperature of, for example, 100° C. The air contactor 252 has a CO2 capture system 268 to remove the captured CO2 from the filter 262. For example, the CO2 capture system 268 can include a vacuum device and a container 270 to collect the CO2 released from the filter 262.

[0086] refer to Figure 10-12 In another embodiment, one or more air contactors 12 utilize Fig.10 and Fig.11 Electrochemical CO2 capture method 300. Method 300 includes utilizing a carbon capture system 302, which includes a carbon capture medium (e.g., an electrochemical cell assembly 304) and a control system 306 having a power source 308. The electrochemical cell assembly 304 includes an inner electrode 309 and an outer electrode 307. The outer electrode 307 is coated with a poly-1,4-anthraquinone composite material and is operable to capture CO2 by carboxylation of quinone. The inner electrode 304 contains polyvinylferrocene and operates as an electron source or electron hole for quinone reduction and quinone oxidation. The inner electrode 304 is a driving force for the outer electrode 307 to collect CO2 from a gas stream or release CO2 into a gas stream.

[0087] Air traveling through air flow channel 310 in direction 312 will either lose CO 2 to outer electrode 307 or gain CO 2 from electrode 307 depending on the polarity of power source 308 applied to electrochemical cell assembly 304 .

[0088] For example, refer to Fig.10 , the control system 306 has a carbon capture configuration in which a negative polarity 320 is applied to the outer electrode 307 and a positive polarity 322 is applied to the inner electrode 308. In contrast, the control system 306 Fig.11304 is shown in a CO2 venting configuration, where the power supply 308 applies a negative polarity 326 to the inner electrode 309 and a positive polarity 328 to the outer electrode 307. Once the electrochemical cell assembly 304 has been saturated with CO2, the control system 306 will Fig.10 The carbon capture configuration is reconfigured to Fig.11 Carbon capture system 302 can be used in a batch process where air is provided to a sealed chamber containing electrochemical cell assembly 304, control system 306 is operated in a carbon capture configuration to capture CO2, CO2-free air is released, control system 306 is switched to a CO2 venting configuration, and a carrier gas is injected into the sealed chamber to flush CO2 from the chamber.

[0089] In another approach, the carbon capture system 302 can be used in a flow process where air flows through the electrochemical cell assembly 304 until the outer electrode 307 is saturated with CO2. The air flow over the outer electrode 307 is stopped, and then a carrier gas is directed over the outer electrode 307 when the control system 306 is in the carbon removal configuration to remove the CO2 from the outer electrode 307.

[0090] refer to Fig.13 , an air contactor system 350 is provided, which includes an air contactor 352 similar in many respects to the air contactor 12 discussed above. The air contactor system 350 includes a controller 354 integrated with or operably connected to the air contactor 352. The controller includes a memory 356 for storing non-transitory instructions, such as logic, programs, etc., for operating the air contactor 352. The controller 354 includes a processor 358 operably connected to the memory 356 and a communication circuit 360. As some examples, the processor 358 may include, for example, a microprocessor, a gate array, a system on a chip, and / or an application-specific integrated circuit. The communication circuit 360 is configured to communicate via one or more remote devices via a network 362. The one or more remote devices may include, for example, an HVAC system controller 366, a server computer 364, and / or one or more portable electronic devices (e.g., a smartphone 368). The communication circuit 360 can receive a carbon capture request from a remote device so that the air contactor system 350 operates the CO2 capture system 380 of the air contactor 352.

[0091] Air contactor 352 will be described as being configured to remove CO2 from air, although air contactor 352 can be configured to remove additional or alternative pollutants from air using appropriate capture media. The capture media can include, for example, a carbon capture solution distributed on a packing sheet, packing block, and / or mat. Alternative capture media can be used, such as a liquid solvent-based air pollutant capture system that utilizes a spray of fine capture solution droplets through which air is directed. Other capture media can be utilized, such as solid adsorbent-based or electrochemical-based air pollutant capture systems.

[0092] refer to Fig.13 , the air contactor 352 has an outer structure or housing 370, an air inlet 372, and an air outlet 374. CO2-enriched air enters the air inlet 372 in a direction 375, and CO2-depleted air leaves the air outlet 374 in a direction 377. The air contactor 352 has a fan assembly 355 for generating an air flow between the air inlet 372 and the air outlet 374. The fan assembly 355 includes a motor having a drive shaft and fan blades mounted to the drive shaft.

[0093] To remove CO2 from the air, the air contactor 352 has a CO2 capture system 380 including a carbon capture solution distribution system 382 having one or more outlets (e.g., nozzles 384) for distributing a carbon capture solution 391 onto a capture medium 390. In one embodiment, the capture medium 390 is a packing sheet, such as a rubber sheet or a plastic sheet.

[0094] The CO2-enriched air travels from the air inlet 372 in a direction 375 and contacts the carbon capture solution on the surface of the capture media 390. The carbon capture solution chemically reacts with the CO2 in the CO2-enriched air and entrains the CO2 into the carbon capture solution which generally travels downward along the capture media 390 due to gravity.

[0095] The CO2 capture system 380 includes a tank 392 that collects the carbon capture solution 391 from the capture medium 390, a sump 394, and a pump 396 for recycling the carbon capture solution 391 back to the nozzle 384. The sump 394 can be open or closed. In one embodiment, the CO2 capture system 380 can generally operate as a closed loop within the air contactor 352, where the carbon capture solution 391 travels from the sump 394 to the capture medium 390 and returns to the sump 394. As the carbon capture solution 391 continues to entrain CO2 from the air, the CO2 concentration in the carbon capture solution 391 increases over time. In another embodiment, the CO2 capture system 380 discharges the CO2-rich carbon capture solution 391 from the air contactor 352 for disposal.

[0096] In one embodiment, the air contactor 352 has a sensor 398 for detecting a variable (e.g., pH) indicative of the concentration of carbon in the carbon capture solution 391. When the parameter satisfies a concentration condition, such as exceeding a threshold concentration parameter, the controller 354 can open a valve 400 to direct the now CO2-enriched carbon capture solution 391 or carbonates from the sump 394 to a drain 402. The drain 402 directs the CO2-enriched carbon capture solution 391 to a tank, such as the particle reactor 26 discussed above. In another approach, the controller 354 can operate the valve 400 after a predetermined period of time, such as hours, days, or a period of time based on the duration of operation of the air contactor 352. Once the sump 394 has been partially or completely emptied, the controller 354 can operate the valve 404 to open the carbon capture solution supply 406 and provide fresh carbon capture solution 391 to the sump 394.

[0097] The air contactor 352 also includes a heat exchanger, such as an indirect heat exchanger 410. The indirect heat exchanger 410 has an inlet 412 for receiving a fluid (such as a process fluid or a refrigerant) and an outlet 414. The air flow passing through the outer surface of the dry heat exchanger 410 indirectly cools the fluid within the indirect heat exchanger 410.

[0098] In one embodiment, the capture medium 390 provides adiabatic cooling to air traveling through the capture medium 390 by evaporation of water in the carbon capture solution 391. The capture medium 390 may include a carbon capture solution 391 that permeates a liquid absorbent material while the liquid absorbent material allows air to travel through the material. For example, the capture medium 390 may include an adiabatic cooling pad. The adiabatic cooling provided by the carbon capture solution 391 on the capture medium 390 reduces the dry bulb temperature of the air before it reaches the indirect heat exchanger 410, which improves the efficiency of heat exchange between the air and the indirect heat exchanger 410.

[0099] The air contactors 12, 352 and other air contactors discussed herein are similar in many respects. The following discussion of the embodiments will focus on the differences between the various embodiments, although the structural and operational similarities between the embodiments will be apparent to the reader.

[0100] refer to Fig.14, the air contactor 450 includes a CO2 capture system 452, which includes a capture medium 454, a carbon capture solution distribution system 456, a sump 458, and a pump 459. The air contactor 450 has a discharge valve 460 for discharging carbon capture solution having a concentration above a predetermined threshold from the sump 458. The air contactor 450 also includes a carbon capture supply valve 462 for providing fresh carbon capture solution to the sump 458, and a make-up water valve 464 for providing make-up water 466 to the sump 458. The make-up water valve 464 can be opened to provide make-up water 466 to the sump 458 to compensate for the evaporation of water in the carbon capture solution 453. For example, when the CO2-rich air traveling in the direction 467 into the air contactor 450 contacts the carbon capture solution 453 sprayed on the capture medium 454, water may evaporate from the carbon capture solution 454. In one embodiment, the carbon capture solution can be purged and replaced with water so that the air contactor 450 can be operated in a water-only mode. The capture media 454 can include an adiabatic cooling pad, and the air contactor 450 can be operated as an adiabatic cooler or condenser in the water-only mode. In predetermined circumstances, such as due to an increase in required cooling capacity, insufficient capacity of the associated CO2 processing system to regenerate the carbon capture solution, and / or an associated CO2 utilization process (e.g., utilizing the captured CO2 to produce fuel) that does not currently require CO2, the air contactor 450 can be operated in a water-only mode.

[0101] about Fig.15 , an air contactor 500 is provided, which has a CO2 capture system 501, and the CO2 capture system 500 distributes a carbon capture solution 502 onto a carbon capture medium 504 of the CO2 capture system 501. The carbon capture solution 502 may be corrosive to metals. The air contactor 500 has a louver 506 upstream of an inlet 508 of the air contactor 500, and a drift eliminator 510 downstream of the capture medium 504. The drift eliminator 510 prevents droplets of carbon capture solution from migrating from the capture medium 504 and splashing onto a heat exchanger 512 of the air contactor 500. In one embodiment, the drift eliminator 510 is operably connected to a tank 514 of the CO2 capture system 501 to direct the collected carbon capture solution into the tank 514 so that the solution can be directed to a sump 516 of the CO2 capture system 500. In another embodiment, louvers may be used to direct the CO2 capture solution into the sump, such as a fill sheet having louvers.

[0102] refer to Fig.16, an air contactor 550 is provided that can be operated as a carbon capture device or a fluid cooler (e.g., a condenser) with a pre-cooling option. More specifically, the air contactor 550 has a liquid distribution system 552 that is operable to distribute a liquid 554 onto a capture medium 556. Depending on the operating mode of the air contactor 550, the liquid 554 can be an air pollutant capture solution or water.

[0103] In one embodiment, the capture medium 556 comprises a liquid absorbent material. The liquid 554 sprayed onto the capture medium 556 saturates the capture medium 556, while the excess liquid collects in the trough 558 to travel to the sump 562 via the return pipe 560. The sump 562 is Fig.16 562 is shown as having an open top, but in other embodiments, the sump 562 may be enclosed.

[0104] In one embodiment, the capture medium 556 allows air to travel through the saturated capture medium 556 to cool the air. For example, the capture medium 556 can include a pad, such as an insulating cooling pad. The pad can include, for example, cellulose fibers and / or coated poplar fibers for biocontrol and fire prevention. Alternatively or additionally, the pad can include a polymer (e.g., PVC), ceramic, and / or coated metal.

[0105] The air contactor 550 has a pump 564 for recycling liquid from the sump 562 back to the capture medium 556. The air contactor 550 has a heat exchanger, such as an indirect heat exchanger 566, which can be a dry heat exchanger. In another embodiment, the liquid distribution system 552 can be configured to distribute liquid to the indirect heat exchanger 566 when the air contactor 550 is operated in a wet mode.

[0106] The air contactor 550 has one or more valves operable to direct an air pollutant capture solution (e.g., a carbon capture solution) or water into the liquid distribution system 552. For example, the air contactor 550 may include a supply three-way valve 567 and a discharge three-way valve 568. The supply three-way valve 567 is operable to connect a supply line 569 for the sump 562 to a water supply 570 or a carbon capture solution supply 572. The discharge three-way valve 568 is operable to connect a discharge pipe 574 from the sump 562 to a drain pipe 576 or a CO2-rich carbon capture solution discharge pipe 578.

[0107] In response to the air contactor 550 being in the carbon capture mode, the supply three-way valve 567 can be opened to the carbon capture solution supply 572 to fill the sump 562. Once the carbon capture mode has ended, or during a recharging operation, the discharge three-way valve 568 can direct the CO2-rich carbon capture solution from the sump 562 to the CO2-rich carbon capture solution discharge pipe 578. If the carbon capture solution is discharged from the liquid distribution system 552 to recharge the system with fresh carbon capture solution, the supply three-way valve 567 is operated to direct the carbon capture solution from the carbon capture solution supply 572 to the sump 562. In another embodiment, the air contactor 550 is operated in a "once through" manner, wherein the carbon capture solution is directed into the air contactor 550, distributed onto the capture media 556, collected and directed out of the air contactor 550 for removing CO2 from the carbon capture solution. If the air contactor 550 is reconfigured from the carbon capture mode to the wet heat exchange mode, the air contactor 550 operates the supply three-way valve 567 to direct water from the water supply 570 to the sump 574 after the sump 574 has been emptied of the carbon capture solution. Thereafter, the liquid distribution system 552 distributes the water onto the capture medium 556. The water traveling through the capture medium 556 can directly cool the air upstream of the indirect heat exchanger 566, which improves the efficiency of the heat exchange between the air and the indirect heat exchanger 566. In one embodiment, the three-way valve 567 can be operated to provide water to replenish the water evaporated from the carbon capture solution. In another embodiment, the three-way valve 567 and the pump 564 can be operated to provide water for cleaning the capture medium 556.

[0108] The air contactor 550 may have a dry heat exchanger mode in which the pump 564 is not operated to distribute liquid onto the capture media 556. In the dry mode, the air contactor 550 utilizes air flow over the indirect heat exchanger 566 to remove heat from the fluid in the indirect heat exchanger 566.

[0109] about Fig.17A and Fig. 17B , an air contactor 600 is provided having a contained carbon capture solution, eliminating the risk of splashing and droplet migration from the carbon capture media, and reducing water loss in some embodiments. More specifically, the air contactor 600 has a liquid distribution system 602 that directs an air pollutant capture solution (e.g., a carbon capture solution) from a closed sump 604 to a membrane assembly (e.g., a tubular membrane assembly 608) via a pump 606. The tubular membrane heating assembly 608 includes an inlet header 610, an outlet header 612, and a tubular membrane 614, the tubular membrane 614 having a sleeve or interior 616 to direct the carbon capture solution from the inlet header 610 to the outlet header 612. In other embodiments, different membranes, such as flat sheets, may be used.

[0110] refer to Fig. 17B , the tubular membranes 614 each include an interior 616 and a sidewall 618 extending therearound. The sidewall 618 is made of one or more materials configured to be highly selective to the air pollutants to be captured. In one embodiment, the air pollutant to be captured is CO2, and for a given surface area and concentration gradient, the tubular membranes 614 have a high permeability to CO2.

[0111] The air contactor 600 has a fan assembly 615 that is operable to generate an air flow from an air inlet 617 of the air contactor 600, through the tubular membrane assembly 608, through the indirect heat exchanger 630, and to an air outlet 619 of the air contactor 600. As the air flows through the tubular membrane assembly 608, the air flow passes through the outer surface 622 of the tubular membrane 610. CO2 in the air permeates from the outer surface 622 of the tubular membrane 610 to the inner surface 624 through the sidewall 618. Once the CO2 reaches the interior 616 of the tubular membrane 610, the CO2 is absorbed into the carbon capture solution flowing in the interior 616. The CO2 in the air is thereby captured by the solution in the interior 616 of the tubular membrane 614.

