Systems and methods for carbon capture

Abstract

The system includes a gas treatment system having a gas capture system which includes an absorber, a stripper, a gas circuit through the absorber, and an absorbing fluid circuit through the absorber and stripper. The absorbing fluid is configured to absorb unwanted gases from the gas flowing along the gas circuit, and the stripper is configured to remove unwanted gases from the solvent. The gas treatment system also includes a steam circuit coupled to the stripper of the gas capture system, the steam circuit is configured to supply steam to the stripper from a heat recovery steam generator (HRSG) and / or a steam turbine system.

Description

[Technical Field]

[0001] This application relates to a system and method for capturing undesirable gases, such as carbon-containing gases, generally associated with power plants. [Background technology]

[0002] Industrial plants, such as power plants, may generate various gases, including exhaust gases from combustion systems. Combustion systems may include gas turbine engines, reciprocating piston cylinder engines, furnaces, boilers, or other industrial equipment. These exhaust gases may contain one or more undesirable gases, such as acidic gases and / or greenhouse gases. For example, undesirable gases include carbon oxides such as carbon dioxide (CO2) and carbon monoxide (CO2). X ), nitrogen oxides such as nitrogen dioxide (NO2) (NO X ), as well as sulfur oxides such as sulfur dioxide (SO2) (SO2) X ) may contain CO2. CO2 is both an acidic gas and a greenhouse gas. Unfortunately, the amount of CO2 in the atmosphere has generally increased over thousands of years, and is now above approximately 420 parts per million by volume (ppmv) or 643 parts per million by weight (ppmw) in the atmosphere. Due to various regulations and environmental concerns regarding global warming, it would be desirable to reduce the emission of undesirable gases (e.g., CO2) into the atmosphere, particularly from equipment that consumes hydrocarbon fuels, such as combustion systems. [Prior art documents] [Patent Documents]

[0003] [Patent Document 1] U.S. Patent Application Publication No. 2021 / 079823A1 [Overview of the project]

[0004] Specific embodiments that coincide with the subject matter and scope originally claimed are summarized below. These embodiments are not intended to limit the scope of the claimed embodiments, but rather to provide a brief overview of possible forms of the subject matter. In fact, the claimed embodiments may encompass a variety of forms that may be similar to or different from the embodiments described below.

[0005] The system includes a gas treatment system having a gas capture system which includes an absorber, a stripper, a gas circuit through the absorber, and an absorbing fluid circuit through the absorber and stripper. The absorbing fluid is configured to absorb unwanted gases from the gas flowing along the gas circuit, and the stripper is configured to remove unwanted gases from the solvent. The gas treatment system also includes a steam circuit coupled to the stripper of the gas capture system, the steam circuit is configured to supply steam to the stripper from a heat recovery steam generator (HRSG) and / or a steam turbine system.

[0006] The system includes a controller configured to control the gas capture system of the gas processing system to capture undesirable gases from the gas. The gas capture system includes an absorber, a stripper, a gas circuit through the absorber, and an absorbing fluid circuit through the absorber and stripper. The absorbing fluid is configured to absorb undesirable gases from the gas flowing along the gas circuit, and the stripper is configured to remove undesirable gases from the solvent. The controller is also configured to control the supply of steam through the steam circuit to the stripper from a heat recovery steam generator (HRSG) and / or steam turbine system, and the steam circuit is coupled to the stripper of the gas capture system.

[0007] The method includes controlling a gas capture system of a gas processing system to capture undesirable gases from a gas. The gas capture system includes an absorber, a stripper, a gas circuit through the absorber, and an absorbing fluid circuit through the absorber and stripper. The absorbing fluid is configured to absorb undesirable gases from the gas flowing along the gas circuit, and the stripper is configured to remove undesirable gases from a solvent. The method also includes controlling the supply of steam from a heat recovery steam generator (HRSG) and / or a steam turbine system to the stripper through a steam circuit, the steam circuit being coupled to the stripper of the gas capture system.

[0008] These and other features, aspects, and advantages of the techniques disclosed herein will be better understood when the modes for carrying out the invention described below are read with reference to the accompanying drawings, in which similar reference numerals throughout the drawings represent similar parts. [Brief explanation of the drawing]

[0009] [Figure 1] This is a schematic diagram of one embodiment of a combined cycle power plant having a gas turbine system, a heat recovery steam generator (HRSG), a steam turbine system, and a multi-stage gas processing system having multiple gas capture systems configured to capture undesirable gases (e.g., CO2). [Figure 2] This is a schematic diagram of one embodiment of the gas capture system in the multi-stage gas processing system shown in Figure 1, which illustrates an adsorbent-based gas capture system. [Figure 3] This is a schematic diagram of one embodiment of the gas capture system in the multi-stage gas processing system shown in Figure 1, which illustrates a solvent-based gas capture system. [Figure 4] Figure 1 is a schematic diagram of an embodiment of a combined cycle power plant, further illustrating an embodiment of a gas capture system that includes multiple vapor circuits supporting a solvent-based gas capture system. [Modes for carrying out the invention]

[0010] One or more specific embodiments of the systems disclosed herein are described below. In our efforts to provide a concise description of these embodiments, not all features of actual implementations may be described herein. It should be understood that in developing any such actual implementation, as in any engineering or design project, numerous implementation-specific decisions must be made to achieve the developer's specific objectives, such as complying with system-related and business-related constraints, which may differ from implementation to implementation. Furthermore, it should be understood that such development efforts, while complex and time-consuming, are still routine design, fabrication, and manufacturing tasks for those skilled in the art who are interested in this disclosure.

[0011] When describing elements of various embodiments of the embodiments disclosed herein, the articles “a,” “an,” “the,” and “said” indicate that one or more elements exist. The terms “equip,” “include,” and “have” are intended to be comprehensive and mean that further elements other than those listed may exist.

[0012] The disclosed embodiments include systems and methods for reducing the carbon footprint of combustion systems, such as combustion-driven power plants. For example, the disclosed embodiments can reduce the carbon footprint of a power plant to at least carbon neutral or carbon negative. However, the disclosed embodiments are not limited to carbon neutral or carbon negative footprints, and therefore any reduction in the carbon footprint of a power plant is within the scope of the disclosed embodiments. In the context of this application, any reference to carbon neutral or carbon negative targets or goals is intended as a non-limiting example.

[0013] Carbon neutrality is a state of virtually zero CO2 emissions, where the amount of CO2 in the exhaust gas is equal to the amount of CO2 in the incoming air entering the process. Carbon negative is a state of virtually negative CO2 emissions, where the amount of CO2 in the exhaust gas is less than the amount of CO2 in the incoming air entering the process. Although the disclosed embodiments are illustrated and described in the context of CO2 removal for combustion systems, the disclosed embodiments also include carbon oxides such as CO2 and CO (CO2). X ), nitrogen oxides such as NO2 (NO X ), sulfur oxides such as SO2 (SO X ), as well as any other undesirable gases, including but not limited to, various other acidic gases and / or greenhouse gases. Combustion systems may be associated with combined cycle power plants, simple cycle gas turbine engines, reciprocating piston cylinder engines, furnaces, boilers, or other industrial equipment, as described below. A combined cycle power plant may include a gas turbine engine that drives a generator, a heat recovery steam generator (HRSG) that uses heat from the exhaust gases of the gas turbine engine to produce steam, and a steam turbine system that is driven by steam to drive the generator.

[0014] With the foregoing in mind, the disclosed embodiments may include a plurality of gas treatment steps configured to remove undesirable gases (e.g., CO2) from the intake and / or exhaust gases of a combustion system. The plurality of gas treatment steps may include one or more gas treatment systems located upstream of the compressor and / or combustor, one or more gas treatment systems located downstream of the gas turbine and / or HRSG, or a combination thereof. The gas treatment systems may include adsorbent gas treatment systems, solvent gas treatment systems, or a combination thereof. For example, an adsorbent gas treatment system is configured to adsorb undesirable gases onto an adsorbent material, and then desorb the undesirable gases from the adsorbent material using a heat source (e.g., steam from an HRSG, steam from a steam turbine system, or another steam source). The adsorption process is exothermic, while the desorption process is endothermic. As a further example, a solvent-based gas treatment system may include an absorber configured to absorb unwanted gases into a solvent, and a regenerator or stripper configured to remove the unwanted gases from the solvent using vapor (e.g., vapor from an HRSG, vapor from a vapor turbine system, or other vapor source). Although solvent-based gas treatment systems are described as using a solvent as the absorption fluid, the disclosed embodiments may use any suitable absorption fluid for capturing unwanted gases. Thus, solvent-based gas treatment systems may also be described as fluid absorption gas treatment systems. In both types of gas treatment systems, vapor from an HRSG, a vapor turbine system, and / or other vapor source may be used to facilitate the removal and capture of unwanted gases (e.g., CO2).