[0112] The air contactor 600 has a heat exchanger 630 , which may be, for example, an indirect heat exchanger. The air contactor 600 includes a carbon capture solution supply valve 632 and a CO 2 -rich carbon capture solution discharge valve 634 .

[0113] In one embodiment, the air contactor 600 has a wet precooling mode, where water is provided to the tubular membrane 614 instead of the carbon capture solution. The material of the tubular membrane 614 can be selected to be permeable to CO2 and water vapor, so that water can be used in the tubular membrane 608 to precool the air to reach the heat exchanger 630, rather than the tubular membrane assembly 608 capturing CO2 from the air. The water vapor exhausted from the tubular membrane 614 can cool the air upstream of the heat exchanger 630 and improve the efficiency of the heat exchange between the air and the heat exchanger 630.

[0114] In another embodiment, the air contactor 600 has a vacuum instead of a carbon capture solution inside 616. The pump 606 can be a vacuum pump that collects CO2 that permeates through the sidewalls 618 of the tubular membrane 610. The sump 604 can be replaced with a storage unit that stores the captured CO2 until the CO2 is removed from the storage unit.

[0115] In yet another embodiment, the air contactor 600 can be provided with a solid adsorbent and a membrane (e.g., a sheet) associated with the solid adsorbent to selectively limit which components in the air can contact the solid adsorbent. For example, the air contactor 600 can have a membrane that is impermeable to water and permeable to CO2 to prevent water vapor in the air from contacting the solid adsorbent while allowing CO2 in the air to be absorbed or adsorbed by the solid adsorbent. In this way, the membrane can be used to improve the efficiency of the solid adsorbent.

[0116] refer to Fig.18 , an air contactor 700 is provided having a dehumidifier 702 upstream of an air pollutant capture system 704. The air pollutant capture system 704 includes a liquid distribution system 706 that distributes a liquid (e.g., a carbon capture solution 708) onto a capture medium 710. The air contactor 700 also includes a heat exchanger 711 located downstream of the capture medium 710. The dehumidifier 702 collects water 712, which can be used as makeup water to compensate for water evaporated from the carbon capture solution 708 during operation of the air contactor 700. Use of the collected water 712 can reduce the fresh water required to regenerate the carbon capture solution.

[0117] Dehumidifier 702 may include, for example, a vacuum-driven membrane heat exchanger and / or a mass exchanger. Other examples of dehumidifier 702 include liquid desiccant-driven membrane heat exchangers and mass exchangers. Other examples include finned tube heat exchangers, desiccant wheels, and / or subdew point cooling heat exchangers coated with desiccant materials. For some embodiments, dehumidifying the air upstream of capture medium 710 improves the efficiency of capture system 704. For example, removing moisture can improve the efficiency of solid adsorbents (e.g., zeolites). Dehumidifying the air reduces the water captured by the zeolite medium from the air, thereby increasing the ability of the zeolite medium to store CO2. The dehumidifier also provides water in situ at air contactor 700, which can be used as a source of fresh water for make-up water or another process. In another embodiment, the pollutant capture medium benefits from having a higher humidity, so the dehumidifier 702 can be omitted.

[0118] The air contactor 700 can have a wet precooler mode in which the air pollutant capture system 704 recirculates water instead of a carbon capture solution. The air pollutant capture system 704 sprays water onto the capture medium 710, thereby cooling the air before it reaches the heat exchanger 711 and improving the efficiency of the heat exchanger 711. The dehumidifier 702 removes moisture from the air, thereby reducing the wet bulb temperature of the air. The reduction in wet bulb temperature increases the amount of adiabatic precooling that can be achieved by the water-wetted capture medium 710 (which can be one or more pads). The water-wetted capture medium 710 can then reduce the dry bulb temperature of the air flowing through the capture medium 710. In another embodiment, dry cooling or sensible cooling can be used instead of the adiabatic cooling provided by the capture medium 710. Sensible cooling can be provided using a refrigerant (e.g., chilled water or ethylene glycol from a chiller). Sensible cooling can be provided by the evaporator of the refrigeration system.

[0119] If the capture media 710 includes an insulation pad and the air contactor 700 is operated in a water-only mode or a wet precooler mode, dehumidification of the air upstream of the capture media 710 will increase the efficiency of the adiabatic heat exchange at the insulation pad. Additionally, if the air contactor 700 is operated in a water-only mode and the insulation pad of the capture media 710 is lowering the dry bulb temperature, the efficiency of the heat exchanger 711 is increased by the dehumidification of the air upstream of the capture media 710.

[0120] refer to Fig.19 , an air contactor 750 is provided that is similar in many respects to air contactor 750. Air contactor 750 has a carbon capture solution distribution system 752 with a support such as pad 754 downstream of a heat exchanger 756. Heat exchanger 756 may include a dry heat exchanger and / or a wet indirect heat exchanger.

[0121] The heat exchanger 756 receives air from the inlet 758 of the air contactor 750, heats the air, and rejects heat 760 to the capture medium 754. Because the carbon capture solution distribution system 752 distributes the carbon capture solution 762 to the pad 754 downstream of the heat exchanger 756, the risk of carbon capture solution drifting from the carbon capture medium 754 to the heat exchanger 756 is reduced. In addition, the heat exchanger 756 heats the air before it reaches the pad 754, which can improve the efficiency of certain types of carbon capture solutions 762. For example, some adsorbents are known to be more effective at higher temperatures. The preheating of the air by the heat exchanger 756 reduces the relative humidity of the air, which may be beneficial for certain types of carbon capture solutions 762.

[0122] In another embodiment, heat exchanger 756 comprises a direct heat exchanger, such as a system that distributes process fluid to packing sheets. A direct heat exchanger can increase the humidity of the air upstream of pad 754, which can improve the efficiency of some types of carbon capture solutions 762. Humidifying the air upstream of pad 754 using evaporated water in the process fluid of the direct heat exchanger can promote the water-neutral carbon capture process.

[0123] refer to Fig. 20 , an air contactor 800 is provided, which can simultaneously use water to precool the air entering the air inlet 802, and use a carbon capture solution to remove CO2 from the air in the air contactor 800 before the air leaves the air outlet 804. More specifically, the air contactor 800 includes a carbon capture system 810, which has a carbon capture solution distribution system 812, a carbon capture medium 814, a carbon capture solution sump 816, and a pump 818. The air contactor 800 has valves 820, 822 for selectively allowing the carbon capture solution to enter the sump 816 from the carbon capture solution source 824 or to leave the sump 816 to the CO2-rich carbon capture solution discharge pipe 826.

[0124] The air contactor 800 has an indirect heat exchanger 830 upstream of the carbon capture media 814 and a precooler 832 upstream of the dry heat exchanger 830. The precooler 832 includes a water distribution system 834 that distributes water onto a liquid absorbent material 836. The liquid absorbent material 836 is configured to be saturated with water while allowing air to flow through the liquid absorbent material 836. The air traveling through the liquid absorbent material 836 becomes cooler and more humid before reaching the indirect heat exchanger 830, which improves the operating efficiency of the indirect heat exchanger 830. In another embodiment, the precooler 832 is a membrane heat exchanger, a dry heat exchanger having an internal fluid cooler than air, and / or a liquid desiccant dehumidifier.

[0125] The water distribution system 834 also includes a trough 838 for collecting water from the liquid absorbent material 836 and directing the water to a sump 840. In addition, a pump 842 is operable to recirculate water from the sump 840 to an outlet (e.g., a nozzle 844) of the water distribution system 834. The air contactor 800 also includes valves 850, 852 that are selectively operable to remove water from the sump 842 to a drain 854 and to supply water to the sump 840 from a water source 856.

[0126] refer to Fig.21, an air contactor 900 having a CO2 capture system 902 is provided, the CO2 capture system 902 including a carbon capture medium 904, an indirect heat exchanger 906, a precooling system 908, and a dehumidifier 910. The precooler 908 includes a water distribution system 912 having a pump 914 that circulates water from a sump 916 to a liquid absorbent material 918 of the precooler system 908. The water distribution system 912 includes an outlet, such as a nozzle 920 that sprays water onto the liquid absorbent material 918. The CO2 capture system 904 has a carbon capture solution distribution system 930 that includes one or more nozzles 932 for spraying a carbon capture solution onto the carbon capture medium 904, and a tank 934 for collecting the carbon capture solution from the carbon capture medium 904. The CO2 capture system 904 includes a carbon capture solution sump 936 and a pump 938 for circulating the carbon capture solution. The air contactor 900 includes a water discharge valve 940 , a water supply valve 942 , a carbon capture solution discharge valve 944 , and a carbon capture solution supply device 946 .

[0127] The air contactor 900 has a fan assembly 958 that moves air from an air inlet 950, through a dehumidifier 910, through a precooling system 908, through an indirect heat exchanger 906, through the carbon capture media 904, and out an air outlet 960 of the air contactor 900. The dehumidifier 910 provides dehumidified air 952 upstream of the precooler 908, the precooler 908 provides cooler and slightly more humid air 954 upstream of the indirect heat exchanger 906, and the indirect heat exchanger 906 reduces the humidity and provides heated air 956 upstream of the carbon capture media 904. The dehumidification and cooling of the air upstream of the indirect heat exchanger 906 increases the efficiency of the indirect heat exchanger 906. Another benefit of the air contactor 900 is that the air contactor 900 provides flexibility in providing optimally conditioned air to the indirect heat exchanger 906 and / or the CO2 capture process. The air contactor 900 also provides the flexibility to optimize water and energy usage for the heat rejection and / or CO2 capture process.

[0128] about Fig. 22 , an air contactor 1000 is provided, which has a CO2 capture system 1002 and a precooler 1004. The CO2 capture system 1002 has a carbon capture solution distribution system 1006, which includes one or more outlets (e.g., nozzles 1008) for distributing the carbon capture solution onto an indirect heat exchanger 1010. The nozzles 1008 are configured to cover the outer surface of the indirect heat exchanger 1010 with the carbon capture solution. The flow rate of the carbon capture solution can be adjusted to optimize the capture efficiency and minimize energy usage, such as pumping power and air side pressure drop.

[0129] The indirect heat exchanger 1010 may be a pillow-type indirect heat exchanger including an inlet 1014 for receiving a fluid and an outlet 1016 for the fluid. The indirect heat exchanger 1010 may be made of a material selected to withstand the carbon capture solution, such as galvanized steel, aluminum, stainless steel, platinum, polymeric materials, and / or ceramics as appropriate for a particular embodiment.

[0130] The air contactor 1000 includes a drift eliminator 1039 located between the indirect heat exchanger 1010 and the fan assembly 1041. The drift eliminator 1039 is configured to prevent the carbon capture solution from drifting to the fan assembly 1041.

[0131] The carbon capture solution distribution system 1002 includes a trough 1012 for collecting the carbon capture solution 1009 after it travels along the outer surface of the indirect heat exchanger 1010. The flow of air across the outer surface of the indirect heat exchanger 1010 with the carbon capture solution 1009 thereon indirectly cools the fluid inside the indirect heat exchanger 1010. In addition, as the carbon capture solution 1009 travels along the outer surface of the indirect heat exchanger 1010, some of the water in the carbon capture solution 1009 may evaporate. The evaporated water removes additional heat in the indirect heat exchanger 1010.

[0132] The carbon capture solution 1009 on the outer surface of the indirect heat exchanger 1010 is positioned to entrain CO2 into the carbon capture solution 1009 as air travels through the indirect heat exchanger 1010. The CO2 capture system 1002 includes a carbon capture solution sump 1020, a pump 1022, and valves 1024, 1026 to provide CO2-rich carbon capture solution to a discharge pipe 1028 or receive fresh carbon capture solution from a source 1030.

[0133] The precooler 1004 includes a water distribution system 1040 having one or more outlets (e.g., nozzles 1042) for distributing water 1044 onto a liquid absorbent material 1046. The water distribution system 1040 also includes a tank 1048 for collecting water from the liquid absorbent material 1046, a sump 1050, a water pump 1052, and valves 1054, 1056 for receiving water from a water supply 1058 or directing water from the sump 1050 to a drain 1060.

[0134] The air contactor 1000 can be operated in different operating modes. For example, the air contactor 1000 has a dry cooling mode in which air flows through the indirect heat exchanger 1010 and the pumps 1024, 1052 are turned off. The air contactor 1000 has a pure CO2 capture mode in which the pump 1024 operates to distribute the carbon capture solution onto the indirect heat exchanger 1010, but no fluid travels through the interior of the indirect heat exchanger 1010. The air contactor 1000 has an adiabatic cooling mode in which the pump 1024 is turned off, the pump 1052 is turned on to pump water to the liquid absorbent material 1046, and there is fluid traveling through the interior of the indirect heat exchanger 1010. The air contactor 1000 has a CO2 capture and fluid cooling mode in which the pump 1024 is turned on and the indirect heat exchanger 1010 has fluid traveling through the interior of the indirect heat exchanger 1010. The air contactor 1000 has a CO2 capture mode, a fluid cooling mode, and an adiabatic precooling mode, wherein the pumps 1024, 1052 are on and the indirect heat exchanger 1010 has fluid traveling through its interior.

[0135] In some embodiments, the precooler 1004 and the indirect heat exchanger 1010 may include, for example, a serpentine tube, a membrane heat exchanger, and / or a spray dry heat exchanger. In some embodiments, the air contactor 1000 may include a three-way valve to allow the CO2 capture system 1002 to switch between using a carbon capture solution and using water. In one embodiment, the component at reference numeral 1004 may be an air pollutant capture device, and the component at reference numeral 1002 may be a wet indirect heat exchanger and / or a direct heat exchanger (e.g., a packing).

[0136] refer to Fig.23, an air contactor 1100 is provided, which includes an air inlet 1102, an air outlet 1104, and a fan assembly 1106 for generating an air flow therebetween. The air contactor 1100 has a solid adsorbent-based carbon capture media system 1110. The solid adsorbent-based carbon capture media system 1110 may include, for example, amines, zeolites, and / or metal organic frameworks. In one embodiment, the carbon capture media system 1110 includes a carbon capture media, which includes a filter 1112, and the filter 1112 captures CO2 in the air traveling through the air contactor 1100. The solid adsorbent-based carbon capture media system 1110 includes a heat source 1114 for heating the filter 1112 to release CO2 from the filter 1112 once the filter 1112 has been saturated. The solid adsorbent-based carbon capture media system 1110 also includes a CO2 exhaust pipe 1116 for removing CO2 from the filter 1112. For example, the CO2 exhaust pipe 1116 may include a vacuum. In one embodiment, the gas inlet 1102 and the gas outlet 1104 may have features, such as shutters or removable panels, to close the gas inlet 1102 and the gas outlet 1104 during the removal of CO2 from the filter 1112. Other embodiments may utilize a vacuum-only method to remove CO2 from the filter. In addition, some embodiments may utilize heat and a carrier gas to flush the adsorbent material after releasing most of the CO2 using a heat and vacuum operation.

[0137] The air contactor 1100 includes a heat exchanger 1120 downstream of the filter 1112. Examples of solid adsorbent materials include alkaline earth oxides, amines, zeolites, and / or metal organic frameworks. In one embodiment, the air contactor 1100 may include an electrochemical CO2 capture media (see Figure 10-12 and related discussions) to replace or supplement the solid sorbent-based carbon capture media system 1110.

[0138] refer to Fig.24, an air contactor 1150 similar in many respects to the air contactor discussed above is provided. The air contactor 1150 has a precooler 1152, a heat exchanger 1154, and a carbon capture system 1156. The carbon capture system 1156 is located between the fan assembly 1158 and the air outlet 1160 of the air contactor 1150. The carbon capture system 1156 may include, for example, a solid adsorbent, a liquid solvent, and / or an electrochemical adsorbent-based method to remove CO2 from the air flowing through the air contactor 1150. The heat exchanger 1154 may include an indirect evaporative heat exchanger. The precooler 1152 includes a water distribution system 1162, a liquid absorbent material 1164, a sump 1166, a pump 1168, and valves 1170, 1172. The valves 1170, 1172 control the flow of water from the water supply 1174 and the flow of water to the drain pipe 1176. The carbon capture system 1156 is located downstream of the fan assembly 1158, which may be desirable for some embodiments as it is a way to protect the fan assembly 1158 while making the carbon capture system 1156 easy to maintain. In some cases, positioning the carbon capture system 1156 downstream of the fan assembly 1158 can reduce the risk of microbial contamination of the plume and ambient air. In one embodiment, the carbon capture system 1156 is configured to be retrofitted to an existing cooling tower, which allows the cooling tower to provide CO2 capture capabilities without increasing the footprint of the cooling tower. An air contactor utilizing the carbon capture system 1156 can have a forced draft configuration with a larger discharge area and a lower pressure drop across the air contactor. In some embodiments, the lower pressure drop and larger discharge area can achieve a more efficient carbon capture operation.

[0139] refer to Fig.25 , an air contactor 1200 is provided, which has an evaporative indirect heat exchanger system 1202 and a CO2 capture system 1204 that can be operated independently of each other. In addition, the indirect evaporative heat exchanger system 1202 can be operated in a dry mode or a wet mode regardless of whether the carbon capture system 1204 is operating. More specifically, the indirect evaporative heat exchanger system 1202 includes an indirect heat exchanger 1206 having an inlet header 1208 with an inlet 1210 to receive a fluid, a coil (e.g., one or more serpentines 1212), and an outlet header 1214 with a fluid outlet 1216.

[0140] The indirect evaporative heat exchanger 1202 includes a liquid distribution system 1220 having a nozzle 1226 for distributing evaporative liquid onto the serpentine tube 1212, a sump 1222 for collecting the evaporative liquid, and a pump 1224 for circulating the evaporative liquid back to the nozzle 1226 of the liquid distribution system 1220. The air contactor 1200 has a fan assembly 1250 that generates an air flow from an air inlet 1230, through the indirect heat exchanger 1206, through a drift eliminator 1232, and out of an air outlet 1234 of the air contactor 1200.

[0141] The air contactor 1200 includes another air inlet 1240 having a shutter 1242 that can be opened to allow air to enter the interior of the housing 1244 of the air contactor 1200 and travel through the carbon capture medium 1246 of the CO2 capture system 1204. The carbon capture medium 1246 can include, for example, a carbon capture solution dispensed on a packing sheet. When the CO2 capture system is not operating, the shutter 1242 is closed. With the shutter 1242 open, the fan assembly 1250 can generate an airflow from the air inlet 1240 through the carbon capture medium 1246 and to the air outlet 1234.

[0142] The CO2 capture system 1204 includes a carbon capture solution distribution system 1260 having one or more outlets (e.g., nozzles 1262) for directing the carbon capture solution onto the carbon capture media 1246. The CO2 capture system 1204 also includes a sump 1264 for collecting the carbon capture solution from the carbon capture media 1246, and a pump 1266 for recycling the carbon capture solution back to the nozzles 1262.

[0143] The air contactor 1200 includes a supply valve 1270 and a drain valve 1272 to control the flow of water from the water supply 1274 to the sump 1222, and to control the flow of water from the sump 1222 to the drain 1276. Similarly, the air contactor 1200 includes valves 1280, 1282 for controlling the flow of fresh carbon capture solution from the supply 1284 to the sump 1264, and for controlling the flow of CO2-rich carbon capture solution to the drain 1286. In one embodiment, the air contactor 1200 is configured to flow the carbon capture solution or water through the indirect evaporative heat exchanger 1202 and the carbon capture medium 1264 depending on the operating mode of the air contactor 1200. In yet another embodiment, the air contactor 1200 can be provided with a carbon capture system (eg, a system that distributes a carbon capture solution onto an insulating mat) upstream and / or downstream of the indirect evaporative heat exchanger 1202 and the carbon capture media 1264 .

[0144] refer to Fig.26, an air contactor 1300 is provided which is similar in many respects to the air contactor 1200. The air contactor 1300 has air inlets 1302, 1304 and an air outlet 1306. The air contactor 1300 has a heat exchanger system 1310 which includes a dry heat exchanger system 1312 at the air outlet 1306 and an evaporative heat exchanger system 1314 at the air inlet 1302. The dry heat exchanger system 1312 includes an indirect heat exchanger 1313, such as a tube-fin heat exchanger; a fluid inlet 1316 for receiving a fluid (e.g., a hot process fluid); and a fluid outlet 1318 for directing the process fluid to the evaporative heat exchange system 1314 after the fluid has been cooled by indirect contact between the fluid in the indirect heat exchanger 1303 and an airflow traveling therethrough generated by a fan assembly 1320 of the air contactor 1300. The fluid flows from the fluid outlet 1318 of the dry heat exchanger 1311 to the indirect heat exchanger 1315 of the evaporative heat exchanger system 1314 .

[0145] The indirect heat exchanger 1315 may include, for example, a coil (e.g., one or more serpentines) and / or a plate heat exchanger. In one embodiment, the indirect heat exchanger 1315 includes an inlet header 1324 having an inlet 1322 that receives fluid from the fluid outlet 1318 of the dry heat exchanger 1311. The indirect heat exchanger 1315 also includes an outlet header 1326 and a serpentine 1328 connecting the inlet header 1324 and the outlet header 1326.

[0146] The evaporative heat exchanger system 1314 has a liquid distribution system 1330, which includes one or more outlets (e.g., nozzles 1332) for distributing evaporative liquid onto the serpentine tube 1328; a sump 1347 for collecting the evaporative liquid from the serpentine tube 1328; and a pump 1342 for circulating the evaporative fluid. The evaporative heat exchanger system 1314 also includes a make-up water valve 1344 and a drain valve 1346 to control the flow of fluid into and out of the sump 1347.

[0147] The air contactor 1300 also includes a CO2 capture system 1350 having a carbon capture solution distribution system 1352, which is operable to distribute carbon capture media (e.g., carbon capture solution) onto a support 1354 (e.g., a packing sheet). The carbon capture solution distribution system 1352 includes a sump 1356 for collecting the carbon capture solution as it travels away from the packing 1354; and a pump 1358 for circulating the carbon capture solution. The CO2 capture system 1350 also includes a carbon capture solution supply valve 1360 and a carbon capture solution discharge valve 1362. The evaporative heat exchanger system 1314 can be operated in a dry mode, wherein the pump 1342 is turned off to allow cooling of the process fluid via indirect heat exchange between the air traveling through the air contactor 1300 and the fluid in the heat exchangers 1313, 1315. The dry heat exchanger system 1312 provides additional cooling capacity for the air contactor 1300 by removing heat from the fluid before the fluid reaches the indirect heat exchanger 1315. In addition, in some embodiments, the dry heat exchanger system 1312 can reduce plume by increasing the temperature of the air leaving the air contactor 1300.

[0148] In another embodiment, the air contactor 1300 has an all-CO2 capture mode, wherein the air contactor 1300 distributes the carbon capture solution onto the support 1354 and the serpentine 1328. This allows both the serpentine 1328 and the capture medium 1354 to be used as a medium for exchanging CO2 for the carbon capture solution. In one embodiment, a solid adsorbent-based electrochemical carbon capture medium can be used in the air contactor 1300. In one embodiment, the air contactor 1300 has a carbon capture system (e.g., a system that distributes the carbon capture solution onto an insulating pad) upstream and / or downstream of the evaporative heat exchanger system 1314 and the CO2 capture system 1350. In yet another embodiment, the air contactor 1300 has a solid adsorbent-based capture medium in place of or in addition to the dry heat exchanger system 1312.

[0149] refer to Fig. 27, an air contactor 1400 similar to the air contactor 352 discussed above is provided. The air contactor 1400 includes an air pollutant capture system, such as a CO2 capture system 1402, having a support (e.g., a liquid absorbent material 1404), a carbon capture solution sump 1406, a pump 1408, and one or more outlets (e.g., nozzles) for dispensing a carbon capture solution 1410 onto the liquid absorbent material 1404. As some examples, the capture solution may be suitable for capturing CO2, methane, or VOCs. The air contactor 1400 has an air inlet 1420 and an air outlet 1422, a heat exchanger 1424, and a controller 1426. To monitor and control the operation of the air contactor 1400, the controller 1426 is operably connected to air sensors 1430, 1432, one or more fluid sensors 1436, and one or more carbon capture solution sensors 1438. The air sensors 1430, 1432 may measure, for example, one or more of temperature, relative humidity, carbon dioxide concentration, carbon monoxide concentration, volatile organic compound (VOX) concentration, ozone concentration, sulfur dioxide concentration, nitrogen dioxide concentration, and / or concentration of a specific substance (e.g., 2.5 micron and / or 10 micron diameter). The one or more fluid sensors 1436 may measure, for example, the inlet temperature, outlet temperature, flow rate, and / or pressure of the fluid of the heat exchanger 1424. The one or more liquid sensors 1438 may measure temperature, conductivity, pH, solids, carbon dioxide concentration, carbon monoxide concentration, volatile organic compound concentration, ozone concentration, sulfur dioxide concentration, and / or nitrogen dioxide concentration.

[0150] The controller 1426 can operate the fan motor 1450 of the air contactor 1400 to ensure the process fluid temperature set point and / or pressure set point by monitoring the fluid temperature and / or fluid pressure via the sensor 1436 and controlling the speed of the fan 1452 accordingly. The controller 1426 ensures optimal operation of the CO2 capture process by measuring changes in air side capture performance over time (e.g., the difference between the entering and leaving CO22 concentrations) and / or by measuring certain parameters of the carbon capture solution to verify that the capture solution does not exceed a preset CO2 saturation threshold. If the CO2 saturation threshold is reached, the controller 1426 operates the discharge valve 1456 to discharge the saturated carbon capture solution. The controller 1426 then closes the discharge valve 1456 and opens the replenishing carbon capture solution valve 1458 to provide fresh carbon capture solution to the sump 1406. The controller 1426 can turn on / off the operation of the heat exchanger 1424 and / or the CO2 capture process as needed.

[0151] The controller 1426 may perform other operations to maintain the air contactor 1400. For example, if the liquid absorbent material 1404 includes liquid absorbent material, the controller 1426 may shut down the pump 1408 and operate the fan 1452 in the reverse direction to clean the liquid absorbent material 1404. The controller 1426 may reduce the fan speed and / or reduce the distribution of fluid on the liquid absorbent material 1404 in response to an increase in drift and / or the appearance of a plume. The air contactor 1400 may open the carbon capture solution valve 1458 to add carbon capture solution to compensate for drift losses, leakage losses, and / or splash losses.

[0152] In one embodiment, the controller 1426 can operate the motor 1450 to optimize the pollutant capture process. In one approach, the control system can optimize the pollutant capture process and the fluid cooling process. The controller 1426 can utilize logic that takes into account other parameters (e.g., ambient air temperature, relative humidity, time of day, total pollutant capture over a relevant time period, and / or energy costs, as some examples).

[0153] The controller of the air contactor disclosed herein can optimize (e.g., minimize) one or more operating parameters, such as energy consumption, water consumption, carbon footprint (for the CO2 capture process), and operating costs. The optimization allows for optimal control of the fan speed (directly or by setting different outlet water temperature set points and / or outlet CO2 concentration set points) and / or the liquid supply to the carbon capture system to minimize one or more operating parameters. The optimization may be subject to some minimum and maximum values, such as, as some examples, for the outlet water temperature, process fluid temperature / pressure, and / or outlet CO2 concentration. Thus, the optimization can be based on the cooling performance and / or efficiency of the CO2 capture process.

[0154] The controller of the air contactor operates the air contactor based on the intermittent nature of the CO2 capture process, particularly for solid capture materials. For example, the controller of the air contactor can periodically change the operator of the air contactor to allow isolation of the carbon capture system and desorption of the captured CO2. The controller can optimize the timing of isolation / desorption operations based on, for example, cooling requirements, time of day, and energy pricing. The controller can optimize the rate at which CO2 is absorbed to ensure that the desorption process is performed during downtime of the cooling process (e.g., nighttime and / or weekends).

[0155] refer to Fig.28, an air contactor 1500 similar to the air contactor 1400 discussed above is provided. The air contactor 1500 has a carbon capture solution system 1502 having a carbon capture solution sump 1504 and a make-up water valve 1506 that controls the flow of make-up water into the carbon capture solution sump 1504. The air contactor 1500 has one or more sensors 1508 similar to the sensors discussed above with respect to the air contactor 1400, and a level sensor 1510 that detects the level of the carbon capture solution in the capture solution sump 1504. The air contactor 1500 includes a controller 1516 that can open the valve 1506 to replenish water lost due to evaporation from the carbon capture solution. The controller 1516 can use the level sensor 1510 of the capture solution sump 1504 to monitor the evaporation water loss because the volume of the carbon capture solution in the sump 1504 will decrease as water evaporates from the carbon capture solution. Once a lower threshold of carbon capture solution in capture solution sump 1504 has been reached, controller 1516 opens valve 1506. Once a high level threshold of capture solution in capture solution sump 1504 has been reached due to the addition of make-up water to sump 1504, controller 1516 closes valve 1506.

[0156] Water loss due to evaporation of the capture solution may also be determined indirectly. For example, the controller 1516 may determine the evaporation loss by the difference in humidity between the air entering the air inlet 1520 of the air contactor 1500 and the air leaving the air outlet 1522 of the air contactor 1500. As another example, the controller 1516 may detect changes in the concentration of one or more parameters of the carbon capture solution, such as pH, conductivity, and / or CO2 concentration.

[0157] refer to Fig.29 , an air contactor 1550 similar to the air contactor 900 discussed above is provided. The air contactor 1550 has an air inlet 1552, a dehumidifier 1554, a precooling system 1556, a heat exchanger 1558, an air pollutant capture system (e.g., a CO2 capture system 1560), a fan assembly 1562, and a controller 1564. The controller 1564 operates pumps 1570, 1572 of the precooling system 1556 and the CO2 capture system 1560, the dehumidifier 1554, the fan assembly 1562, the drain valve 1576 and the water supply valve 1578, and the carbon capture solution supply valve 1580 and the carbon capture solution discharge valve 1582.

[0158] Controller 1564 includes logic to control the various components of air contactor 1550 based at least in part on data from air sensor 1584, fluid sensor 1586, liquid sensor 1588, and liquid level sensor 1590. Controller 1564 employs logic similar to the operation of air contactor 900 discussed above. In addition, controller 1564 can achieve pre-cooling of the air upstream of heat exchanger 1558 by turning on pump 1570, thereby increasing heat transfer capacity. Controller 1564 can monitor the water level and other parameters of the water in sump 1571 to drain and / or replenish water as needed. In one approach, controller 1564 can use relative humidity and / or temperature information detected by air sensor 1584 to determine whether it is worth enabling pre-cooling.