[0015] As will be described in more detail below, the steam used in the gas processing system may be extracted from one or more locations across the HRSG, steam turbine system, and other steam sources. For example, steam may be extracted from the HRSG at any extraction point having a temperature and pressure suitable for the gas processing system. In some embodiments, steam may be extracted from the HRSG at a steam extraction location located upstream or downstream of a first pressure section (e.g., a high-pressure (HP) section), a second pressure section (e.g., an intermediate-pressure (IP) section), a third pressure section (e.g., a low-pressure (LP) section), a fourth pressure section (e.g., a further LP section), or any combination thereof. Furthermore, in some embodiments, steam may be extracted from a steam turbine system at a steam extraction location located upstream or downstream of a high-pressure (HP) steam turbine, an intermediate-pressure (IP) steam turbine, a low-pressure (LP) steam turbine, a further-pressure steam turbine, or any combination thereof. Steam may also be extracted from one or more other steam sources, particularly when steam is already available for other purposes within the power plant. In certain embodiments, when steam is extracted in the fourth LP section of the HRSG, the LP steam turbine, or the steam flow path between the IP steam turbine and the LP steam turbine, the low-pressure steam may have a pressure in the range of about 1.1 to 10 bar. However, the low-pressure steam may have a pressure in the range of about 1.1 to 7 bar, 1.2 to 6 bar, 1.3 to 5 bar, 1.4 to 4 bar, or 1.5 to 2 bar. For example, the low-pressure steam may have a pressure of less than 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, or 10 bar. The steam may be transferred to a gas treatment system for use in desorption of undesirable gases from adsorbent materials and for removal of undesirable gases from solvents (or other absorbent fluids). Further details of the use of steam in gas treatment systems are presented below.

[0016] In some embodiments, in one or both types of gas treatment systems, one or more types of waste heat recovery may be used as a heat source for the removal and capture of unwanted gases (e.g., CO2). For example, the gas treatment system may use waste heat recovered from the cooling of one or more generators, waste heat recovered from the cooling (or intercooling) of compressed gas in one or more compressors, waste heat recovered from the cooling of other equipment in a combined cycle power plant, or a combination thereof. Various aspects and embodiments of the gas treatment system are described in further detail below.

[0017] FIG. 1 is a schematic diagram of one embodiment of a combined cycle power plant 10 having a gas turbine system 12, a heat recovery steam generator (HRSG) 14, a steam turbine system 16, and a multi-stage gas treatment system 18. As described in further detail below, the multi-stage gas treatment system 18 is configured to treat one or more intake and / or exhaust gases within the combined cycle power plant 10, and steam may be extracted from the HRSG 14 and the steam turbine system 16 for use in the desorption and / or removal of unwanted gases within the gas treatment system 18. Various features and stages of the gas treatment system 18 are described in further detail below, and the various features and stages may be used in any suitable combination with each other. However, prior to proceeding to the gas treatment system 18, the combined cycle power plant 10 is described as one possible scenario for using the gas treatment system 18.

[0018] The cycle of the gas turbine system 12 is often called the “topping cycle,” and the cycle of the steam turbine system 16 is often called the “bottoming cycle.” By combining these two cycles as shown in Figure 1, the combined cycle power plant 10 can achieve greater efficiency in both cycles. In particular, the waste heat from the topping cycle may be captured and used to generate steam in the HRSG 14 for use in the bottoming cycle. However, the HRSG 14 may be configured to generate and supply steam for other uses in the combined cycle power plant 10, including a gas treatment system 18. For example, the gas treatment system 18 may be configured to use at least a portion of the steam generated in the HRSG 14 and / or flowing through the steam turbine system 16 to facilitate the separation and capture of undesirable gases, such as carbon capture (e.g., CO2 capture) in adsorbent gas treatment systems and / or solvent gas treatment systems. For example, steam may be extracted from one or more steam extraction locations having suitable steam at low or medium pressure. In solvent-based gas treatment systems, vapor may be used to heat the solvent to remove undesirable gases from it. In adsorbent-based gas treatment systems, vapor may be used to heat the adsorbent material to remove undesirable gases from it.

[0019] As illustrated, the gas turbine engine 12 includes an intake section 20, a compressor section 22, a combustor section 24, a turbine section 26, and a load 28 such as a generator. The intake section 20 may include one or more air filters, an anti-icing system, a fluid injection system (e.g., temperature control fluid), a silencer baffle, or any combination thereof. The compressor section 22 includes a plurality of compressor stages 30, each having a plurality of rotary compressor blades 32 coupled to a compressor shaft 38 and a plurality of stationary compressor vanes 34 coupled to a compressor casing 36. The combustor section 24 includes one or more combustors 40. The shaft 42 extends between the compressor section 22 and the turbine section 26. Each combustor 40 includes one or more fuel nozzles 44 coupled to one or more fuel sources 46, which can supply fuel via a primary fuel circuit and a secondary fuel circuit. The fuel source 46 can supply natural gas, synthesis gas, biofuels, fuel oil, or any combination of liquid and gaseous fuels. The turbine section 26 includes a plurality of turbine stages 56, each having a plurality of rotating turbine blades 48 coupled to a turbine shaft 54 ​​and a plurality of stationary turbine vanes 50 coupled to a turbine casing 52. The turbine shaft 54 ​​is also connected to the load 28 via the shaft 58.

[0020] During operation, the gas turbine system 12 transfers an intake air flow 60 from the intake section 20 to the compressor section 22. The compressor section 22 gradually compresses the intake air flow 60 in stages 30 and delivers a compressed air flow 62 to one or more combustors 40. One or more combustors 40 receive fuel from a fuel supply source 46, transfer the fuel through fuel nozzles 44, and burn the fuel with the compressed air flow 62 to generate high-temperature combustion gases in a combustion chamber 64 within the combustor 40. Next, one or more combustors 40 transfer a high-temperature combustion gas flow 66 to the turbine section 26. The turbine section 26 gradually expands the high-temperature combustion gas flow 66 and drives the rotation of turbine blades 48 in stage 56 before discharging an exhaust gas flow 68. When the high-temperature combustion gas flow 66 drives the rotation of the turbine blades 48, the turbine blades 48 drive the rotation of a turbine shaft 54, shafts 42 and 58, and a compressor shaft 38. Thus, the turbine section 26 drives the rotation of the compressor section 22 and the load 28. The exhaust gas flow 68 may be partially or wholly directed to flow through the HRSG 14 to enable heat recovery and steam generation. In certain embodiments, one or more additional gas turbine engines 12 may be included as part of the combined cycle power plant 10, and the additional gas turbine engines 12 may discharge an exhaust gas flow 68 to the HRSG 14. Thus, an aggregated exhaust gas flow 68 from the gas turbine engines 12 (e.g., 1, 2, 3, 4, or more) can pass through the HRSG 14 to generate steam for the steam turbine system 16, and then the exhaust gas flow 68 is processed by the gas treatment system 18.

[0021] The HRSG14 may include multiple heat exchangers and / or heat exchange components 70 arranged in different sections, such as a first pressure section 72 (e.g., a high-pressure (HP) section), a second pressure section 74 (e.g., an intermediate-pressure (IP) section), and a third pressure section 76 (e.g., a low-pressure (LP) section, such as a first LP section). In some embodiments, the HRSG14 may include additional pressure sections, such as a fourth pressure section 77 (e.g., an auxiliary or second low-pressure (LP) section) having a lower pressure than the LP section 76, as shown in Figure 4. As will be described in more detail below, one or more of the first, second, third, and fourth pressure sections may be configured to provide vapor suitable for use in a gas processing system 18, such as for use as a heat source to enable the desorption of undesirable gases from an adsorbent material and / or for use in one or more of the gas capture systems 160 (e.g., 162, 164, and 166). In certain embodiments, a fourth pressure section (e.g., a heat exchanger and / or heat exchange component 70) may be configured to generate low-pressure steam for the gas processing system 18 while simultaneously cooling the exhaust gas flow 68 to a temperature range suitable for gas capture in the gas capture systems 164 and 166 (e.g., within upper and lower temperature thresholds). The temperature range is suitable for capturing undesirable gases, fuel contaminants, and NO in the exhaust gas flow 68. XThe acid dew point, the temperature margin above the acid dew point, and other considerations may be determined by the following. With the acid dew point in mind, the fourth pressure section may include corrosion-resistant materials used in the construction of the heat exchanger and heat exchange components 70 (e.g., materials for surface-mounted components and / or coatings). Corrosion-resistant materials may include, for example, nickel, cobalt, palladium, platinum, and combinations and alloys thereof, including stainless steel and nickel-based alloys. In certain embodiments, the temperature range may correspond to the water vapor condensation range. For example, the temperature range may be about 50°C ± 1°C, 2°C, 3°C, 4°C, 5°C, 6°C, 7°C, 8°C, 9°C, or 10°C. In certain embodiments, a fourth pressure section within the HRSG14 is configured to cool the exhaust gas flow 68 to a temperature range suitable for the gas capture systems 164 and 166, thereby eliminating or miniaturizing the cooling system (e.g., direct contact coolers (DCCs) and / or indirect coolers) along the exhaust path of the exhaust gas flow 68 between the HRSG14 and the gas capture systems 164 and 166.

[0022] The components 70 may include economizers, evaporators, superheaters, or any combination thereof within each of the HP section 72, IP section 74, and LP section 76. The components 70 may be coupled together via various conduits and headers, so that the HRSG 14 can transfer one or more flows of steam (e.g., low-pressure steam, medium-pressure steam, and high-pressure steam) to the steam turbine system 16. In the illustrated embodiment, the components 70 of the HRSG 14 include a finish high-pressure superheater 78, a secondary reheater 80, a primary reheater 82, a primary high-pressure superheater 84, an interstage overheat prevention device 86, an interstage overheat prevention device 88, a high-pressure evaporator 90 (HP EVAP), a high-pressure economizer 92 (HP ECON), a medium-pressure evaporator 94 (IP EVAP), a medium-pressure economizer 96 (IP ECON), a low-pressure evaporator 98 (LP EVAP), and a low-pressure economizer 100 (LP ECON). HRSG14 also includes a housing or duct 102 that accommodates various components 70. The functions of the components 70 are described in more detail below.