[0159] The controller 1564 may also determine whether to operate the dehumidifier 1554 to increase cooling capacity and / or produce water. The dehumidifier 1554 may include, for example, control of a vacuum pump, a motor, a valve, or other mechanical components of the dehumidifier 1554. The controller 1564 may utilize the relative humidity and / or temperature of the air detected by the air sensor 1584 to determine whether operating the dehumidifier 1554 is useful.

[0160] The controller 1564 can be configured to optimize the operation of the air pollutant capture process, for example, by measuring changes in air-side capture performance over time, such as the difference between the CO2 concentration at the air inlet 1552 and the CO2 concentration in the air leaving at the air outlet 1553. Alternatively or additionally, the optimization of the operation of the air pollutant capture process can include a set of measured parameters of the capture solution, such as using data from the liquid sensor 1558 to verify that the capture solution does not exceed a preset saturation level. If the saturation level is reached, the controller 1564 can operate the capture solution discharge valve 1580 to discharge the saturated solution, and then operate the capture solution supply valve 1580 to replace the capture solution with fresh capture solution.

[0161] Controller 1564 can be used to turn on or off the fluid cooling and / or air pollutant capture process. Controller 1564 can also operate fan assembly 1562 to optimize the air pollutant capture process primarily, or to jointly optimize the air pollutant capture process and the cooling process. Controller 1564 can consider parameters (such as air temperature, relative humidity, time of day, total air pollutant capture over a period of time, and / or energy costs) as some of the variables monitored to control the operation of air contactor 1550.

[0162] The controller 1564 can switch to a wet cooling mode or a dry cooling mode based on the required cooling capacity. For example, when the required cooling capacity is high, the controller 1564 can operate the pre-cooling system 1554, and when the required cooling capacity is low, the controller 1564 can not operate the pre-cooling system 1554. In addition, for embodiments where the air contactor 1550 can utilize water or carbon capture solution in the pre-cooling system 1556, when a higher cooling capacity is required, the controller 1564 can utilize water in the pre-cooling system 1556 instead of a carbon capture solution.

[0163] The controller 1564 may also determine whether to operate the capture system 1560 based on signals from the CO2 utilization process. For example, the controller 1564 may not operate the CO2 capture system 1560 if the CO2 storage tank is full and / or the value of capturing CO2 is insufficient.

[0164] The air contactor 1550 may recirculate the carbon capture solution in the CO2 capture system 1560, or may utilize a once-through process. The air contactor 1550 may drain or discharge the recirculated water based on time, or discharge based on the conductivity of the water to avoid excessive scaling and / or corrosion of the device.

[0165] refer to Fig.30 , an air contactor 1600 similar in many respects to the air contactor 1550 discussed above is provided. The air contactor 1600 includes an air pollutant capture system, such as a CO2 capture system 1602, having a sump 1604 with a level sensor 1606. The air contactor 1600 has a controller 1608 operably connected to the level sensor 1606 and a water supply valve 1610 so that the controller 1608 can selectively provide make-up water to the sump 1604 to compensate for evaporation of water in the carbon capture solution. The level sensor 1606 allows the controller 1608 to directly measure evaporative water losses and control the valve 1610 in response to the level of the capture solution decreasing to a predetermined threshold. Alternatively or additionally, the controller 1608 can determine water losses indirectly using other sensors of the air contactor 1600 in a manner similar to the methods discussed above. For example, water loss may be estimated by the difference in humidity of air entering and leaving the air contactor 1600 or changes in concentration parameters of the carbon capture solution (eg, pH, conductivity, and / or contaminant concentration).

[0166] refer to Fig.31, an air contactor 1650 similar in many respects to the air contactor 1100 discussed above is provided. The air contactor 1650 has an air inlet 1652, a CO2 capture system 1651, a heat exchanger 1654, a fan assembly 1656, an air outlet 1658, and a controller 1660. The CO2 capture system 1651 has a CO2 capture medium 1653, which may include, for example, a solid adsorbent and / or an electrochemical absorption / desorption process device. The air contactor 1650 includes an air sensor 1662, a fluid sensor 1664, and a CO2 capture medium sensor 1668 of the CO2 capture medium 1653.

[0167] The controller 1660 can control the operation of the CO2 capture system 1651, for example, by controlling the resistive heater of the CO2 capture medium 1653, the fan assembly 1656, and the CO2 exhaust valve 1680. When the CO2 capture system 1651 is in an operating mode whereby the CO2 capture medium 1653 collects CO2, the controller 1660 can close the CO2 exhaust valve 1680. The controller 1660 can transition to a CO2 removal mode where the controller 1660 stops the operation of the fan assembly 1656, closes the air inlet 1652 and the air outlet 1658, opens the CO2 exhaust valve 1680, and operates the vacuum of the CO2 capture system 1651 to draw CO2 from the CO2 capture medium 1653 through the CO2 exhaust valve 1680 to the CO2 storage container.

[0168] The air sensor 1662 can measure parameters similar to those discussed above with respect to the air sensors of other air contactors. Similarly, the fluid sensor 1664 can measure at least one of the temperature, flow rate, and pressure of the fluid of the heat exchanger 1654. The CO2 capture media sensor 1668 can detect at least one of the temperature, potential / resistivity, carbon dioxide concentration, carbon monoxide concentration, volatile organic compound (VOC) concentration, ozone concentration, sulfur dioxide concentration, and nitrogen dioxide concentration.

[0169] The controller 1660 may operate the air contactor 1650 using similar logic as discussed above, such as operating the fan assembly 1656 to adjust the fan speed to provide a desired process fluid temperature set point and / or process fluid pressure set point.

[0170] By measuring the change of air side capture performance over time, such as the difference of CO2 concentration entering at the air inlet 1652 and leaving at the air outlet 1658 via data from the air sensor 1662, the controller 1660 can ensure the optimal operation of the CO2 capture process. Alternatively or additionally, the controller 1660 can optimize the air pollutant capture process by using one or more parameters of the CO2 capture medium 1653 to verify that the air pollutant capture medium 1650 does not exceed a preset saturation level. After reaching the saturation level, the controller 1660 can change from the CO2 capture phase to the CO2 removal phase. For example, the controller 1660 can operate the CO2 capture medium 1650 to apply different voltage potentials to the CO2 capture medium 1653, increase or decrease the temperature of the CO2 capture medium 1653, and / or cause the liquid distribution system to flush the CO2 captured in the capture medium 1653. Another embodiment utilizes gas to remove the CO2 captured in the capture medium 1653.

[0171] refer to Fig.32 , an air contactor, such as a chiller or heat pump 1700, is provided. The heat pump 1700 has a CO2 capture device 1702, which is configured to capture CO2 using absorption or adsorption. In another embodiment, the capture device 1702 can be configured to remove another air pollutant, such as methane, or a combination of air pollutants. In one embodiment, the CO2 capture device 1702 uses a liquid capture solution directed to a regenerator 1704 to regenerate the capture fluid by removing the CO2 in the liquid capture solution. The regenerator 1704 outputs pollutants 1705 for collection, such as CO2 in gaseous form.

[0172] The heat pump 1700 also includes a heat pump 1706 having a hot part 1708, which can include, for example, a condenser. The heat pump 1706 has a cold part 1710, which can include, for example, an evaporator. In another embodiment, the heat pump cold part 1710 can include an intercooler between two CO2 capture devices. The heat pump cold part 1710 operates as an air conditioner, which removes heat from the purge gas (e.g., air 1712) traveling through the heat pump 1700. The heat pump 1700 has a fan assembly 1714 to generate movement of the air 1712 within an outer structure 1716 of the heat pump 1700.

[0173] In one embodiment, the temperature of the heat pump cold part 1710 is above the dew point of the air 1712. This lowers the dry bulb temperature of the air 1712 and increases the relative humidity of the air 1712 downstream of the heat pump cold part 1710. Depending on the air pollutant capture media used, the CO2 capture device 1702 can benefit from higher relative humidity as part of an air pollutant (e.g., CO2) removal process.

[0174] refer to Fig.33 , a heat pump 1750 is provided, which has a CO2 capture device 1752, a regenerator 1754, an evaporator 1756, and a condenser 1758. The temperature of the evaporator 1756 can be lower than the dew point of the purge gas 1760 entering the heat pump 1710. The lower temperature of the evaporator 1756 reduces the humidity of the air and operates as a dehumidifier. The reduction in air humidity downstream of the evaporator 1756 is beneficial to the CO2 capture device 1752, which uses low humidity air as part of the air pollutant removal process. The heat pump 1750 has a supplementary control system 1764, which collects water 1762 from the evaporator 1756 and directs the collected water 1762 to the regenerator 1754. For example, the CO2 capture device 1752 can use a liquid carbon capture fluid, and the supplementary water 1766 is used to supplement the water evaporated from the carbon capture solution. As another example, the water 1762 collected from the evaporator 1756 can be used in another process, such as an industrial process that uses potable water.

[0175] about Fig.34 , a heat pump 1800 similar in many respects to the heat pump discussed above is provided. The heat pump 1800 includes a CO2 capture device 1802, a regenerator 1804, an evaporator 1806, and a condenser 1808. The heat required by the regenerator 1804 to regenerate the air pollutant capture solution significantly exceeds the temperature of the condenser 1808. In order to provide the required heat, heat from a heat source 1810 is used to heat the regenerator 1804. The heat source 1810 may include, for example, a resistive heating element, direct fire, nuclear power, solar energy, fission, a heat exchanger between plasma fusion, geothermal heat, and / or magma under the earth's crust.

[0176] The heat from the condenser 1808 can be combined with the heat from the heat source 1810 or used for a different purpose, such as providing heat for district heating or an industrial process. In some embodiments, the presence of the evaporator 1806 in the path of the purge gas stream 1812 through the heat pump 1800 improves the efficiency of the CO2 capture device 1802 by removing heat from the purge gas stream 1812 upstream of the CO2 capture device 1802.

[0177] refer to Fig.35, a heat pump 1850 similar to the heat pump 1800 discussed above is provided. The heat pump 1850 includes a CO2 capture device 1852, a regenerator 1854, an evaporator 1856, a condenser 1858, and a heat source 1860. The heat pump 1850 also includes a heat exchanger 1862 located downstream of the CO2 capture device 1852. The heat exchanger 1862 can be a wet heat exchanger or a dry heat exchanger, and can be a direct heat exchanger or an indirect heat exchanger. Examples of the heat exchanger 1862 include a liquid spray / fill system, a fin-tube heat exchanger, and a serpentine coil. The heat exchanger 1862 rejects heat into the purge gas 1864. The evaporator 1856 reduces the wet bulb temperature of the purge gas 1864 to a wet bulb temperature below that of the ambient air, and the CO2 capture device 1852 reduces the dry bulb temperature of the purge gas (e.g., air) to a dry bulb temperature below that of the ambient air. Heat exchanger 1862 rejects heat to purge gas 1864 and has a higher heat exchange capacity because heat exchanger 1862 rejects heat to air having a lower dry bulb temperature and a lower wet bulb temperature than the ambient air. In another embodiment, evaporator 1856 is located downstream of heat exchanger 1862 so that water can condense from purge gas 1864, thereby providing a source of water and can reduce the risk of plume. In some applications, evaporator 1856 positioned downstream of heat exchanger 1862 can provide a higher condenser temperature.

[0178] refer to Fig.36, a heat pump 1900 is provided, which has an evaporator 1902 with a temperature below the dew point temperature. The heat pump 1900 also includes a supplementary control system 1904, which directs the collected water 1906 as supplementary water 1908 from the evaporator 1902 to the regenerator 1910. The heat pump 1900 also includes a CO2 capture device 1912, a condenser 1914, and a heat exchanger 1916 located between the evaporator 1902 and the CO2 capture device 1912. In this embodiment, the CO2 capture device 1912 performs better when using dry air. The temperature of the evaporator 1916 is lower than the dry bulb temperature, but is located upstream of the CO2 capture device 1912. After the evaporator 1902 has removed water from the purge gas 1920, the evaporator 1916 reduces the relative humidity of the purge gas 1920 (e.g., air) by increasing the dry bulb temperature of the air. Positioning the heat exchanger 1916 upstream of the CO2 capture unit 1912 provides several advantages for some embodiments. First, the operation of the CO2 capture unit 1912 can increase the dry bulb temperature and / or wet bulb temperature of the purge gas 1920, which can adversely affect the efficiency of the heat exchanger downstream of the CO2 capture unit 1912. Second, the operation of the CO2 capture unit 1912 can benefit from warmer air, and the heat exchanger 1916 can compensate for the cooling provided by the evaporator 1902. Third, the risk of solvent from the CO2 capture unit 1912 being carried over to the heat exchanger 1916 is reduced.

[0179] refer to Fig.37 , an air contactor system 1950 is provided, which includes a CO2 capture device 1952, a fan assembly 1954, an endothermic regeneration process 1956, an exothermic regeneration process 1958, and storage tanks 1960, 1962. The air contactor system 1950 includes a controller 1964, which operates the storage tank 1960 to selectively release one or more chemicals to the exothermic regeneration process 1958 to selectively provide heat to a process 1970 that utilizes the heat. For example, the controller 1964 can operate the exothermic regeneration process 1958 at night to provide heat for the process 1970 that uses an air source heat pump during the day. As an example, the process 1970 can include district heating. The controller 1964 can receive data from a data source 1972, such as weather, electricity costs, process requirements, or other information that the controller 1964 uses to determine when to operate the exothermic regeneration process 1958.

[0180] For example, the carbon capture solution used by the CO2 capture device 1952 can be an alkaline solution (NaOH), which will entrain carbon from the air and react with the air to form potassium carbonate. The output 1974 of the CO2 capture device 1952 includes a solution of potassium carbonate flakes. The endothermic regeneration process 1956 bakes the flakes at, for example, 900°C. The baked carbonate flakes are stored in the storage tank 1960 until the controller 1964 instructs the storage tank 1960 to release the baked flakes into the exothermic regeneration process 1958. The exothermic regeneration process 1958 may involve, for example, adding water to the carbonate flakes. Water (H2O) provides hydrogen atoms to the carbonate to provide a carbon capture solution at the output 1976 of the exothermic regeneration process 1958. In addition, the combination of water and carbonate flakes generates heat, which is transferred to the process 1970. The carbon capture solution from the exothermic regeneration process is stored in the storage tank 1962 until the CO2 capture device 1952 needs it. The controller 1964 may operate the storage tank 1962 to direct the carbon capture solution to the CO 2 capture device 1952 to replenish the CO 2 capture device 1952 with fresh carbon capture solution.

[0181] refer to Fig.38 , an air contactor 2000 is provided, which has an airflow generator (e.g., a heat source 2002), a CO2 capture device 2004, and a hyperbolic outer structure 2006. The heat source 2002 can be, for example, waste heat from an industrial process or a geothermal heat source. The heating of the purge gas 2008 by the heat source 2002 causes the air to move upward and through the hyperbolic outer structure 2006 due to the temperature buoyancy effect of the air. In this way, the heat source 2002 operates as an airflow generator to move the purge gas through the CO2 capture device 2004. In this way, the air contactor 2000 provides an airflow through the CO2 capture device 2004 without the need to power a fan, although it may be necessary to use a fan in some applications.