[0023] The steam turbine system 16 includes a steam turbine 104 having a high-pressure steam turbine (HP ST) 106, an intermediate-pressure steam turbine (IP ST) 108, and a low-pressure steam turbine (LP ST) 110 coupled to each other via shafts 112 and 114. Furthermore, the steam turbine 104 may be coupled to a load 116 via shaft 118. The load 116 may include a generator, as well as a load 28. The HRSG 14 may be configured to produce high-pressure steam for the high-pressure steam turbine 106, intermediate-pressure steam for the intermediate-pressure steam turbine 108, and low-pressure steam for the low-pressure steam turbine 110. In certain embodiments, exhaust from the high-pressure steam turbine 106 may be transferred to the intermediate-pressure steam turbine 108 through a primary reheater 82, an interstage superheat protection device 88, and a secondary reheater 80 within the HRSG 14, and exhaust from the intermediate-pressure steam turbine 108 may be transferred to the low-pressure steam turbine 110. The steam turbine 104 may discharge condensate 120 (or the steam may be condensed in a condenser 122 downstream from the steam turbine 104), and as a result, the condensate 120 can be pumped back to the HRSG 14 via one or more pumps 124.

[0024] During operation, the exhaust gas flow 68 passes through the HRSG 14, transferring heat to the components 70 to generate steam for driving the steam turbine 104. The exhaust steam from the low-pressure steam turbine 110 may be led to a condenser 122 to form a condensate 120. The condensate 120 from the condenser 122 may then be led to the low-pressure section 76 of the HRSG 14 with the help of a pump 124. The condensate 120 may then flow through a low-pressure economizer 100, which is configured to heat the feedwater 126 (containing the condensate 120) with the exhaust gas flow 68. From the low-pressure economizer 100, the feedwater 126 may flow into a low-pressure evaporator 98. The feedwater 126 from the low-pressure economizer 100 may then be led towards the intermediate-pressure economizer 96 and the high-pressure economizer 92 with the help of a pump 125. Steam from the low-pressure evaporator 98 may be directed to the low-pressure steam turbine 110. Similarly, feedwater 126 from the intermediate-pressure economizer 96 may be transferred into the intermediate-pressure evaporator 94 and / or toward the high-pressure economizer 92. In addition, steam from the intermediate-pressure economizer 96 may be transferred to the fuel gas heater 95, where the steam may be used to heat the fuel gas for use in the combustion chamber 64 of the gas turbine system 12. Steam from the intermediate-pressure evaporator 94 may be transferred to the intermediate steam turbine 108.

[0025] Feedwater 126 from the high-pressure economizer 92 may be transferred to the high-pressure evaporator 90. Steam from the high-pressure evaporator 90 may be transferred to the primary high-pressure superheater 84 and the finish high-pressure superheater 78, where the steam is superheated and finally transferred to the high-pressure steam turbine 106. An interstage superheat prevention device 86 may be located between the primary high-pressure superheater 84 and the finish high-pressure superheater 78. The interstage superheat prevention device 86 can enable more robust control of the exhaust temperature of the steam from the finish high-pressure superheater 78. Specifically, the interstage superheat prevention device 86 may be configured to control the temperature of the steam leaving the finish high-pressure superheater 78 by injecting a low-temperature feedwater spray into the superheated steam upstream of the finish high-pressure superheater 78 whenever the exhaust temperature of the steam leaving the finish high-pressure superheater 78 exceeds a predetermined value.

[0026] In addition, exhaust from the high-pressure steam turbine 106 may be directed to a primary reheater 82 and a secondary reheater 80, where it may be reheated before being directed to the intermediate-pressure steam turbine 108. The primary reheater 82 and the secondary reheater 80 may also be associated with an interstage overheat prevention device 88 configured to control the exhaust steam temperature from the reheaters. Specifically, the interstage overheat prevention device 88 may be configured to control the temperature of the steam leaving the secondary reheater 80 by injecting a low-temperature feedwater spray into the superheated steam upstream of the secondary reheater 80 whenever the exhaust steam temperature of the steam leaving the secondary reheater 80 exceeds a predetermined value. The arrangement of the components 70 of the HRSG 14 is only one possible example for use in a combined cycle power plant 10 and gas processing system 18, and the components 70 may be arranged differently within the scope of this disclosure.

[0027] The combined cycle power plant 10 further includes a fluid connection system 130 between the stages of the HRSG 14 and the stages of the steam turbine system 16. For example, the fluid connection system 130 includes a high-pressure steam supply conduit or line 132 coupled to the inlet of the finish high-pressure superheater 78 and the high-pressure steam turbine 106, and a discharge or return line 134 coupled to the outlet of the high-pressure steam turbine 106 and the primary reheater 82. The fluid connection system 130 also includes an intermediate-pressure steam supply conduit or line 136 and a discharge or return line 138. The intermediate-pressure steam supply line 136 is fluid-coupled to the outlets of the intermediate-pressure evaporator 94 and the secondary reheater 80, as well as to the inlet of the intermediate-pressure steam turbine 108. The discharge or return line 138 is fluid-coupled to the outlet of the intermediate-pressure steam turbine 108 and to the inlet of the low-pressure steam turbine 110. The fluid connection system 130 also includes a low-pressure steam supply conduit or line 140 and a discharge or return line 142. The low-pressure steam supply line 140 is fluid-coupled to the outlet of the low-pressure evaporator 98 and the discharge or return line 138 from the intermediate-pressure steam turbine 108, as well as to the inlet to the low-pressure steam turbine 110. The discharge or return line 142 is fluid-coupled to the outlet of the low-pressure steam turbine 110 and to the inlet to the low-pressure economizer 100. As described above, the return line 142 includes a condenser 122 and a pump 124.

[0028] The combined cycle power plant 10 may include a control system 144 that is communicatively coupled to a monitoring system 146, and the control system 144 and the monitoring system 146 are communicatively coupled to various components of the gas turbine system 12, HRSG 14, steam turbine system 16, and gas processing system 18. The monitoring system 146 is configured to monitor a number of sensors 148, indicated as "S", distributed throughout the combined cycle power plant 10. The control system 144 includes a controller 150, which includes one or more processors 152, memory 154, and instructions 156 stored in memory 154 and executable by the processors 152 to perform various control functions for operating the gas turbine system 12, HRSG 14, steam turbine system 16, and gas processing system 18. In certain embodiments, the control system 144 may transmit information (e.g., sensor feedback, alerts, alarms, etc.) to a user interface, cloud storage, a remote computer system, or any combination thereof.

[0029] Sensor 148 may be communicably coupled to the control system 144 via a communication wire or wireless communication circuit. Sensor 148 may be located in one or more locations within the intake section 20, compressor section 22, combustor section 24, turbine section 26, HRSG 14, steam turbine system 16, and gas processing system 18. For example, sensor 148 may be located in one or more locations within each of the high-pressure steam turbine 106, intermediate-pressure steam turbine 108, and low-pressure steam turbine 110, thereby enabling monitoring of steam characteristics (e.g., temperature, pressure, etc.) at various locations. Sensor 148 may also be located along each of the lines 132, 134, 136, 138, 140, and 142 of the fluid connection system 130, thereby helping to monitor various fluid parameters between the HRSG 14, steam turbines 106, 108, and 110, as well as the gas processing system 18. Furthermore, the sensor 148 can be coupled to and / or distributed throughout the gas processing system 18 to enable monitoring and control of gas processing (e.g., gas capture) from various intake and / or exhaust flows. In certain embodiments, the sensor 148 may include a flow sensor, a pressure sensor, a temperature sensor, a fluid composition sensor, a flame sensor, a vibration sensor, a clearance sensor, a trip sensor, or any combination thereof. The fluid composition sensor can monitor the composition levels of various undesirable gases, such as carbon oxides (e.g., CO2, CO), nitrogen oxides (e.g., NO2), sulfur oxides (e.g., SO2), and various other acidic gases and / or greenhouse gases, as well as the composition levels of oxygen, hydrogen, and unreacted fuel gas components. Therefore, sensor feedback from sensor 148 may be used to reduce the carbon footprint of the combined cycle power plant 10 by adjusting various aspects of the gas processing system 18 to substantially remove undesirable gases (e.g., CO2), resulting in a carbon footprint reduced to at least below a target threshold (e.g., low carbon, carbon neutral, or carbon negative).Further details of the monitoring and control of the gas treatment system 18 are further described below.

[0030] As will be described in further detail below, the gas treatment system 18 is configured to remove and / or capture one or more undesirable gases (e.g., exhaust gas, acid gas, greenhouse gas, etc.) from the intake air stream 60 to the gas turbine engine 12 (e.g., upstream of the compressor section 22 and / or the combustor section 24) and / or from the exhaust gas stream 68 (e.g., downstream from the turbine section 26 and / or the HRSG 14). The undesirable gases are intended to encompass any gas that may be undesirable in the intake air stream 60 and / or the exhaust gas stream 68. For example, the undesirable gases may include acid gas and / or greenhouse gas. As a further example, the undesirable gases may include carbon oxides such as carbon dioxide (CO2) and carbon monoxide (CO X ), nitrogen oxides (NO X ), sulfur oxides such as sulfur dioxide (SO2) (SO X ), methane (CH4), or any combination thereof, and typically any gas that is normally subject to regulation, although not limited thereto. The disclosed embodiments are particularly well-suited for gas adsorption or gas absorption of CO2 from the intake air stream 60 and / or the exhaust gas stream 68. However, the following description is intended to encompass each of these examples when referring to undesirable gases.

[0031] The gas treatment system 18 may include a plurality of gas capture systems 160 (e.g., gas capture systems 162, 164, and 166) arranged throughout the combined cycle power plant 10 to treat gas flows (e.g., intake flow, fuel flow, exhaust flow, etc.). Each of the gas capture systems 160 (e.g., 162, 164, and 166) may be configured to facilitate gas capture using one or more heat sources, and the gas capture systems 160 may include adsorbent-based gas capture systems, solvent-based gas capture systems, or a combination thereof. As described above, absorption fluids other than solvents may be used for gas treatment. Although solvent-based gas capture systems are described as using solvents as absorption fluids, the disclosed embodiments may use any suitable absorption fluid for capturing undesirable gases. Thus, solvent-based gas treatment systems may also be described as fluid-absorbing gas treatment systems. As described below, the heat source may include a heating fluid 168 (e.g., steam and / or heated water) extracted from the HRSG14 and / or steam turbine system 16 and supplied to the gas capture system 160 via a steam supply system 170 (e.g., a steam supply circuit), waste heat recovered by the waste heat recovery (WHR) system 172 of the combined cycle power plant 10, or a combination thereof. The steam supply system 170 may include steam supply conduits or lines 174 and 176 coupled to the HRSG14 and / or steam turbine system 16 at one or more locations. In the illustrated embodiment, the steam supply lines 174 and 176 may be coupled to the HRSG14 and / or steam turbine system 16 in or between low-pressure and intermediate-pressure sections, such as between the low-pressure steam turbine 110 and the intermediate-pressure steam turbine 108, and / or between the LP section 76 and the IP section 74 of the HRSG14.However, in certain embodiments, the steam supply system 170 may be selectively coupled to one, more, or all of the components of the HRSG 14 (e.g., one or more components or locations in each of the HP section 72, IP section 74, and LP section 76), and / or one, more, or all of the stages of the steam turbine system 16 (e.g., HP steam turbine 106, IP steam turbine 108, and LP steam turbine 110), so that the heating fluid 168 (e.g., steam and / or heated water) can be extracted at one or more pressures, temperatures, or conditions for use in the gas capture system 160. For example, the control system 144 may be configured to control various valves coupled to the steam line to control the steam flow from various components of the HRSG 14 and the stages of the steam turbine system 16. Furthermore, in certain embodiments, the heating fluid 168 (e.g., steam and / or heated water) may be extracted from other sources, such as a waste heat steam generator that uses waste heat from the waste heat recovery system 172 to produce steam. The gas processing system 18 is also configured, via control by the control system 144, to mix steam 18 from various steam sources (e.g., HRSG 14, steam turbine system 16, waste heat recovery system 172, waste heat steam generator, etc.) to provide mixed steam having desired steam characteristics, such as steam temperature and the associated pressure between an upper and lower temperature threshold. In addition, the quality of the steam (saturated or superheated) can be monitored to meet specific heating requirements of the gas processing system 18.

[0032] The control system 144 and the monitoring system 146 are communicatively coupled to the gas processing system 18, which includes various gas capture systems 160, to provide control of the gas processing and gas capture processes, including control of the heating fluid 168 (e.g., steam and / or heated water) used by the gas capture systems 160. Steam can be applied to the gas processing system 18 as indirect heating by a heat exchanger process or as direct heating of a CO2-filled adsorbent or solvent. If the monitoring system 146 (e.g., sensor 148) indicates that the temperature of the extracted heating fluid 168 (e.g., steam and / or heated water) exceeds an upper temperature threshold, the control system 144 may be configured to control the gas processing system 18 to temperature-condition or cool the heating fluid 168 (e.g., via an overheat protection device, cooler, or heat exchanger) to reduce the steam temperature to within the upper and lower temperature thresholds. If a monitoring system 146 (e.g., sensor 148) indicates that the temperature of the extracted heated fluid 168 (e.g., steam and / or heated water) falls below a lower temperature threshold, the control system 144 may be configured to control the gas processing system 18 to heat the heated fluid 168 (e.g., via a heater or heat exchanger) to raise the steam temperature to within upper and lower temperature thresholds. In certain embodiments, the upper and lower temperature thresholds may be approximately 80°C to 120°C for a gas capture system 160 using an adsorbent material (e.g., an adsorbent gas capture system). For temperature adjustment, steam supply lines 174 and 176 may include heat exchangers 178 and 180, respectively, configured to adjust the heated fluid 168 (e.g., steam and / or heated water) supplied to the gas capture system 160. The heat exchangers 178 and 180 may use a different fluid to heat or cool the steam. For example, the waste heat recovery system 172 may be configured to exchange heat with heat exchangers 178 and 180 (for example, via a heat exchange fluid) to heat or cool the heating fluid 168 (for example, steam and / or heated water) until it falls within upper and lower temperature thresholds.The control system 144 can be coupled to various valves, pressure regulators, and sensors 148 to help control the respective flows through the heat exchangers 178 and 180, thereby controlling the heat exchange and the resulting temperature of the heated fluid 168 (e.g., steam and / or heated water). As an addition or alternative, as described above, a waste heat recovery system 172 may be configured to regulate the temperature of the heated fluid 168 by transferring heat between the waste heat and the heated fluid 168 (e.g., steam and / or heated water), such as within a waste heat steam generator. The waste heat recovery system 172 may also be used to improve the efficiency of the combined cycle power plant 10 in other ways, such as supplying heat to other equipment throughout the combined cycle power plant 10.

[0033] The waste heat recovery system 172 may include a plurality of distributed waste heat recovery systems 182, 184, and 186. Waste heat recovery system 182 is coupled to a load 28 (e.g., a generator) of the gas turbine engine 12, waste heat recovery system 184 is coupled to a load 116 (e.g., a generator) of the steam turbine system 16, and waste heat recovery system 186 is coupled to the compression system 188 of the gas processing system 18. The waste heat recovery systems 182, 184, and 186 may include one or more heat exchangers configured to transfer heat between their respective heat-generating components (e.g., 28, 116, and 188) and one or more fluids. For example, each waste heat recovery system 182, 184, and 186 can transfer heat between a first fluid (e.g., coolant and / or lubricant in the heat-generating components 28, 116, and 188) and a second fluid via a first heat exchanger. The second fluid may be water used directly to generate steam in the waste heat steam generator, or a working fluid used indirectly to transfer heat to water (e.g., via a second heat exchanger) to generate steam. In some embodiments, the waste heat recovery system 172 may include one or more dispersed waste heat recovery systems coupled to other machinery and equipment in a combined cycle power plant, including, but not limited to, electric motors, pumps, compressors, chemical reactors, air separation units (ASUs), or any combination thereof. In some embodiments, the waste heat recovery system 172 may be configured to transport a heating fluid (e.g., water, coolant, lubricant, etc.) to supply heat to the gas capture system 160, and the heating fluid may be used alone or in combination with the heating fluid 168 (e.g., steam and / or heated water) as a heat source for the gas capture system 160.

[0034] In certain embodiments, the gas capture systems 160 (e.g., 162, 164, and 166) may be arranged in series (e.g., multi-stage), parallel, or a combination thereof with respect to the direction of flow through the combined cycle power plant 10. However, the illustrated embodiment includes at least two of the gas capture systems 160 arranged in series, and as a result, multi-stage gas capture helps to sequentially reduce the content of undesirable gases to target levels (e.g., low-carbon, net-neutral, or net-negative capture states). For example, the gas treatment system 18 may include only multiple gas capture systems 162, only multiple gas capture systems 164, only multiple gas capture systems 166, a combination of gas capture systems 162 and 164, a combination of gas capture systems 162 and 166, a combination of gas capture systems 164 and 166, all of gas capture systems 162, 164, and 166, or any suitable multi-stage configuration of two, three, four, five, six, seven, eight, nine, ten, or more gas capture systems 160. Furthermore, the multi-stage gas treatment system 18 may include the same or different gas capture systems 160 in various locations, such as different sizes or flow rates, different internal surface areas along the flow paths, different flow rates along the flow paths, different numbers of flow paths, different geometry or meandering configurations of the flow paths, different residence times along the flow paths, different gas capture technologies (e.g., adsorbent-based gas capture and / or solvent-based gas capture), specifications for handling high or low concentrations of undesirable gases, or any combination thereof. For example, gas capture systems 162 and 166 may be designed to handle low concentrations of undesirable gases, while gas capture system 164 may be designed to handle high concentrations of undesirable gases. In some embodiments, the concentration of undesirable gases in gas capture systems 162 and 166 may be more than 100 times lower than in gas capture system 164.