[0182] refer to Figure 39-43 , an air pollutant capture system 2500 is provided that is similar in many respects to the embodiments discussed above. Some carbon capture systems include a regeneration process driven by heat. The heat is then dissipated to the atmosphere using a heat exchanger. The air pollutant capture system 2500 uses a thermal energy storage to recover at least a portion of the heat used for regeneration and significantly reduces the amount of external heat to be provided to the system.

[0183] More specifically, refer to Fig.39, the air pollutant capture system 2500 includes an air contactor 2502 having a CO2 capture device 2504 using a capture solution. The capture solution entrains air pollutants, such as CO2, by contacting the air. The capture solution can be circulated in the air contactor 2502 until the air pollutant concentration of the capture solution exceeds a predetermined threshold. The air pollutant capture system 2500 may include a pump 2503 for pumping the capture solution between the various components of the air pollutant capture system 2500.

[0184] Once the capture solution is saturated with air pollutants, the capture solution is regenerated and the air pollutants captured in the capture solution are removed using an endothermic regeneration process 2506 and an optional exothermic regeneration process 2508. More specifically, some carbon capture media (solid or liquid) require elevated temperature conditions to regenerate. If the CO2 capture device 2504 utilizes a liquid capture solvent, the output of the CO2 capture device 2504 can be, for example, a carbon capture solution. Alternatively, if the CO2 capture device 2504 utilizes a solid adsorbent, the output of the CO2 capture device 2504 can be a heat carrier fluid, such as N2 gas.

[0185] In one form, the exothermic regeneration process 2508 may simply be a cooling step of the liquid capture solvent. The air pollutant capture system 2500 may include an intermediate operation between the endothermic regeneration process 2506 and the exothermic regeneration process 2508, such as described above with respect to Figure 7 The operation in question.

[0186] The endothermic regeneration process 2506 receives heat from the heat source 2510 and outputs a regeneration material 2512, which is directed to one or more process control devices, such as three-way valves 2514, 2516. Examples of the endothermic regeneration process 2506 include a regeneration process of KOH; specifically, the regeneration of particles in a calciner. For solid adsorbents, zeolites and amines (and other materials) require higher temperatures to expel molecules that have been absorbed by the solid adsorbent, etc.

[0187] For capture systems utilizing liquid solvents, the regeneration material 2512 may be a liquid or slurry. For solid sorbents, the regeneration material 2512 may be a carrier fluid (eg, a gas) used to remove CO2 from the solid sorbent.

[0188] Three-way valves 2514, 2516 have inlets 2520, 2522 and outlets 2524, 2526, 2528, 2530, which are selectively connected to each other to control the regeneration material 2512 to flow to the exothermic regeneration process 2508 and thermal energy storage 2532, 2534. Thermal energy storage 2532, 2534 may include, for example, a storage tank. For example, thermal energy storage 2532, 2534 may include a storage tank (for example, made of metal and / or plastic), and include one or more heat exchangers made of metal, plastic and / or ceramic materials. The heat exchanger may include, for example, a serpentine coil, a pillow plate heat exchanger, a plate heat exchanger, a finned tube heat exchanger, etc. The storage tank of thermal energy storage 2532, 2534 may be filled with water or another liquid for single-phase storage. In one embodiment, the liquid may be under pressure so as not to exceed the boiling point. Alternatively or additionally, the tanks of the thermal energy storage 2532, 2534 can be filled with a solid with a high heat capacity (e.g., concrete or metal), or filled with a phase change material whose melting temperature is selected to closely match the process temperature. Example phase change materials include molten metal, hydrated salts, paraffin wax, or bio-based phase change materials (PCM).

[0189] The air pollutant capture system 2500 also includes a controller 2540 in communication with the components of the system 2500 that operates the various components of the system 2500 based on data from sensors 2542. The sensors 2542 include temperature sensors 2550, 2552, 2554, 2556, 2558, 2560, 2562 for detecting the temperature of the regeneration material 2512. The sensors 2542 can measure, for example, flow rate, pH (e.g., KOH or NaOH solvents), CO2 concentration (e.g., if a gaseous carrier fluid is used), pressure (positive pressure or vacuum), water content (e.g., if an aqueous solution is used), and / or relative humidity (e.g., for a gaseous stream).

[0190] The sensors 2542 also include storage sensors 2570, 2572 to generate data indicating the charge state of the thermal energy storage 2532, 2534. The storage sensors 2570, 2572 can detect, for example, temperature, liquid level (e.g., volume in a tank), and density. Phase change materials (PCM) may have significant changes in density between solid and liquid states, so detecting the density of the PCM in the thermal energy storage 2532, 2534 can be used to determine the energy stored in the thermal energy storage 2532, 2534.

[0191] As an example of PCM, the controller 2540 can determine the level of PCM in the tank when the PCM is liquid or fully melted (0% charge) and when the PCM is solid or fully molten (100% charge). The controller 2540 can then interpolate between the levels of PCM in real time to obtain an indication of the instantaneous charge level of the PCM.

[0192] Alternatively or additionally, the controller 2540 may use the temperature of the PCM to determine the charge of the PCM. For example, if the melting temperature is 80°F, the controller 2540 may use data from one or more sensors 2542 to estimate the charge level of the PCM. If the sensor 2542 detects that the temperature of the PCM is approximately 80°F, and then the sensor 2542 begins to detect an increase in temperature, the controller 2540 may determine that the PCM has melted at the location of the sensor 2542. Conversely, if the temperature gradually decreases from 90°F to around 80°F, and then remains constant (and may begin to very slowly cool below 80°F), the controller 2540 may determine that the PCM has melted at the location of the sensor 2542.

[0193] For single-phase storage, the controller 2540 can use temperature data from one or more sensors 2542 to determine the charge level. The controller 2540 correlates the charge level based on the temperature difference between the storage medium and the fluid to be heated / cooled. As the temperature difference becomes smaller (e.g., 2°F), it may become increasingly difficult to charge and discharge the thermal storage to a full charge point or a full discharge point. Therefore, the controller 2540 can operate the system to maintain a predetermined temperature difference between the storage medium and the fluid to be heated or cooled.

[0194] The air pollutant capture system 2500 also includes a thermal energy storage thermal energy transfer loop 2580 having conduits 2582, 2584 and exhaust pumps 2586, 2588 to transfer heat between the thermal energy storage 2532, 2534 and the endothermic regeneration process 2506. In one embodiment, the heat transfer fluid is water, such as water below 212° F. In another embodiment, the heat transfer fluid is steam and the exhaust pumps 2586, 2588 include blowers and / or compressors (as some examples).

[0195] Different high temperature carrier fluids may be used to transfer heat between the thermal energy storages 2532, 2534 and the endothermic regeneration process 2506. In another embodiment, the endothermic regeneration process 2506 may be performed in the tanks of the thermal energy storages 2532, 2534. An external heat source may be used to provide heat to the endothermic regeneration process 2506 in the tanks.

[0196] The air pollutant capture system 2500 has the following features: Fig.392534. The regeneration and charging modes shown. Regeneration occurs simultaneously with the charging of the thermal energy storage 2532 and the thermal energy storage 2534. More specifically, the outlets 2526 and 2530 of the three-way valves 2514 and 2516 are closed so that the regeneration material 2512 from the endothermic regeneration process 2506 is directed to the thermal energy storage 2532 and 2534. The regeneration material 2512 transfers heat from the regeneration material 2512 to the thermal energy storage 2532 and 2534. The regeneration material 2512 is then directed from the thermal energy storage 2532 and 2534 to the exothermic regeneration process 2508. The regeneration material 2512 undergoes an exothermic chemical reaction in the exothermic regeneration process 2508 and is then directed to the CO2 capture device 2504.

[0197] about Fig.40 , the air pollutant capture system 2500 is shown in regeneration, discharge and storage modes. More specifically, the heat source 2510 provides supplemental heat when necessary, but may not be the primary heat source for the endothermic reaction of the endothermic regeneration process 2506. Instead, the discharge pump 2586 is operated to transfer thermal energy from the thermal energy storage 2532 to the endothermic regeneration process 2506. In addition, the outlet 2524 of the three-way valve 2514 is closed so that the regeneration material 2512 from the endothermic regeneration process 2506 is directed to the exothermic regeneration process 2508 instead of entering the thermal energy storage 2532.

[0198] exist Fig.40 , the thermal energy storage 2534 is fully charged and is storing thermal energy. More specifically, the discharge pump 2588 is turned off, so that the thermal energy stored in the thermal energy storage 2534 is not supplied to the endothermic regeneration process 2506. In addition, the outlet 2528 of the three-way valve 2516 is closed, so that the regeneration material 2512 from the endothermic regeneration process 2506 is not directed to the thermal energy storage 2534 but goes to the exothermic regeneration process 2508.

[0199] about Fig.41 , the air pollutant capture system 2500 has regeneration, charging and discharging modes. The heat source 2510 provides supplemental heat to the endothermic regeneration process 2506 when needed. The thermal energy storage 2534 is fully charged, and the discharge pump 2588 is pumping the stored thermal energy from the fully charged thermal energy storage 2534 to the endothermic regeneration process 2506. The thermal energy storage 2532 has been depleted and the discharge pump 2586 has been turned off.

[0200] exist Fig.4125, the outlet 2526 of the valve 2514 is closed and the outlet 2524 is opened to direct the regeneration material 2512 into the reservoir 2532 to charge the reservoir 2532. The regeneration material 2512 travels from the reservoir 2532 to the exothermic regeneration process 2508. The inlet 2522 and outlets 2528, 2530 of the valve 2516 are closed to prevent the regeneration material 2512 from traveling to the reservoir 2534.

[0201] refer to Fig.42 , the air pollutant capture system 2500 has regeneration, discharge and charge modes. The reservoir 2532 is fully charged and the pump 2586 directs the stored thermal energy to the endothermic regeneration process 2506. The valve 2514 is closed to prevent the regeneration material 2512 from flowing into or out of the thermal reservoir 2532.

[0202] exist Fig.42 , the thermal energy storage 2534 is being recharged. Specifically, the pump 2588 is turned off. The inlet 2522 and outlet 2528 of the three-way valve 2516 are opened to direct the regeneration material 2512 to the thermal energy storage 2534. The thermal energy storage 2534 absorbs heat from the regeneration material 2512, and the regeneration material 2512 is then directed to the exothermic regeneration process 2508.

[0203] about Fig.43 , the air pollutant capture system 2500 has a regeneration and dual discharge mode. In this mode, the thermal energy storages 2532, 2534 are both discharging to provide heat to the endothermic regeneration process 2506. More specifically, the outlets 2526, 2530 of the three-way valves 2514, 2516 are closed, while the inlets 2520, 2522 and outlets 2524, 2528 are opened to allow the regeneration material to flow from the endothermic regeneration process 2506 to the thermal energy storages 2532, 2534. In addition, the discharge pumps 2586, 2588 are being operated to transport the stored thermal energy from the thermal energy storages 2532, 2534 to the endothermic regeneration process 2506.

[0204] The controller 2540 can switch between various operating modes of the air pollutant capture system 2500 based on data from various sensors 2542. For example, the controller 2542 can charge one thermal energy storage 2532 while discharging another thermal energy storage 2534 so that at least one thermal energy storage 2532, 2534 provides stored thermal energy to the endothermic regeneration process 2506 to reduce external heat from the heat source 2510.

[0205] refer to Fig.44, an air pollutant capture system 2600 is provided that is similar in many respects to the air pollutant capture system 2500 discussed above. The air pollutant capture system 2600 includes an air contactor 2602 having a CO2 capture device 2604, a pump 2603, an endothermic regeneration process 2606, and an optional exothermic regeneration process 2608. The exothermic regeneration process 2608 may not be used for certain air pollutant capture technologies.

[0206] The air pollutant capture system 2600 includes an intermittent renewable heat source 2608, such as concentrated solar energy or wind energy (as some examples). The air pollutant capture system 2600 includes a discharge pump 2610 for circulating a heat exchange fluid 2612 (e.g., water) to a valve 2614, which controls the flow of the heat exchange fluid 2612 to the endothermic regeneration process 2602 or the thermal energy storage 2630. The heat exchange fluid 2612 can be, for example, water, steam, oil, molten salt, liquid metal, nanoparticles, and / or slurry.

[0207] Valve 2614 has an inlet 2616, an outlet 2618 for directing fluid to the exothermic regeneration process 2606, and an outlet 2620 for directing fluid to a thermal energy storage 2630. Thermal energy storage 2630 is configured to store thermal energy for use by the endothermic regeneration process 2606 when the removable heat source 2608 is not available (e.g., at night for the example of concentrated solar power).

[0208] The air pollutant capture system 2600 includes a discharge pump 2632 for pumping a heat exchange fluid from the thermal energy storage 2630 to the endothermic regeneration process 2602 upon request of a controller 2634 of the air pollutant capture system 2600. The controller 2634 may be operably connected to a sensor 2636 of the thermal energy storage 2630 to determine the capacity of the thermal energy storage 2630. The controller 2634 is also operably connected to the discharge pumps 2610, 2632 and the valve 2614.

[0209] When removable heat source 2608 provides heat, thermal energy storage 2630 may be charged, for example, by controller 2634 operating valve 2614 to close outlet 2618 , opening inlet 2616 and outlet 2620 , and operating pump 2610 to direct heat transfer fluid to thermal energy storage 2630 .

[0210] In another example, the renewable heat source 2608 can provide heat to both the thermal energy storage 2630 and the endothermic regeneration process 2606. More specifically, the controller 2634 operates the valve 2614 to open the inlet 2616, the outlet 2618, and the outlet 2620, and operates the pump 2610 to direct the heat transfer fluid from the renewable heat source 2608 to the endothermic regeneration process 2606 and the thermal energy storage 2630.

[0211] When the thermal energy storage 2630 is fully charged, the controller 2634 can operate the valve 2614 to close the outlet 2620 while keeping the inlet 2612 and the outlet 2618 open. The pump 2610 continues to direct the heat exchange fluid to the endothermic regeneration process 2606.

[0212] The air pollutant capture system 2600 also includes valves 2640, 2642 as well as thermal energy storages 2644, 2646 and discharge pumps 2648, 2650 for storing and discharging thermal energy to the endothermic regeneration process 2606 as needed.

[0213] In one embodiment, the CO2 capture device 2604 includes a solid adsorbent, and a pump 2603 directs a carrier gas (e.g., N2 or steam) to the endothermic regeneration process 2606. The solid adsorbent can be heated by the carrier gas or another heat source in the CO2 capture device 2604. Alternatively or additionally, a vacuum can be used to remove air pollutants from the solid adsorbent of the CO2 capture device 2604. In yet another embodiment, N2 gas is provided to the CO2 capture device 2604 from a pressurized container, rather than using a pump to direct the N2 gas.

[0214] refer to Fig.45 , shows a building 2700 having a cooling tower 2702 and a natural gas boiler 2704. The natural gas boiler 2704 has a flue 2706, which emits flue gas 2708 having a CO2 concentration of about 10%. The cooling tower 2702 inhales ambient air 2710 and discharges humidified ambient air 2712. Fig.45 , the CO2 concentration of the flue gas is significantly higher than the humidified air leaving the cooling tower 2702.