[0035] The gas capture systems 162, 164, and 166 may differ in design and gas handling capabilities, at least partially, due to their arrangement within the combined cycle power plant 10. In the illustrated embodiment, gas capture system 162 is coupled to the combined cycle power plant 10 along the intake flow 60 (e.g., in the intake section 20), and gas capture systems 164 and 166 are coupled to the combined cycle power plant 10 along the exhaust gas flow 68 (e.g., downstream from the turbine section 26). In some embodiments, one or more of the gas capture systems 162, 164, and 166 may be excluded and / or combined as a single gas capture system having multiple stages. For example, gas capture system 162 may be excluded, gas capture systems 164 and 166 may be combined as a single gas capture system having multiple stages, and / or the combined cycle power plant 10 may contain only one of the gas capture systems 164 or 166.

[0036] The gas capture system 162 is configured to capture undesirable gases (e.g., CO2) from the airflow 190 before they enter the gas turbine engine 12 and / or before they are burned therein, and the gas capture system 162 uses a heating fluid 168 (e.g., steam and / or heated water) as a heat source. As will be described in more detail below, the gas capture system 162 may include an adsorbent-based gas capture system, a solvent-based gas capture system, or a combination thereof. An example is presented below with reference to Figures 2 and 3. A steam supply line 174 is coupled to the gas capture system 162 and supplies the heating fluid 168 (e.g., steam and / or heated water) as a steam stream and / or water stream as indicated by arrow 192. As described above, the steam supply system 170 may include one or more steam supply lines (e.g., line 174) coupled at one or more locations to the HRSG 14 and / or steam turbine system 16 so that a heating fluid 168 (e.g., steam and / or heated water) can be supplied to the gas capture system 162 under various conditions (e.g., pressure, temperature, steam content, water content, etc.). As shown in the intake section 20, the gas capture system 162 may be configured to handle the airflow 190 at any location throughout the combined cycle power plant 10, including upstream of the compressor section 22, between the compressor stages 30 of the compressor section 22, downstream of the compressor section 22 and upstream of the combustor section 24, other locations including the airflow, or a combination thereof. In certain embodiments, the gas capture system 162 may be configured to process recirculated exhaust gas (EGR), such as exhaust gas 68 that is recirculated to the compressor section 22, and therefore the gas capture system 162 may be sized to process high concentrations of undesirable gas that are recirculated as part of the EGR process. The gas capture system 162 generally processes the airflow 190 (or EGR flow) that is led into the gas turbine engine 12 to reduce the concentration of undesirable gas, while simultaneously transferring the captured gas 194 to the compressor system 188 via the exhaust conduit or line 196.The discharge line 196 may also include post-treatment equipment such as a dryer 198 configured to remove moisture content from the captured gas 194.

[0037] As further shown in Figure 1, gas capture systems 164 and 166 are coupled to the combined cycle power plant 10 along the exhaust gas flow 68 downstream from the gas turbine section 26 and HRSG 14. In the illustrated location, gas capture systems 164 and 166 are configured to remove undesirable gases from the exhaust gas flow 68 discharged from the gas turbine engine 12 and HRSG 14. In certain embodiments, gas capture systems 164 and 166 may be configured to process exhaust gas flows at any point throughout the combined cycle power plant 10, including the exhaust gas flow upstream from HRSG 14, between sections of HRSG 14 (e.g., HP section 72, IP section 74, and LP section 76), downstream from HRSG 14, exhaust gas flows independent of the exhaust gas flow 68, or any combination thereof. For example, independent exhaust gas flows may originate from other combustion systems, such as furnaces, boilers, reciprocating piston cylinder engines, or any combination thereof. In the illustrated embodiment, the gas capture system 164 is located upstream of the gas capture system 166, and as a result, the gas capture systems 164 and 166 can represent the first and second gas capture stages along the exhaust gas flow 68.

[0038] Along the exhaust gas flow 68, the gas treatment system 18 may include one or more dryers 200, one or more fans 202, and one or more valves 204 along the exhaust passage (e.g., exhaust duct) 206 upstream from the gas capture systems 164 and 166. One or more dryers 200 are configured to remove moisture (e.g., water content or vapor) and dry the exhaust gas flow 68. One or more fans 202 (e.g., electric motor-driven fans) are configured to increase the pressure and / or flow rate of the exhaust gas flow 68. One or more valves 204 are configured to regulate the pressure, flow rate, and / or distribution of the exhaust gas flow 68 to the gas capture systems 164 and 166. In certain embodiments, the illustrated dryers 200, fans 202, and valves 204 are partially or entirely shared by the gas capture systems 164 and 166. However, in some embodiments, one or more dryers 200, fans 202, and valves 204 may be independently located upstream of each of the gas capture systems 164 and 166. The exhaust gas flow 68 flows through each of the gas capture systems 164 and 166 in series to gradually remove undesirable gases and achieve a desired capture amount.

[0039] The gas capture system 164 removes a portion of the undesirable gases from the exhaust gas flow 68 and discharges the treated exhaust gas flow (e.g., upstream or first-stage treated exhaust gas) to the gas capture system 166, discharging the captured gas portion of the captured gas 194 as indicated by the discharge conduit or line 208. As will be described in more detail below, the gas capture system 164 may include an adsorbent-based gas capture system, a solvent-based gas capture system, or a combination thereof. An example is presented below with reference to Figures 2 and 3. A steam supply line 176 is coupled to the gas capture system 164 and provides a heating fluid 168 (e.g., steam and / or heated water) as a steam flow and / or heated water flow to the gas capture system 164. As described above, the steam supply system 170 may include one or more steam supply lines (e.g., line 176) connected at one or more locations to the HRSG 14 and / or steam turbine system 16 so that a heating fluid 168 (e.g., steam and / or heated water) can be supplied to the gas capture system 164 under various conditions (e.g., pressure, temperature, steam content, water content, etc.). The discharge line 208 may include various after-treatment equipment, such as a dryer 210 configured to remove moisture (e.g., water content or steam) and dry the capture gas 194 to produce dry capture gas, as indicated by the discharge conduit or line 212. The capture gas 194 then flows to the compression system 188 as described below.

[0040] Similarly, the gas capture system 166 removes a portion of the undesirable gases from the exhaust gas flow 68 and discharges the treated exhaust gas flow (e.g., downstream or second-stage treated exhaust gas) to a subsequent gas capture system or exhaust stack 214, and discharges the captured gas portion of the captured gas 194 as indicated by the discharge conduit or line 216. As will be described in more detail below, the gas capture system 166 may include an adsorbent-based gas capture system, a solvent-based gas capture system, or a combination thereof. An example is presented below with reference to Figures 2 and 3. A steam supply line 176 is coupled to the gas capture system 166 and provides a heating fluid 168 (e.g., steam and / or heated water) as a steam flow and / or heated water flow to the gas capture system 166. As described above, the steam supply system 170 may include one or more steam supply lines (e.g., line 176) connected at one or more locations to the HRSG 14 and / or steam turbine system 16 so that a heating fluid 168 (e.g., steam and / or heated water) can be supplied to the gas capture system 166 under various conditions (e.g., pressure, temperature, steam content, water content, etc.). The discharge line 216 may include various after-treatment equipment, such as a dryer 218 configured to remove moisture (e.g., water content or steam) and dry the captured gas 194 to produce dry captured gas, as indicated by the discharge conduit or line 220. The captured gas 194 then flows to the compression system 188 as described below.

[0041] The compression system 188 may include a single-stage or multi-stage compression system. In the illustrated embodiment, the compression system 188 includes one or more first or upstream compressors 222 configured to compress the captured gas 194 in one or more upstream stages, one or more second or downstream compressors 224 configured to compress the captured gas 194 after compression by the compressors 222, and one or more intercoolers 226 configured to cool the captured gas 194 between the compressors 222 and 224. The intercoolers 226 may include heat exchangers, gas dryers, and / or other equipment to facilitate gas compression. The compression system 188 outputs the compressed captured gas 194 to the storage unit and / or pipeline 228 at a specified pressure and gas purity, as indicated by the discharge conduit or line 230. As described above, the waste heat recovery system 186 can be coupled to the compression system 188 to extract waste heat for use as a heat source for the gas treatment system 18 (e.g., the gas capture system 160), to improve plant efficiency, or for other applications. The waste heat recovery system 186 may be coupled to one or more of the compressors 222, compressors 224, and / or intercoolers 226.

[0042] As described above, the gas capture systems 162, 164, and 166 may differ due to their arrangement in the combined cycle power plant 10. For example, gas capture system 162 may be designed to handle low concentrations of undesirable gas, such as CO2 concentrations at or near typical atmospheric concentrations, thereby ensuring that gas capture system 162 is configured to reduce CO2 concentrations to levels below typical atmospheric concentrations (e.g., less than approximately 420 ppmv of CO2). For example, gas capture system 162 may be configured to reduce CO2 concentrations to at least 50%, 60%, 70%, 80%, or 90% of typical atmospheric concentrations. In certain embodiments, to achieve such concentration levels, gas capture system 162 may be substantially larger in size than gas capture systems 164 and 166 to allow for sufficient residence time of the gas (e.g., air being processed within gas capture system 162). In certain embodiments, gas capture system 162 may be excluded from the gas processing system 18.

[0043] In contrast, gas capture system 164 may be designed to handle higher concentrations of undesirable gases compared to gas capture systems 162 and / or 166, while gas capture system 166 may be designed to handle lower or moderate concentrations of undesirable gases compared to gas capture systems 162 and / or 164. For example, gas capture system 164 may be designed to handle CO2 concentrations at least 10, 20, 30, 40, 50, 60, 70, 80, 90, 100, 110, 120, 130, 140, 150 or more than gas capture system 162, while gas capture system 166 may be designed to handle CO2 concentrations at least 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10 or more than gas capture system 162. As a further example, gas capture system 164 may be designed to handle CO2 concentrations at least 10, 11, 12, 13, 14, 15, 16, 17, 18, 19, 20, 21, 22, 23, 24, 25, or higher than those handled by gas capture system 166. As a further example, gas capture system 166 may be designed to handle CO2 concentrations at least 1%, 2%, 3%, 4%, 5%, 6%, 7%, 8%, 9%, 10%, or higher compared to the CO2 concentrations handled by gas capture system 162. In one embodiment, gas capture systems 164 and 166 may capture about 95% and about 4.5% of the total CO2 concentration in the exhaust gas flow 68, respectively, leaving the remaining 0.5% for discharge into the exhaust stack 214. In another embodiment, gas capture systems 164 and 166 may capture approximately 90% and 9.5% of the total CO2 concentration in the exhaust gas flow 68, respectively, leaving the remaining 0.5% for discharge into the exhaust stack 214. However, gas capture systems 164 and 166 may be configured to capture any appropriate percentage of CO2 in the exhaust gas flow 68.

[0044] In certain embodiments, gas capture system 164 may be designed to handle an inlet CO2 concentration of about 60,000 ppmw (parts per million by weight) (e.g., capturing at least 70%, 75%, 80%, 85%, 90%, 95%, or more of the CO2), gas capture system 162 may be designed to handle an inlet CO2 concentration of about 643 ppmw (e.g., capturing at least 50%, 60%, 70%, 80%, or more of the CO2), and gas capture system 166 may be designed to handle an inlet CO2 concentration of about 3,000 ppmw (e.g., capturing at least 50%, 60%, 70%, 80%, 90%, or more of the CO2). In certain embodiments, gas capture system 164 may be designed to capture approximately 25,000 to 100,000 ppmw of CO2, gas capture system 162 may be designed to capture approximately 100 to 300 ppmv of CO2, and gas capture system 166 may be designed to capture approximately 1,000 to 10,000 ppmw of CO2. In some embodiments, gas capture system 164 may be designed to capture at least 70%, 75%, 80%, 85%, 90%, 95%, or more of the total CO2 concentration in the exhaust gas stream 68, while gas capture systems 162 and / or 166 may be designed to capture substantially all or part of the remaining CO2 that remains uncaptured in the exhaust gas stream 68 (e.g., at least 70%, 80%, 85%, 90%, or 95% of the remaining CO2). Carbon capture by the gas capture system 162 removes undesirable gases (e.g., CO2) from the intake airflow 60, indirectly reducing the presence of undesirable gases in the exhaust gas flow 68.

[0045] In a particular embodiment, the gas capture system 164 may be designed to capture approximately 95% of the total CO2 concentration in the exhaust gas flow 68 (e.g., 95% of 60,000 ppmw, resulting in the capture of 57,000 ppmw of CO2), while the gas capture systems 162 and / or 166 may be designed to capture substantially all or part of the remaining 5% of the total CO2 concentration in the exhaust gas flow 68 (e.g., 2.5%, 3%, 3.5%, 4%, 4.5%, or 5% of 60,000 ppmw, resulting in the partial or complete capture of another 3,000 ppmw of CO2). For example, the gas capture systems 162 and / or 166 can capture 90% of the remaining 5% of the total CO2 concentration (i.e., substantially 4.5%) (e.g., 90% of 3,000 ppmw of CO2), resulting in only 300 ppmw of CO2 in the treated exhaust gas stream 68 sent to the exhaust stack 214. This particular embodiment results in a net-negative carbon footprint for the combined cycle power plant 10. However, various configurations of the gas capture systems 160 (e.g., 162, 164, and 166) are contemplated by this disclosure in order to achieve a low-carbon, net-neutral, or net-negative carbon footprint for the combined cycle power plant 10.

[0046] In some embodiments, each of the gas capture systems 162, 164, and 166 may include several modular gas capture units, each having a common capacity, and the number of modular gas capture units is selected based on the concentration level (e.g., CO2 level) in the gas being processed in a particular gas capture system 162, 164, or 166. The modular gas capture units may also include modular adsorbent-based gas capture units, modular solvent-based gas capture units, or a combination thereof. In this way, the gas capture systems 162, 164, and 166 may be assembled and scaled to meet the demands of a particular location and application using the same or different types of gas capture technology.

[0047] As described above, the control system 144 and the monitoring system 146 are communicatively coupled to the gas capture system 160 and various sensors 148 to provide monitoring and control of gas capture of undesirable gases (e.g., CO2). For example, the sensors 148 may include gas composition sensors configured to provide concentration levels of undesirable gases (e.g., CO2) and other gases (e.g., oxygen, hydrogen) upstream, internal, and / or downstream from each of the gas capture systems 160. The sensors 148 may also include temperature sensors, pressure sensors, and flow sensors configured to provide relevant feedback on the flow of gases being processed by the gas capture system 160 (e.g., air, exhaust gases) and the flow of steam or other fluids used to support the gas capture system 160. The control system 144 can adjust the operation of the gas capture system 160 by using sensor feedback to adjust the properties of the steam or other fluids in the gas capture system 160 (e.g., temperature, pressure, flow rate, and / or flow path) in response to undesirable gas concentration levels, by adjusting the residence time in the gas capture system 160, by activating or deactivating one or more of the gas capture systems 160, by adjusting the dryers (e.g., 200, 210, and 218), by adjusting the fan 202, by adjusting the valve 204, by adjusting the extraction of the HRSG 14 and / or heating fluid 168 (e.g., steam and / or water content and conditions, extraction point, etc.), by adjusting the gas turbine engine 12 (e.g., by adjusting the fuel / air ratio, combustion characteristics, fuel type, fuel additives, etc.), or by any combination thereof. By coordinating various aspects of the gas processing system 18 (e.g., multiple stages of the gas capture system 160) in conjunction with the gas turbine engine 12 and HRSG 14, the combined cycle power plant 10 may be configured to provide a low-carbon, net-neutral, or net-negative carbon footprint.

[0048] The gas capture systems 160 (e.g., 162, 164, and 166) may be configured in various ways depending on the specific demands and CO2 concentration levels of the combined cycle power plant 10. Table 1 presents various scenarios for the gas capture systems 162, 164, and 166 within the combined cycle power plant 10. In the following scenarios, each of the gas capture systems 162, 164, and 166 is shown as either n / a (e.g., absent or not operational), an adsorbent system as described below with reference to Figure 2, or a solvent system as described below with reference to Figure 3. The adsorbent and solvent gas capture systems may each use a heating fluid 168 from the HRSG 14 (e.g., steam and / or heated water) and / or waste heat from the waste heat recovery system 172 (e.g., 182, 184, and / or 186) as a heat source for the gas capture process. Furthermore, for each of the following scenarios, the adsorbent system may be the same or different in type, composition, volume, residence time, and / or any other characteristics. Similarly, for each of the following scenarios, the solvent system may be the same or different in type, composition, volume, residence time, and / or any other characteristics. Finally, for each of the following scenarios, each of the gas capture systems 162, 164, and 166 may include one or more stages and / or parallel flows of gas capture.

[0049] [Table 1]

[0050] As shown above, the disclosed embodiments include at least 20 scenarios for gas capture systems 162, 164, and 166. Further scenarios are also contemplated using other gas capture technologies and / or variations of adsorbent-based and solvent-based gas capture systems. In some embodiments, a single gas capture system 160, rather than multiple stages, may be used in one of the gas capture systems 162, 164, or 166. In such embodiments, the single gas capture system 160 may comprise either an adsorbent-based or solvent-based gas capture system. With the above in mind, Figures 2 and 3 present embodiments of adsorbent-based and solvent-based gas capture systems.

[0051] Figure 2 is a schematic diagram of one embodiment of the gas capture system 160 of the multi-stage gas processing system 18 of Figure 1, showing an adsorbent-based gas capture system 250. In the illustrated embodiment, the adsorbent-based gas capture system 250 includes an adsorbent-based gas capture assembly or unit 252 (e.g., an adsorbent or adsorption unit) having a plurality of adsorbent-containing conduits 254, such as adsorbent-containing conduits 256 and 258. The adsorbent-containing conduits 254 (e.g., 256 and 258) may have adsorbent lined along their inner surface, or be filled with adsorbent within their internal volume, or generally be filled with at least 10%, 20%, 30%, 40%, 50%, 60%, 70%, 80%, 90%, or more by volume of the adsorbent material. However, the adsorbent gas capture unit 252 may include any number of adsorbent-containing conduits 254, such as two, three, four, five, six, seven, eight, nine, ten, or more, configured in parallel and / or in series. Each of the adsorbent-containing conduits 254 (e.g., 256 and 258) includes an outer conduit wall 260 arranged circumferentially around a flow path 262 along a central axis 264 from an inlet 266 to an outlet 268, and the adsorbent material 270 is arranged along and / or within the central hole or inner surface 272 of the outer conduit wall 260.