[0215] about Fig.46 , a point source capture and direct air capture system 2800 is provided for a building 2801. System 2800 includes an air contactor 2802 with a heat exchanger (e.g., a wet heat exchanger) for transferring heat between ambient air 2804 and a process fluid. Air contactor 2802 also includes a CO2 capture system 2806 that captures CO2 from the ambient air. For example, CO2 capture system 2806 can utilize one of the solvent-based or other CO2 capture methods discussed herein. Air contactor 2802 discharges a CO2-rich gas stream 2815 having a higher CO2 concentration than ambient air.

[0216] System 2800 includes a CO2 scrubber, such as a boiler flue gas carbon capture system 2810, configured to remove CO2 from flue gas 2819 exiting boiler 2814. For example, the CO2 content of flue gas 2819 exiting boiler 2814 is approximately 10%, while the CO2 content of flue gas 2812 exiting building 2801 is approximately 1%. Boiler 2814 can be a natural gas or coal-fired process used in various commercial, residential, and / or industrial buildings.

[0217] The system 2800 also includes an ambient air source 2820 and an ambient air mixer 2817 that introduces ambient air into the CO2-rich gas stream 2815 to reduce the CO2 concentration of the CO2-rich gas stream 281 to a concentration that matches the CO2 concentration of the flue gas 2815 exiting the boiler 2814. The ambient air mixer 2817 may include, for example, a fan, a valve, a shutter, an actuator, a motor, and / or a movable duct to selectively direct ambient air to the CO2-rich gas stream 2815.

[0218] The system 2800 operates the ambient air mixer 2817 so that the CO2-rich gas stream 2815 has a similar CO2 concentration as the flue gas 2819 leaving the boiler 2814 to allow the boiler flue gas carbon capture system 2810 to remove CO2 from both the CO2-rich gas stream 2815 and the flue gas 2819. Since the CO2 concentrations in the flue gas 2819 and the CO2-rich gas stream 2815 are similar, the boiler flue gas carbon capture system 2810 can use the same chemical process to remove CO2 from both the CO2-rich gas stream 2815 and the flue gas 2819. In this way, the air contactor 2802 can be retrofitted to a building 2801 having a boiler flue gas carbon capture system 2810 to increase the ambient air carbon capture capacity of the building 2801.

[0219] The matched CO2 concentration can facilitate efficient removal of CO2 from the flue gas 2819 and the CO2-rich gas stream 2815 in coordination with separation, purification, and liquefaction processes having desired CO2 and N2 concentrations. In one embodiment, the air contactor 2802 utilizes a solid adsorbent and N2 gas exhausted from the air contactor 2802 as a carrier gas for the captured CO2, rather than ambient air 2820.

[0220] The boiler flue gas carbon capture system 2810 removes CO2 from flue gas 2819 by transferring flue gas 2812 from flue 2831 to the system 2810 via conduit 2830. The system 2810 also receives CO2-rich exhaust gas 2815 via conduit 2830. Next, the system 2810 separates CO2, nitrogen, and oxygen. The CO2 is converted into liquid CO2 2822 and collected in, for example, a tank.

[0221] In one embodiment, the CO2-rich gas stream 2815 may have a CO2 concentration that already matches the CO2 content of the flue gas 2819 so that ambient air is not added to the CO2-rich gas stream 2825. The ambient air mixer 2817 may not be provided in this embodiment. Alternatively, the ambient air mixer 2817 has a CO2 sensor that detects a similar CO2 concentration and prevents ambient air from being added to the CO2-rich gas stream 2825.

[0222] Air Contactor Design Optimization

[0223] For some embodiments, some design parameters can be optimized to improve the CO2 capture performance of the air contactor and reduce operating and equipment costs. These design parameters include:

[0224] One approach to optimizing air contactor design utilizes a set of “broad-brush” assumptions that focus on the volume of the package (assumed to be the most expensive part of the equipment) and the energy consumption rate per given amount of CO2 captured.

[0225] A more detailed approach to optimizing air contactor design includes operating costs (particularly pumping power, solvent and water costs, etc.) and net CO2 capture rates. This more detailed approach can show that the air contactor equipment itself carries a negative carbon "charge" (i.e., embodied carbon) during its production, installation, use, and end of life. In addition, the operation of the equipment itself may result in CO2 emissions from the perspective of energy, water, and solvent consumption.

[0226] Therefore, the net rate of carbon capture can be calculated as follows:

[0227] in is the net rate of CO2 capture, in kg / s, is the average rate of CO2 captured in kg / s (estimated using test data, basic mass transfer models and / or numerical simulations), is the mass of CO2 implied by the equipment, in kg, t 使用寿命 is the expected service life of the equipment in seconds, and It is the emission rate of CO2 during equipment operation, in kg / s.

[0228] The emission rate of CO2 from operations is defined as follows:

[0229] where fan power and pump power are in kW (estimated using test data, fan and pump manufacturer data, basic air and liquid flow models, and / or numerical simulations), electricity carbon intensity is in kgCO2 / kW, water consumption is in kg / s and is defined as the sum of the water evaporation rate in kg / s (estimated using test data, basic heat and mass transfer models, and / or numerical simulations) and the water drift rate in kg / s (defined as the total drift rate in kg / s multiplied by the mass fraction of water in solution in kg / kg), water carbon intensity is in kgCO2 / kg, solvent consumption is in kg / s and is defined as the sum of the solvent renewal rate in kg / s (i.e., assuming that the solvent does not last the entire life of the unit and must be “renewed”) and the solvent drift rate in kg / s (defined as the total drift rate in kg / s multiplied by the mass fraction of solvent in solution in kg / kg). Solvent carbon intensity is in kgCO2 / kg.

[0230] A given contactor design may include power generation (e.g. heat recovery and reuse, solar photovoltaic (PV)), in which case the CO2 emission rate from the operation is defined as follows:

[0231] Electricity generation is reported in kilowatts and is assumed to be net electricity generation, as the generating equipment itself may consume energy. In some cases, electricity generation may be greater than electricity consumption, which may mean that electricity can be sold and / or used in other areas of the carbon capture facility.

[0232] Similarly, the contactor design may include embedded water generation equipment (e.g., dehumidification of the inlet and / or outlet gas streams), in which case the CO2 emission rate generated by the operation is defined as follows:

[0233] The water production power is given in kW and the water production volume is given in kg / s. In some cases, the water production volume may be greater than the water consumption, which may mean that the water can be sold and / or used in other areas of the carbon capture facility.

[0234] In one approach, the following optimization criteria or figures of merit (FOMs) are used to optimize the air contactor design: cost of capture (CoC – in USD / kgCO2); water intensity of capture (WIoC – in kg water / kgCO2); energy intensity of capture (EIoC – in kJ / kgCO2) and footprint of capture (FoC – in 1 / kgCO2). Each of these optimization criteria will be discussed in detail below.

[0235] Capture cost (CoC – unit: USD / kgCO2)

[0236] The capture cost can be calculated using the following formula:

[0237] where capture cost is the total installed cost of the equipment including maintenance (and possible decommissioning) costs in US dollars, and operating cost is defined as: Operation cost = ((fan power + pump power) × electricity cost) + (water consumption × Water cost) + (Solvent consumption × Solvent cost) [Formula 6]

[0238] Where electricity cost is in USD / kW, water cost is in USD / kg, and solvent cost is in USD / kg. A given contactor design may include power generation (e.g., heat recovery and reuse, solar photovoltaic), in which case the operating cost would be defined as follows: Operation cost = ((fan power + pump power - power generation) × electricity cost) + (water consumption × water cost) + (solvent consumption × solvent cost) [Formula 7]

[0239] Similarly, the contactor design may include embedded water production equipment (e.g., dehumidification of the inlet and / or outlet gas streams), in which case the operating cost would be defined as follows: Operation cost = ((fan power + pump power + water production power) × electricity cost) + ((water consumption - water production) × water cost) + (solvent consumption × solvent cost) [Formula 8]

[0240] Water intensity captured (WIoC – unit: kg 水 / kgCO2)

[0241] The strength of the trapped water can be determined using the following formula:

[0242] Where water consumption is in kg / s and is defined as the sum of the water evaporation rate in kg / s (which can be estimated using test data, basic heat and mass transfer models, numerical simulations, or a combination thereof) and the water drift rate in kg / s (defined as the total drift rate in kg / s multiplied by the mass fraction of water in solution in kg / kg). As discussed in the previous paragraph, water consumption can include in situ water production.

[0243] Another way to express water intensity could include the water intensity of the power generation process, in which case the captured water intensity would be defined as follows:

[0244] wherein power consumption is in kW and grid water intensity is in kg / kW as defined in one of the ways described in the previous paragraph.

[0245] Energy intensity of capture (EIoC – unit: kJ / kgCO2)

[0246] The trapped energy intensity can be defined using the following formula:

[0247] Wherein, power consumption is in kg / s and is defined as the sum of the power consumption of fans and pumps (and auxiliary equipment as defined in the previous paragraph). As described in the previous paragraph, power consumption may include in-situ water production.

[0248] Another way to express energy intensity could include the power consumption of the water production process, in which case the energy intensity of capture would be defined as follows:

[0249] Wherein the water consumption is in kg / s and the water production energy intensity is in kW / kg as defined in one of the ways described in the previous paragraph.

[0250] Design Optimization

[0251] According to the preferred optimization goal, the best design for a particular embodiment will be the one that satisfies one of the following equations: Optimal design = min(CoC 设计1 ,Coc 设计2 ,Coc 设计3 ,…,CoC 设计n )[Formula 13] Best Design min(WIoC 设计1 ,WIoC 设计2 ,WIoC 设计3 ,…,WIoC 设计n )[Formula 14] Optimal design = min(EIoC 设计1 ,EIoC 设计2 ,EIoC 设计3 ,…,EIoC 设计n )[Formula 15]

[0252] In one approach, optimization can be based on a given optimization parameter, but with a "not exceed" threshold for one or two of the remaining optimization parameters. For example, it may be desirable to minimize CoC, but ensure WIoC < 2.5 kg 水 / kg CO2 , and EIoC<2e^3kJ / kgCO2.

[0253] Capacity of capture (FoC – unit: 1 / kg CO2 )

[0254] A design optimization approach may include weighing factors A, B, and C based on specific regulatory requirements, design philosophy, or other criteria of interest, and defining the total capture capacity as follows: FoC=A×CoC+B×WIoC+C×EIoC [Formula 16]

[0255] A is expressed in 1 / USD and B is expressed in 1 / kg 水 The units of C are 1 / kJ.

[0256] Therefore, the optimal design will satisfy the following formula: Optimal design = min(FoC 设计1 ,FoC 设计2 ,FoC 设计3 ,…,FoC 设计n )[Formula 17]

[0257] refer to Fig.47 , an air contactor 2900 is provided having a carbon capture device 2902 and a regeneration process 2904 for regenerating the carbon capture device 2902, for example by removing carbon from a carbon capture solution. In another embodiment, the carbon capture device 2902 may include a solid sorbent capture device, and the regeneration process 2904 removes CO2 from a carrier gas used to remove CO2 from the solid sorbent capture device.

[0258] The air contactor 2900 has a fan assembly 2906 that generates an air flow 2908 through the air contactor 2900 and through the carbon capture device 2902. Fig.352904, however, the air contactor 2900 has a heat exchanger 2910 located outside the path of the air 2908 as the air 2908 travels through the air contactor 2900. In some embodiments, the heat exchanger 2910 outside the air path can reduce energy consumption by reducing the pressure drop of the air passing through the air contactor 2900. The heat exchanger 2910 receives a hot process fluid 2912 and returns a cooled process fluid 2914. The heat exchanger 2910 exchanges heat between the hot process fluid 2912 and a regeneration fluid 2916. The regeneration fluid 2916 can include, for example, a fluid (e.g., water) that provides heat to the regeneration process 2904 and / or a carbon capture solution heated by the heat exchanger 2910. The heat exchanger 2910 returns the regeneration fluid 2918 to the regeneration process 2904. The regeneration process 2904 uses the heat from the heat exchanger 2910 to renew or remove carbon in the capture fluid 2922. The regeneration process 2904 directs the regenerated capture fluid 2920 to the carbon capture solution 2902, wherein the regenerated capture fluid 2920 has a lower carbon content than the capture fluid 292. The regeneration process 2904 stores or outputs the carbon removed from the capture fluid 2922. As described above, the capture solution 2922 may be directed from the carbon capture device 2902 to the regeneration process 2904 continuously or intermittently.

[0259] refer to Fig.48 , an air contactor 3000 is provided having a carbon capture device 3002, a regeneration process 3004, and a heat pump 3006 for transferring heat from a hot process fluid 3008 to a regeneration fluid 3010 from the regeneration process 3004. Rather than using the hot process fluid 3008 to directly heat the regeneration fluid 3010, the heat pump 3006 has a closed loop for a heat pump fluid 3017, which operates as an intermediary between the hot process fluid 3008 and the regeneration fluid 3010. The heat pump fluid 3017 may include, for example, hydrofluorocarbons (e.g., R410A, R134A, R407C, R32, R1234ZE), propane (e.g., R290, R744), carbon dioxide, or ammonia (e.g., R717).

[0260] The heat pump 3006 has a condenser 3014 that operates at a higher temperature than the hot process fluid 3008 because the heat pump 3006 has a compressor 3106 that increases the temperature and pressure of the heat pump fluid 3017 as it travels from the evaporator 3012 to the condenser 3014. For example, the evaporator 3012 of the heat pump 3006 transfers heat from the hot process fluid 3008 to the heat pump fluid 3017. In one embodiment, the heat pump fluid 3017 enters the evaporator 3012 as a liquid, the heat pump fluid 3017 is boiled in the evaporator 3012 by the heat from the process fluid 3008, and the heat pump fluid 3017 leaves the evaporator 3012 as a gas.

[0261] At the condenser 3014 of heat pump 3006, the fluid of heat pump 3006 loses heat to regenerative fluid 3010. In condenser 3014, phase change occurs (for example, gas condenses into liquid), and temperature and pressure remain roughly constant. Heat pump 3006 also includes compressor 3016 and expansion valve 3018. Expansion valve 3018 reduces the pressure of heat pump fluid 3017 quickly, and makes the temperature of heat pump fluid 3017 decrease quickly associatedly. Heat pump 3006 can heat capture fluid 3010 more efficiently than electric heater, because the coefficient of performance of heat pump 3006 is greater than one. More specifically, the energy that heat pump 3006 is delivered to regenerative fluid 3010 is greater than the energy consumed by compressor 3106.

[0262] refer to Fig.49 , an air contactor 3100 is provided, which has a carbon capture device 3102, a regeneration process 3104, and a cooler 3106. The cooler 3106 has a cooler fluid 3107 that receives heat from a process fluid 3108. The cooler 3106 has a compressor 3116 for increasing the temperature of the process fluid 3108, a condenser 3114 for transferring heat to a regeneration fluid 3110, and an expansion valve 3109. The air contactor 3100 is similar to the air contactor 3000, except that the air contactor 3100 has a cooler 3106 instead of a heat pump 3006. The evaporator 3112 and the condenser 3114 of the cooler 3106 have lower temperatures than the evaporator 3012 and the condenser 3014 of the air contactor 3000, which can improve the efficiency of the process receiving the cooled process fluid 3120 from the cooler 3106. More specifically, the chiller 3106 can operate at a lower temperature than the heat pump 3006 because the chiller 3106 can be sized to provide a specific cooling capacity for the process fluid 3120. In contrast, the heat pump 3006 can be configured to increase the temperature of the regeneration fluid 3110 and operate at a higher temperature than the chiller 3106 because the primary function of the heat pump 3006 is to heat the regeneration fluid 3110.