[0052] The adsorbent material 270 (e.g., a solid adsorbent) can cover, coat, or substantially fill at least 50%, 60%, 70%, 80%, 90%, 95%, or 100% of the inner surface 272 of the outer conduit wall 260. Alternatively, the adsorbent material 270 can at least partially fill or pack the internal volume of the central hole or inner surface 272, leaving voids (e.g., void ratios of 10%, 20%, 30%, 40%, or 50% or less) to facilitate fluid flow. For example, the adsorbent material 270 may comprise multiple particles, beads, strips, strands, meshes, or other dispersed structures that leave voids for fluid flow. In certain embodiments, the adsorbent material 270 may be coupled to one or more internal structures within the adsorbent-containing conduit 254, such as one or more of a wire grid or mesh, radial projections, baffles, fins, honeycomb structures, or any combination thereof. Furthermore, in some embodiments, the central axis 264 extending from the inlet 266 to the outlet 268 can define the channel 262 as a straight channel, a curved channel, a bent or winding channel, a spiral or helical channel, a meandering channel, a channel that expands and contracts, a channel having division and / or joining, or any combination thereof. For example, the channel 262 may be defined as a meandering channel and may include any number or configuration of the aforementioned channels. The adsorbent material 270 is carbon oxide (CO2) and carbon monoxide (CO2). X ), nitrogen oxides (NO X ), sulfur oxides such as sulfur dioxide (SO2) (SO XThe adsorbent material 270 may include one or more adsorbent materials configured to adsorb undesirable gases, such as adsorbent materials designed or suitable for adsorbing methane (CH4), or any other undesirable gas described herein, subject to regulation, and / or considered a greenhouse gas. For example, the adsorbent material 270 may include porous solid-phase materials, including mesoporous silica, zeolites (e.g., aluminosilicates), and metal-organic frameworks (MOFs) and covalent organic frameworks (COFs). The aforementioned adsorbent material 270 may be particularly well suited for CO2 adsorption in the adsorbent gas capture unit 252. However, any suitable adsorbent material 270 may be used depending on the desired objective for gas capture of undesirable gases. In certain embodiments, multiple adsorbent gas capture systems 250 may be used in series, with each adsorbent gas capture system 250 using the same or different adsorbent materials 270 to progressively remove and capture the same or different undesirable gases.

[0053] The adsorbent gas capture system 250 may be configured to alternately switch various adsorbent gas capture units 252 between an adsorption mode (for example, adsorbing an undesirable gas onto the adsorbent material 270) and a desorption mode (for example, desorbing an undesirable gas from the adsorbent material 270) using the controller 150 of the control system 144 and the sensor 148 of the monitoring system 146. For example, using the controller 150, the adsorbent gas capture system 250 can operate the adsorbent gas capture unit 256 in adsorption mode while operating the adsorbent gas capture unit 258 in desorption mode, and vice versa. The adsorbent gas capture system 250 may also be configured to operate multiple units (e.g., two, three, four, or more) of the adsorbent gas capture unit 252 in adsorption mode and multiple units (e.g., two, three, four, or more) of the adsorbent gas capture unit 252 in desorption mode, and the multiple units may be arranged in series, parallel, or a combination thereof. The controller 150 is configured to alternately switch the adsorbent gas capture unit 252 between adsorption mode and desorption mode via multiple upstream and downstream systems, such as an upstream flow distribution system 274 and a downstream flow distribution system 276. The upstream flow distribution system 274 includes a heating fluid supply system 278 (e.g., a steam and / or heated water supply system) and a gas supply system 280, while the downstream flow distribution system 276 includes a desorption post-treatment system 282 (e.g., a gas, steam, and / or heated water treatment system) and a treated gas treatment system 284.

[0054] In the desorption mode, the adsorbent gas capture unit 252 may be configured to transfer the heating fluid 168 either by direct contact with the adsorbent material 270 through the adsorbent-containing conduit 254 (e.g., direct heat transfer), or by transferring it through one or more heat exchange conduits without contact with the adsorbent material 270, either through or around the adsorbent-containing conduit 254 (e.g., indirect heat transfer), or by a combination of these methods. Therefore, in certain embodiments of the desorption modes described below, the adsorbent gas capture unit 252 can either directly transfer the heated fluid 168 through the adsorbent material 270 in the adsorbent conduit 254 to desorb the undesirable gas (e.g., CO2) onto the heated fluid 168 to generate a gas / heated fluid flow for further processing, or the adsorbent gas capture unit 252 can use the heated fluid 168 for indirect heat transfer to the adsorbent material 270 for desorption of the undesirable gas while using another flow guidance system (e.g., a vacuum system) to guide the undesirable gas downstream for further processing. For example, the vacuum system may include one or more fans, blowers, or pumps to draw in the flow and / or create a vacuum to guide the flow from the adsorbent conduit 254 to the downstream processing components. Furthermore, in some embodiments, the heating fluid 168 can be heated using steam to produce heated water, which is then transferred through the adsorbent system gas capture unit 252 for direct contact with the adsorbent material 270 and for the desorption of undesirable gases from the adsorbent material 270. Thus, the disclosed embodiments can use a variety of heating fluids 168 (e.g., steam, heated water, a fluid heated by steam, or a combination thereof) as a heat source that can directly or indirectly heat the adsorbent material 270 to facilitate the desorption process.

[0055] In certain embodiments, a process continuous from adsorption, desorption, and cooling, in which a wheel of adsorbent material 270 rotates, can be performed to provide a continuous flow of captured unwanted gas. For example, the wheel of adsorbent material 270 may extend into each of a plurality of conduits 254 and rotate continuously through the conduits 254. While the wheel rotates, one or more of the conduits 254 carry a gas 286 being treated to remove unwanted gas, while simultaneously, one or more of the conduits 254 carry a heating fluid 168 (e.g., steam and / or heated water) to remove and capture unwanted gas (e.g., CO2) to produce captured gas 194. In the case of desorption, the heating fluid 168 (e.g., steam and / or heated water) may be transferred or generally configured to provide direct and / or indirect heat transfer to the adsorbent material 270, thereby aiding in the separation and capture of unwanted gas.

[0056] In the illustrated embodiment, the upstream flow distribution system 274 is configured to distribute the flow of heating fluid 168 (e.g., steam and / or heated water) and gas 286 (e.g., intake flow 60 and / or exhaust gas flow 68) and alternating flows (e.g., when changing between adsorption and desorption modes) to a plurality of adsorbent-containing conduits 254 (e.g., 256 and 258) of the adsorbent gas capture unit 252. The heating fluid supply system 278 includes one or more steam sources, heated water sources, and / or waste heat sources, such as the HRSG 14, steam turbine system 16, and waste heat recovery systems 172 (e.g., 182, 184, and / or 186), configured to generate the heating fluid 168 (e.g., steam and / or heated water). The heating fluid supply system 278 also includes a heating fluid control 288 (e.g., steam and / or heating fluid control) having one or more heating fluid control components 290, 292, and 294, which may be configured to process, adjust, and / or control the properties of the heating fluid 168 upstream from the adsorbent-containing conduits 254 (e.g., 256 and 258) of the adsorbent-system gas capture unit 252. For example, the heating fluid control component 290 may include a thermal control component (e.g., steam / hot water temperature control component), such as a heat exchanger, heater, cooler, or any combination thereof, configured to adjust (e.g., raise or lower) the temperature of the heating fluid 168. The heat exchanger can exchange heat with water, lubricant, coolant, refrigerant, or any other thermal fluid. In some embodiments, a waste heat recovery system 172 may be used for heat transfer within the heat exchanger. The heating fluid control component 292 may include pressure control components such as a pressure regulator, an expander or expansion chamber, a contractor or contraction chamber, a fan or pump for adding energy, a turbine for extracting energy, or another suitable pressure controller. The heating fluid control component 294 may include pretreatment components such as a particulate filter, a chilled water drain pipe, and / or other pretreatment components configured to modify the properties of the heating fluid 168 (e.g., steam and / or heated water) or to remove contaminants.The heating fluid supply system 278 may also include one or more valves 296 configured to control the distribution of the heating fluid 168 (e.g., steam and / or heated water) to a plurality of adsorbent-containing conduits 254 (e.g., 256 and 258) of the adsorbent gas capture unit 252, as indicated by the distribution conduits or lines 298 and 300. For example, the valves 296 may include one or more two-way valves, three-way valves, or distribution manifolds to distribute the heating fluid 168 (e.g., steam and / or heated water) in response to control signals from the controller 150.