[0263] about Fig.50 , an air contactor 3200 is provided, which has a carbon capture device 3202, an air-cooled heat exchanger 3204, a heat pump 3206, and a regeneration process 3208. The air-cooled heat exchanger 3204 may include, for example, a direct heat exchanger, a dry indirect heat exchanger, a wet indirect heat exchanger, a mixed wet / dry heat exchanger, and / or an adiabatic heat exchanger. The heat pump 3206 has an evaporator 3210 that receives a hot process fluid 3212 and absorbs heat therefrom. The evaporator 3210 directs the process fluid 3212 to the air-cooled heat exchanger 3204, where the process fluid loses additional heat to the air flow through the air contactor 3200. The air contactor 3200 directs the cooled process fluid 3214 from the air-cooled heat exchanger 3204 back to the associated process. The heat pump 3206 has a condenser 3220 that transfers heat to a regeneration fluid 3222. The regeneration process 3208 utilizes the heated regeneration fluid 3222 to supplement or generate a regenerated capture fluid 3224 for the carbon capture device 3202. The heat pump 3206 provides additional heat removal capacity for the air contactor 3200. In addition to or in lieu of the carbon capture device 3202, the air contactor 3200 may include a system for distributing (e.g., spraying or flooding) the carbon capture solution to an indirect heat exchanger of the air-cooled heat exchanger 3204 to increase the overall CO2 capture capacity and provide some additional heat removal capacity through evaporation of water in the carbon capture solution.

[0264] refer to Fig.51 , an air contactor 3300 is provided that is similar in many respects to the air contactor 3200 discussed above, except that the air contactor 3300 includes a cooler 3302 instead of a heat exchanger. Since the evaporator 3304 and condenser 3306 of the cooler 3302 have lower temperatures, the controller of the air contactor 3300 can reduce the speed of the fan assembly 3308 and reduce power consumption to meet the lower heat dissipation capacity requirements.

[0265] refer to Fig.52, an air contactor 3400 is provided, which has a carbon capture device 3402, an air-cooled heat exchanger 3404, an evaporator 3406, a heat pump 3408, and a regeneration process 3410. The air-cooled heat exchanger 3404 receives a hot process fluid 3412 and transfers heat to air 3414 traveling through the air contactor 3400 upstream of the evaporator 3406. In one embodiment, the evaporator 3406 includes a fin-tube heat exchanger. The evaporator 3406 receives heated air 3414 downstream of the air-cooled heat exchanger 3404 and transfers heat in the heated air flow to the fluid of the heat pump 3408. The heat pump 3408 has a condenser 3420 for transferring heat to a regeneration fluid 3422 of the regeneration process 3410. Positioning the evaporator 3406 in the air flow allows the high temperature air from the air-cooled heat exchanger 3404 to be used as a heat source for the heat pump 3408. In this way, a high temperature can be provided at the condenser 3420, thereby improving the energy efficiency of the regeneration process 3410.

[0266] refer to Fig.53 , an air contactor 3500 is provided that is similar in many respects to the air contactor 3400 discussed above. One difference between the air contactors 3500, 3400 is that the air contactor 3500 includes a chiller 3502 instead of the heat pump 3408 of the air contactor 3400. The chiller 3502 provides a chiller fluid to an evaporator 3504 in the air stream flowing through the air contactor 3500. The evaporator 3504 absorbs heat from the air downstream of the air-cooled heat exchanger 3506, cooling the air after the air travels through the air-cooled heat exchanger 3506. The cooling provided by the evaporator 3504 can reduce the risk of plumes. In addition, the evaporator 3504 can include a water recovery system 3505, and the cooling provided by the evaporator 3504 can condense water in the air, which can be used for another process, such as replenishing a water source. The water recovery system 3505 can include, for example, a tank configured to collect condensed water falling from the indirect heat exchanger of the evaporator 3504.

[0267] refer to Fig.54 , an air contactor 3600 is provided, which has an outer structure, such as a housing 3602, with dampers 3604 to control the air flow passing through the air contactor 3600. Each damper 3604 can be closed, opened, or partially opened to control the air flow through the damper 3604. In one embodiment, the damper 3604 includes a main louver 3606, a first intermediate louver 3610, and a second intermediate louver 3612 at an inlet 3608 of the air contactor 3600. The air contactor 3600 has a fan assembly 3614 for generating an air flow through one or more of the louvers 3606, 3610, 3612 and out of an outlet 3616 of the air contactor 3600.

[0268] The air contactor 3600 includes a dehumidifier 3620, a capture device 3622, and a heat exchanger 3624. The dehumidifier 3620, the capture device 3622, and the heat exchanger 3624 can be similar to the related components discussed above. The heat exchanger 3624 receives the process fluid through the process fluid return device 3630 and exchanges heat with the air flowing through the air contactor 3600. The heat exchanger 3624 returns the process fluid to the process through the process fluid supply device 3632. In one embodiment, the process fluid return device 3630 provides a heated process fluid and the heat exchanger 3624, removes heat from the process fluid, and then directs the process fluid to the process fluid supply device 3632.

[0269] exist Fig.54 , the air contactor 3600 is shown in a first configuration, wherein the main shutter 3606 is open, and the first and second intermediate shutters 3610, 3612 are closed. In the first configuration, air drawn into the contactor 3600 by the fan assembly 3614 is directed through the dehumidifier 3620, the capture medium 3622, and the heat exchanger 3624. The air contactor 3600 may be operated in the first configuration when the capture medium 3622 is removing air pollutants from the air, dehumidification is required upstream of the capture medium 3622, and the heat exchanger 3624 is exchanging heat between the air and the process fluid.

[0270] refer to Fig.55 , the air contactor 3600 is shown in a second configuration, wherein the main shutter 3606 and the second intermediate shutter 3612 are closed, and the first intermediate shutter 3610 is opened. A controller associated with the air contactor 3600 can cause the air contactor 3600 to switch from Fig.54 The first configuration is reconfigured to Fig.55 A second configuration, or any other configuration discussed below, such as by operating a linear actuator of the air contactor 3600 to adjust the louvers 3606, 3610, 3612.

[0271] In the second configuration, the airflow enters the air contactor 3600 through the first intermediate louver 3610 in a general direction 3650, travels through the capture medium 3622 and the heat exchanger 3624, and then exits through the outlet 3616. In the second configuration, the dehumidifier 3620 is bypassed by the airflow. When the capture medium 3622 and the heat exchanger 3624 are operating, the air contactor 3600 can be operated in the second configuration, but dehumidification is not required. Bypassing the dehumidifier 3620 can reduce the power consumption of the fan assembly 3614 when the dehumidifier is not operating.

[0272] refer to Fig.56, the air contactor 3600 is shown in a third configuration, wherein the main louver 3606 and the first intermediate louver 3610 are closed, and the second intermediate louver 3612 is open. Airflow enters the air contactor 3600 through the second intermediate louver 3612 in a direction generally 3652, travels through the heat exchanger 3624, and exits the air contactor through the outlet 3616. Since the main louver 3606 and the first intermediate louver 3610 are closed, the airflow bypasses the dehumidifier 3620 and the capture medium 3622. For example, when the capture medium 3622 is not used to reduce the power consumption of the fan assembly 3614, the air contactor 3600 can be switched to the third configuration.

[0273] refer to Fig.57 , the air contactor 3600 is shown in a fourth configuration, wherein the main louver 3606 and the second intermediate louver 3612 are open, while the first intermediate louver 3610 is closed. In this manner, airflow can enter the air contactor 3600 through the main louver 3606, travel through the dehumidifier 3620, the capture medium 3622, and the heat exchanger 3624. The open second intermediate louver 3612 allows air to be directed through the heat exchanger 3624 in addition to the air entering the air contactor 3600 through the main louver 3606. The air entering through the second intermediate louver 3612 may have a different composition (e.g., not in contact with the carbon capture solution) and / or may be cooler than the air traveling from the capture medium 3622 to the heat exchanger 3624. The air drawn into the open second intermediate louver 3612 may dilute the airflow from the air pollutant capture process, which in some embodiments reduces the concentration of corrosive chemicals in the airflow. In one embodiment, air drawn into the open second intermediate louver 3612 may also reduce plume, where operation of the capture media 3622 increases the humidity of the airflow.

[0274] In addition, the air entering through the second intermediate louver 3612 can provide additional air volume, so that the heat exchanger 3624 has a higher air flow rate than the dehumidifier 3620 and the capture medium 3622. The ability to provide different air flows through the capture medium 3622 and the heat exchanger 3624 enables precise control of the air pollutant capture process and the heat dissipation process. In some embodiments, one or more of the louvers 3606, 3610, 3612 can be partially opened to optimize the air path distribution, flow rate and / or air flow rate. The louvers 3606, 3610, 3612 can be located on one or more vertical walls, horizontal walls, inclined walls, top walls, bottom walls and / or side walls of the air contactor 3600.

[0275] Figure 50-Figure 57The internal components of the air contactor can be organized so that the air contacts the components in a desired order, generally as described above with respect to Figure 13 to Figure 37 For example, in some embodiments, Figure 50-Figure 57 The air contactor of the capture device can be provided with a heat exchanger upstream of the capture device. The dehumidifier and / or evaporator can also be positioned upstream or downstream of the capture device. As an example in this regard, the heat dissipation section 3506 and the evaporator 3504 of the cooling tower 3500 can be arranged upstream of the capture device 3501. As another example, the heat dissipation section 3506 can be located upstream of the capture device 3501, and the evaporator 3504 is located downstream of the capture device 3501.

[0276] about Fig.58 , an air contactor 3700 is provided, which has a first air inlet 3702, a second air inlet 3704 and an air outlet 3706. The air contactor 3700 has a dehumidifier 3706 and a capture device 3708 on one side thereof, and a heat exchanger 3710 and a precooler 3712 on the other side thereof. In this way, the air contactor 3700 is asymmetric, so that one side of the air contactor 3700 provides air pollutant capture operability, while the other side of the air contactor 3700 provides heat exchange operability. The precooler 3712 may include, for example, an insulation pad system. The air traveling from the capture device 3708 and the heat exchanger 3710 is mixed and discharged through the air outlet 3706 by the operation of the fan assembly 3714.

[0277] about Fig.59, an air contactor 3800 is provided which is similar in many respects to the air contactor 3700. The air contactor 3800 includes a dehumidifier 3802, a capture device 3804, a heat exchanger 3806, and a precooler 3808. The air contactor 3800 has a first air inlet 3810 with a first main louver 3812, a second air inlet 3814 with a main louver 3816, and a first intermediate louver 3820 and a second intermediate louver 3822. The louvers 3812, 3816, 3820, 3822 can be opened or closed to control the air flow to different parts of the air contactor 3800. The louvers 3812, 3816, 3820, 3822 can be partially opened or closed depending on the air flow rate and / or flow requirements of the air contactor 3800, the expected energy consumption and / or water consumption, and / or the heat transfer load required by the air contactor 3800. The shutters of the air contactor 3800 can achieve independent operation of the air pollutant capture and air exhaust operability of the device. For example, when air pollutant capture is not required, the main shutter 3812 and the first intermediate shutter 3820 can be closed so that air bypasses the dehumidifier 3802 and the capture device 3804. Bypassing the dehumidifier and the capture device 3804 can reduce the power consumption of the fan assembly 3830 of the air contactor 3800. Conversely, when heat exchanger operability is not required, the main shutter 3812 and the first intermediate shutter 3820 can be opened, while the shutters 3816, 3822 are closed to achieve air pollutant capture operability while bypassing the heat exchanger 3806 and the precooler 3808.

[0278] Unless otherwise indicated herein or clearly contradicted by context, the use of singular terms such as "a", "an" is intended to cover both the singular and the plural. The terms "comprising", "having", "including" and "containing" are to be construed as open-ended terms. The phrase "at least one" as used herein is intended to be interpreted in a disjunctive sense. For example, the phrase "at least one of A and B" is intended to cover A, B, or both A and B.

[0279] Although specific embodiments of the present invention have been illustrated and described, those skilled in the art will recognize that various modifications, variations, and combinations of the above-described embodiments may be made without departing from the scope of the present invention, and such modifications, variations, and combinations should be considered to be within the scope of the present invention. For example, various embodiments of air contactors are described herein as being configured to remove CO2 from the air, but it will be apparent that the air contactors can be configured to remove other air pollutants in addition to or in place of CO2, such as methane, VOCs, and VOX by utilizing appropriate capture technology. As another example, a water replenishment system for certain air contactors is described, but it should be understood that the water replenishment system can be used with any air contactor that requires water replenishment.

Claims

1. An air contactor, comprising: Air intake; Air outlet; a fan assembly for generating an air flow from the air inlet to the air outlet; a heat exchanger for transferring heat between a process fluid and the gas stream; an air pollutant capture system configured to selectively remove air pollutants from the airflow, the air pollutant capture system having an air pollutant capture media matched to the air pollutants to remove air pollutants from the airflow; a controller operably connected to the fan assembly, the heat exchanger, and the air pollutant capture system, the controller having: Process fluid cooling and air contaminant capture mode, wherein the controller is configured to: controlling the fan assembly to facilitate the heat exchanger to transfer heat between the process fluid and the gas stream; and controlling the air pollutant capture system to remove air pollutants from the air stream; and Process fluid cooling mode, wherein the controller is configured to: controlling the fan assembly to facilitate the heat exchanger to transfer heat between the process fluid and the gas stream; and The air contaminant capture system is controlled to remove less air contaminants from the air than when the controller is in the process fluid cooling and air contaminant capture mode.

2. The air contactor according to claim 1, wherein: The air pollutant capture medium includes an air pollutant capture liquid; wherein the air pollutant capture system comprises a liquid absorbent material and an air pollutant capture liquid distribution system; The controller controls the fan assembly to move airflow through the liquid absorbent material in the process fluid cooling and air pollutant capture mode, and controls the air pollutant capture liquid distribution system to provide the air pollutant capture liquid to the liquid absorbent material.

3. The air contactor according to claim 1, wherein: The air pollutant capture medium includes an air pollutant capture liquid; wherein the air pollutant capture system comprises a support and an air pollutant capture liquid distribution system for providing the air pollutant capture liquid to the support, the air pollutant capture liquid distribution system having a pump and a liquid collection tank; wherein the controller controls the pump to direct the air contaminant capture liquid from the sump to the air contaminant capture medium in the process fluid cooling and air contaminant capture mode; and Wherein the controller prevents the pump from directing the air contaminant capture liquid from the sump to the support in the process fluid cooling mode.

4. The air contactor according to claim 1, wherein: The air pollutant capture medium includes an air pollutant capture liquid; wherein the air pollutant capture system comprises a liquid absorbent material and an air pollutant capture liquid distribution system, the air pollutant capture liquid distribution system being operable to provide the air pollutant capture liquid or water to the liquid absorbent material; wherein the controller controls the air contaminant capture liquid distribution system to provide the air contaminant capture liquid to the liquid absorbent material in the process fluid cooling and air contaminant capture mode; wherein the controller controls the air contaminant capture liquid distribution system to provide the water to the liquid absorbent material in the process fluid cooling mode.

5. The air contactor according to claim 1, wherein: the heat exchanger comprising an indirect heat exchanger and an adiabatic cooler located upstream of the indirect heat exchanger, the indirect heat exchanger being configured to transfer heat between the process fluid and the gas stream; wherein the controller has adiabatic precooling, process fluid cooling, and air pollutant capture modes, wherein the controller is configured to: controlling the adiabatic cooler to precool the airflow upstream of the indirect heat exchanger; controlling the fan assembly to facilitate the indirect heat exchanger to transfer heat between the process fluid and the gas stream; and The air pollutant capture system is controlled to remove air pollutants from the air stream.

6. The air contactor of claim 1, further comprising a dehumidifier located upstream of the air pollutant capture system; wherein the controller has dehumidification, process fluid cooling, and air pollutant capture modes, wherein the controller is configured to: controlling the dehumidifier to dehumidify the airflow upstream of the air pollutant capture system; controlling the fan assembly to facilitate the heat exchanger to transfer heat between the process fluid and the gas stream; and The air pollutant capture system is controlled to remove air pollutants from the air stream.

7. The air contactor according to claim 1, wherein: The controller has an air contaminant capture mode wherein the heat exchanger transfers less heat between the process fluid and the air than when the controller is in the process fluid cooling mode.

8. The air contactor according to claim 1, wherein: The air pollutant capture system comprises at least one of the following: Liquid solvent-based air pollutant capture systems; Air pollutant capture systems based on solid sorbents; Electrochemical-based air pollutant capture systems; and Membrane-based air pollutant capture systems.

9. The air contactor according to claim 1, wherein: The air pollutant capture medium includes an air pollutant capture liquid; wherein the heat exchanger comprises an indirect heat exchanger, an adiabatic precooler, and a heat exchanger liquid loop, the heat exchanger liquid loop comprising a first pump and a first sump associated with the adiabatic precooler; wherein the air pollutant capture system comprises an air pollutant capture liquid loop, the air pollutant capture liquid loop comprising a second liquid collection tank and a second pump; wherein said heat exchanger liquid circuit and said air pollutant capture liquid circuit are independent of each other; and The controller controls the first pump to circulate the heat exchanger liquid in the heat exchanger liquid loop and controls the second pump to circulate the air capture liquid in the air capture liquid loop in the process fluid cooling and air capture mode.

10. The air contactor according to claim 1, wherein: The air pollutant capture system comprises: a fluid for receiving the air pollutant; a fluid regeneration system for removing air pollutants from the fluid; and A thermal energy storage device is operable to provide heat to the fluid recovery system.

11. The air contactor according to claim 1, wherein: The air contaminant capture system includes an air contaminant capture media located downstream of the heat exchanger to remove air contaminants from the gas stream after the heat exchanger has transferred heat between the gas stream and the process fluid.

12. The air contactor according to claim 1, wherein: The air pollutant capture system comprises: a fluid for receiving the air pollutant; a fluid regeneration system for removing air pollutants from the fluid; and A mechanical cooler comprising at least one of a heat pump and a chiller is operable to provide heat to the fluid regeneration system.

13. The air contactor according to claim 12, wherein: The mechanical cooler comprises: a first heat exchanger for transferring heat between the fluid and a mechanical cooler fluid; and A second heat exchanger is provided for transferring heat between the mechanical cooler fluid and a regenerator fluid of the regenerator.

14. The air contactor according to claim 1, wherein: The air pollutant capture system comprises: an air pollutant capture device configured to transfer said air pollutants from said air flow to a fluid; a regenerator operable to remove air contaminants from the fluid; and A mechanical cooler comprising at least one of a heat pump and a chiller having a heat dissipation portion operable to reject heat to an airflow upstream of the air pollutant capture media and a heat absorption portion operable to absorb heat associated with the regenerator.

15. The air contactor according to claim 1, wherein: The air inlet includes a plurality of air inlets; a damper associated with the air inlet; and The controller is connected to the damper and is operable to selectively open and close the air inlet to facilitate the air flow to bypass the heat exchanger or the air pollutant capture system.

16. The air contactor of claim 1 further comprising a drift eliminator for reducing drift in the air flow between the heat exchanger and the air contaminant capture system.

17. The air contactor of claim 1, further comprising a single external structure, the single external structure comprising the air inlet and the air outlet; wherein said heat exchanger is located within said single external structure; and wherein the air pollutant capture system comprises an air pollutant capture device located in the single external structure.

18. The air contactor according to claim 1, wherein: The air inlet comprises a first air inlet and a second air inlet; wherein the airflow comprises a first airflow and a second airflow; wherein the controller controls the fan assembly in the process fluid cooling and air contaminant capture mode to: contacting the first airflow with the air pollutant capture system as the first airflow travels from the first air inlet to the air outlet; and The second airflow is brought into contact with the heat exchanger as it travels from the second air inlet to the air outlet.

19. The air contactor according to claim 1, wherein: The air pollutant capture media includes a membrane configured to be selectively permeable to the air pollutants.

20. The air contactor according to claim 1, wherein: The air pollutant is carbon dioxide.

21. The air contactor according to claim 1, wherein the air pollutant is carbon dioxide (CO2), methane (CH4), volatile organic compounds (VOC), volatile halogenated organic carbons (VOX), or a combination thereof.

22. An air contactor, comprising: a fan assembly operable to generate an air flow; an indirect heat exchanger configured to exchange heat between the gas stream and a process fluid; a liquid absorbent material configured to allow the gas flow to travel through the liquid absorbent material; a liquid dispensing system including a source of air pollutant capture liquid, the liquid dispensing system being configured to provide an air pollutant capture solution from the air pollutant capture liquid supply to the liquid absorbent material; and a controller operably connected to the fan assembly and the liquid dispensing assembly, the controller being configured to: controlling the liquid distribution system to provide the air pollutant capture solution to the liquid absorbent material; and The fan assembly is controlled to direct the airflow through the liquid absorbent material having the air pollutant capture solution so that the air pollutant capture solution removes air pollutants from the airflow and a portion of water of the air pollutant capture solution evaporates.

23. The air contactor according to claim 22, wherein: The controller has a process fluid cooling and air contaminant capture mode, wherein the controller is configured to: controlling the liquid distribution system to provide the air pollutant capture solution to the liquid absorbent material; controlling the fan assembly to flow air through the liquid absorbent material having the air pollutant capture solution; and controlling the fan assembly to cause air to contact the indirect heat exchanger; wherein the controller has a process fluid cooling mode, wherein the controller: controlling the liquid distribution system to provide less air contaminant capture solution to the liquid absorbent material than when the controller is in the process fluid cooling and air contaminant capture mode; and The fan assembly is controlled to direct air into contact with the indirect heat exchanger.

24. The air contactor according to claim 22, wherein: The liquid dispensing system further comprises a water supply, the liquid dispensing system being operable to provide the air pollutant capture solution or water from the water supply to the liquid absorbent material; wherein the controller has a process fluid cooling and air contaminant capture mode, wherein the controller is configured to: controlling the liquid distribution system to provide the air pollutant capture solution to the liquid absorbent material; controlling the fan assembly to flow air through the liquid absorbent material having the air pollutant capture solution; and controlling the fan assembly to cause air to contact the indirect heat exchanger; wherein the controller has a process fluid cooling mode, wherein the controller: controlling the liquid distribution system to supply water from the water supply device to the liquid absorbing material; controlling the fan assembly to flow air through the liquid absorbing material with water from a water supply; and The fan assembly is controlled to direct air into contact with the indirect heat exchanger.

25. The air contactor of claim 22, further comprising a dehumidifier located upstream of the liquid absorbent material; The controller is operatively connected to the dehumidifier and is configured to control the dehumidifier to dehumidify air upstream of the liquid absorbent material.

26. The air contactor according to claim 22, wherein: The liquid absorbing material comprises a pad.

27. The air contactor according to claim 22, wherein: The air pollutant capture solution supply device includes a liquid collection tank and a pump.

28. The air contactor according to claim 22, wherein: The air pollutant is carbon dioxide (CO2).

29. The air contactor according to claim 22, wherein: The air pollutant is carbon dioxide (CO2), methane (CH4), volatile organic compounds (VOC), volatile halogenated organic carbons (VOX) or a combination thereof.

30. An air contactor comprising: an airflow generator operable to generate an airflow; Air pollutant capture systems, including: an air pollutant capture device for transferring air pollutants from said air stream to a fluid; a fluid regeneration device configured to remove air pollutants from the fluid using heat from a heat source; and a thermal energy storage device operable to receive heat from the fluid or to provide heat to the fluid regeneration device; The air pollutant capture system has: a regeneration and charging mode, wherein the fluid regeneration device receives heat from the heat source, the fluid regeneration device removes air pollutants from the fluid, and the thermal energy storage receives heat from the fluid; and a regeneration and discharge mode, wherein the fluid regeneration device receives heat from the thermal energy storage and the fluid regeneration device removes air pollutants from the fluid; and A controller is operably connected to the air pollutant capture system, the controller being configured to operate the air pollutant capture system in the regeneration and discharge mode in response to determining that the air pollutant capture system in the regeneration and discharge mode meets an operating standard.

31. The air contactor according to claim 30, wherein: The operating criteria include the fluid regeneration device being able to remove airborne contaminants from the fluid even if the heat source is unable to provide sufficient heat to operate the fluid regeneration device.

32. The air contactor according to claim 30, wherein: The operating criteria include energy conservation.

33. The air contactor according to claim 30, wherein: The controller is configured to operate the air pollutant capture system in the regeneration and charging mode in response to determining that the heat source is capable of providing sufficient heat for the fluid regeneration process and determining that the thermal energy storage has an insufficient charge.

34. The air contactor according to claim 30, wherein: The air pollutant capture system has a regeneration mode wherein: The fluid regeneration device receives heat from the heat source, the fluid regeneration device removes air pollutants from the fluid, and the thermal energy storage receives less heat from the fluid than when the air pollutant capture system is in the regeneration and charging mode.

35. The air contactor according to claim 30, wherein: The air pollutant capture system includes a pump operable to pump a heat transfer fluid between the thermal energy storage and the fluid regeneration device; and Wherein, when the air pollutant capture system is in the regeneration and discharge mode, the pump pumps heat transfer fluid between the thermal energy storage and the fluid regeneration device so that the fluid regeneration device receives heat from the thermal energy storage.

36. The air contactor according to claim 30, wherein: The air pollutant capture system includes a valve located intermediate the fluid regeneration device and the thermal energy storage; wherein when the air pollutant capture system is in the regeneration and charging mode, the valve has a first configuration wherein the valve directs the fluid from the fluid regeneration device to the thermal energy storage; and Wherein, when the air pollutant capture system is in the regeneration and discharge mode, the valve has a second configuration wherein the fluid bypasses the thermal energy storage.

37. The air contactor according to claim 30, wherein: The thermal energy storage device comprises a plurality of thermal energy storage devices; and Wherein, when the air pollutant capture system is in the regeneration and discharge mode, the fluid regeneration device receives heat from the thermal energy storage.

38. The air contactor according to claim 30, wherein: The thermal energy storage comprises a first thermal energy storage and a second thermal energy storage; wherein the air pollutant capture system has regeneration, charging and discharging modes, wherein: The fluid regeneration device receives heat from the heat source; The fluid regeneration device removes air pollutants from the fluid; The first thermal energy storage receives heat from the fluid; and The fluid regeneration device receives heat from the second thermal energy storage.

39. The air contactor according to claim 38, wherein: The controller is configured to operate the air pollutant capture system in the regeneration, charging and discharging modes in response to: determining that the heat source is unable to provide sufficient heat to the fluid regeneration device; and It is determined that the charge of the first thermal energy store is insufficient and the charge of the second thermal energy store is sufficient.

40. The air contactor according to claim 30, wherein: The fluid regeneration device includes an endothermic regeneration device configured to receive fluid from the air pollutant capture device.

41. The air contactor according to claim 40, wherein: The air pollution capture fluid regeneration device also includes an exothermic regeneration process configured to receive fluid from the endothermic regeneration device.

42. The air contactor according to claim 30, wherein: The air pollutant capture system includes a heat source thermal energy storage; wherein the air pollutant capture system has regeneration, charging and heat source activation modes, wherein: The fluid regeneration device receives heat from the heat source and removes air pollutants from the fluid; The thermal energy storage receives heat from the fluid; and The heat source thermal energy storage receives heat from the heat source; wherein the air pollutant capture system has regeneration, charging and heat source inactive modes, wherein: The fluid regeneration device receives heat from the heat source thermal energy storage and removes air pollutants from the fluid; and The thermal energy storage receives heat from the fluid.

43. The air contactor according to claim 30, wherein: The air pollutant capture system includes a heat source thermal energy storage; wherein the air pollutant capture system has regeneration, charging and heat source activation modes, wherein: The fluid regeneration device receives heat from the heat source and removes air pollutants from the fluid; The thermal energy storage receives heat from the fluid; and The heat source thermal energy storage receives heat from the heat source; wherein the air pollutant capture system has regeneration, discharge and heat source inactive modes, wherein: The fluid regeneration device: receiving heat from the heat source thermal energy storage; receiving heat from the thermal energy storage; and Airborne contaminants are removed from the fluid.

44. The air contactor according to claim 30, wherein: The air pollutant capture media comprises a solid sorbent and the fluid comprises a gas.

45. The air contactor according to claim 30, wherein: The airflow generator includes a fan assembly operably connected to the controller.

46. ​​The air contactor according to claim 30, wherein: The fluid regeneration device includes at least one of a heat pump and a cooler.

47. The air contactor according to claim 30, wherein: The fluid is configured to chemically react with carbon dioxide (CO 2 ) in the gas stream to remove CO 2 from the gas stream.

48. The air contactor according to claim 30, wherein: The air pollutant is carbon dioxide (CO2), methane (CH4), volatile organic compounds (VOC), volatile halogenated organic carbons (VOX) or a combination thereof.

49. An air contactor comprising: a fan assembly for generating airflow; An air pollutant capture system comprising: an air pollutant capture device for transferring air pollutants from said air stream to a fluid; a fluid regeneration device configured to remove air pollutants from the fluid; and a mechanical heat generator including at least one of a chiller and a heat pump, the mechanical heat generator configured to receive a process fluid at a first temperature from an industrial process and to receive a heat transfer fluid from the air pollutant capture system; The mechanical heat generator is operable to raise the temperature of the heat transfer fluid to a second temperature higher than the first temperature and return the heat transfer fluid to the fluid regeneration device at the second temperature to facilitate the fluid regeneration device in removing air pollutants from the fluid.

50. The air contactor of claim 49, further comprising a heat exchanger configured to transfer heat between the process fluid and the gas stream.

51. The air contactor according to claim 49, wherein: The heat exchanger is located downstream of the air contaminant capture device such that the heat exchanger transfers heat between the process fluid and the gas stream after the fluid removes the air contaminants from the gas stream.

52. An air contactor according to claim 49, wherein the air pollutant capture device comprises a liquid absorbent material.

53. The air contactor according to claim 49, wherein: The mechanical heat generator comprises: a first heat exchanger configured to transfer heat between the process fluid and a mechanical heat generator fluid; a second heat exchanger configured to transfer heat between the mechanical heat generator fluid and the heat transfer fluid; expansion valve; and compressor.

54. The air contactor according to claim 49, wherein: The mechanical heat generator includes the cooler.

55. The air contactor according to claim 49, wherein: The mechanical heat generator includes the heat pump.

56. The air contactor according to claim 49, wherein: The fluid is configured to chemically react with the air pollutants to remove the air pollutants from the air flow.

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