[0057] To distribute the gas 286, the gas supply system 280 of the upstream flow distribution system 274 includes a gas pretreatment 302 having one or more gas pretreatment components 304, 306, and 308 that can be configured to process, adjust, and / or control the characteristics of the gas 286 upstream from the adsorbent-containing conduits 254 (e.g., 256 and 258) of the adsorbent-type gas capture unit 252 (e.g., intake flow 60 or exhaust gas flow 68). For example, the gas pretreatment component 304 may include a thermal control component (e.g., a gas temperature control component), such as a heat exchanger, heater, cooler, or any combination thereof, configured to adjust (e.g., raise or lower) the temperature of the gas 286. The heat exchanger can exchange heat with water, exhaust gas, compressor extraction flow, waste heat, or any other thermal fluid. In some embodiments, a waste heat recovery system 172 may be used for heat transfer within the heat exchanger. The gas pretreatment component 306 may include pressure control components such as a pressure regulator, an expander or expansion chamber, a contractor or contraction chamber, a fan or pump for adding energy, a turbine for extracting energy, or another suitable pressure controller. The gas pretreatment component 308 may include one or more contaminant removal units such as a particulate filter, a moisture removal unit or dryer, a chemical removal unit, and / or other removal units configured to purify the gas 286. The gas supply system 280 may also include one or more valves 310 configured to control the distribution of the gas 286 to a plurality of adsorbent-containing conduits 254 (e.g., 256 and 258) of the adsorbent-type gas capture unit 252, as indicated by distribution conduits or lines 312 and 314. For example, the valves 310 may include one or more two-way valves, three-way valves, or distribution manifolds, perforated plates, and / or flow distribution packings to distribute the gas 286 in response to control signals from the controller 150.

[0058] The downstream flow distribution system 276 is configured to distribute the flow from the adsorbent-containing conduits 254 (e.g., 256 and 258) of the adsorbent-type gas capture unit 252 to the desorption post-treatment system 282 and the treated gas treatment system 284, as well as the alternating flow (e.g., when switching between adsorption and desorption modes). The desorption post-treatment system 282 may include one or more valves 316 configured to control the distribution of the captured gas / heated fluid flow (e.g., gas, vapor, and / or heated water) from the adsorbent-containing conduits 254 (e.g., 256 and 258) of the adsorbent-type gas capture unit 252, as indicated by the distribution conduits or lines 318 and 320. For example, the valves 316 may include one or more two-way valves, three-way valves, or manifolds to collect the captured gas / heated fluid flow in response to control signals from the controller 150. In certain embodiments, the captured gas / heated fluid flow is a result of the desorption mode, and the heated fluid 168 (e.g., steam and / or heated water) is guided through the adsorbent-containing conduits 254 to desorb undesirable gases (e.g., CO2) from the adsorbent material 270 in each adsorbent-containing conduit 254. Thus, the desorption post-treatment system 282 may also include a desorption processor 322 having one or more desorption post-treatment components 324, 326, and 328 (e.g., gas, steam, and / or heated water treatment components), which may be configured to process, adjust, and / or control the characteristics of the captured gas / heated fluid flow (e.g., gas, steam, and / or heated water flow) from the adsorbent-containing conduits 254 (e.g., 256 and 258) of the adsorbent-system gas capture unit 252. For example, the desorption / post-treatment component 324 may include a captured gas / heated fluid separator configured to separate the heated fluid 168 (e.g., steam and / or heated water) from the captured gas, thereby outputting water 330 (e.g., condensate) and the captured gas 194. Examples of captured gas / heated fluid separators include thermally controlled components, pressure-controlled components, chemically separated components, or combinations thereof. For example, the captured gas / heated fluid separator may be configured to condense or cool the heated fluid 168 using a condenser.The desorption / post-treatment component 326 may include one or more removal units configured to remove contaminants from the water 330 and / or the captured gas 194. In the case of water 330, the removal unit may include a particulate filter and / or a water treatment unit. In the case of the captured gas 194, the removal unit may include a particulate filter, a water removal unit or dryer, or a further gas treatment unit. The desorption / post-treatment component 328 may include one or more pressure control components and / or flow control components, such as one or more pumps for the water 330 and one or more compressors for the captured gas 194. The desorption / post-treatment component 328 may also include one or more vacuum pumps configured to draw the flow of captured gas / heated fluid from the adsorbent gas capture unit 252.

[0059] For the distribution of gas 286, the treated gas treatment system 284 of the downstream flow distribution system 276 may include one or more valves 332 configured to control the distribution of treated gas flows from multiple adsorbent-containing conduits 254 (e.g., 256 and 258) of the adsorbent-containing gas capture unit 252, as indicated by distribution conduits or lines 334 and 336. For example, the valves 332 may include one or more two-way valves, three-way valves, or manifolds to collect the treated gas flow in response to a control signal from the controller 150, thereby outputting the treated gas 338. The treated gas is the result of the adsorption mode, and gas 286 (e.g., intake flow 60 or exhaust gas flow 68) is guided through the adsorbent-containing conduits 254 to adsorb undesirable gases (e.g., CO2) onto the adsorbent material 270 in each adsorbent-containing conduit 254, thereby reducing the content or concentration level of undesirable gases in the remaining treated gas flow.

[0060] The control system 144 (e.g., controller 150) is configured to receive feedback from the sensor 148 and facilitate the adjustment of various operating parameters of the adsorbent gas capture unit 252. For example, the control system 144 may be configured to alternately switch the flow (e.g., thermal fluid 168 and gas 286) through multiple adsorbent conduits 254 (e.g., 256 and 258) so that the adsorbent conduits 254 can alternately switch between adsorption and desorption modes. In adsorption mode, the adsorbent conduit 254 (e.g., 256 or 258) receives the flow of gas 286, adsorbs undesirable gases (e.g., CO2) from gas 286 onto the adsorbent material 270, and outputs the gas 286 with reduced content or concentration levels of undesirable gases as treated gas 338. The adsorption mode is an exothermic process, generating heat that is carried away with the treated gas 338. In desorption mode, the adsorbent-containing conduit 254 (e.g., 256 or 258) receives a flow of heated fluid 168 (e.g., steam and / or heated water), desorbs undesirable gases (e.g., CO2) from the adsorbent material 270 into the heated fluid 168, and outputs the heated fluid 168 having the desorbed undesirable gases (e.g., rich in undesirable gases such as CO2) as a capture gas / heated fluid flow. Desorption mode is an endothermic process, and the heated fluid 168 provides sufficient heat (e.g., directly or indirectly) to drive the desorption of undesirable gases (e.g., CO2) from the adsorbent material 270. The control system 144 is configured to monitor sensors 148, such as a sensor 148 located at or upstream of the inlet 266, and a sensor 148 located at or downstream of the outlet 268, to evaluate the rates of adsorption and desorption in each adsorbent-containing conduit 254 (e.g., 256 and 258), the concentration levels of undesirable gases, and other characteristics affecting the adsorption and desorption modes.If sensor 148 indicates that the mode (e.g., adsorption mode and desorption mode) of the adsorbent-containing conduits 254 (e.g., 256 and 258) needs to be switched alternately, the control system 144 may be configured to control valves 296, 310, 316, and 332 to change the flow of the heated fluid 168 from the flow of gas 286 in one of the adsorbent-containing conduits 254, and to change the flow of the gas 286 from the flow of heated fluid 168 in the other of the adsorbent-containing conduits 254. For the heated fluid 168 (e.g., steam and / or heated water) used in one of the adsorbent-containing conduits 254, the control system 144 may be configured to control the characteristics of the heated fluid 168 (e.g., temperature, pressure, flow rate, steam content, water content, etc.) by controlling the HRSG 14, the steam turbine system 16, the waste heat recovery system 172, the heated fluid control 288, or any combination thereof. For gas 286 used in one of the adsorbent-containing conduits 254, the control system 144 may be configured to control the gas pretreatment 302 to control the properties of gas 286 (e.g., temperature, pressure, flow rate, etc.). Similarly, the control system 144 is configured to control the post-desorption processor 322 to control the treatment of the captured gas / heated fluid discharged from one or more of the adsorbent-containing conduits 254. In the case of a multi-stage gas treatment system 18, the control system 144 also coordinates control between multiple gas capture systems 160, thereby providing a desired reduction in the concentration levels of undesirable gases (e.g., CO2) to achieve a low-carbon, net-neutral, or net-negative carbon footprint. Furthermore, after desorption is complete and before adsorption, a flow of chilled water or other coolant can be added through the adsorbent-system gas capture unit 252 to cool the adsorbent-containing conduit 254 to a desired temperature before the next adsorption step.

[0061] Figure 3 is a schematic diagram of one embodiment of the gas capture system 160 of the multistage gas processing system 18 of Figure 1, showing the solvent-based gas capture system 350. The solvent-based gas capture system 350 includes an absorber 352 (e.g., an absorption tower), a solvent supply system 354, and a solvent discharge system 356. The solvent-based gas capture system 350 can use one or more solvents to capture undesirable gases. Exemplary solvents include monoethanolamine (MEA), diglycolamine (DGA), advanced amine solvents, amino acid salts, carbonate solvents, aqueous ammonia, immiscible liquids, and ionic liquids. As described later, the solvent-based gas capture system 350 uses a heating fluid 168 (e.g., from HRSG 14 and / or steam turbine system 16) and / or waste heat (e.g., from waste heat recovery system 172) to facilitate the gas capture of undesirable gases.

[0062] As will be described in more detail below, the solvent supply system 354 is configured to supply gas-lean solvent 358 to the absorber 352 through a conduit 360 coupled to a solvent distributor 362 having a plurality of nozzles 364. The nozzles 364 are configured to output a solvent dispersion 366 into the internal volume 368 of the absorber 352. The solvent dispersion 366 helps to distribute the gas-lean solvent 358 more uniformly throughout the internal volume 368 so that the solvent has a more uniform temperature distribution as it flows downward through the absorber 352 toward the solvent discharge system 356. The conduit 360 is coupled to the solvent inlet 370 of the absorber 352, while the solvent discharge system 356 is coupled to the solvent outlet 372 of the absorber 352.

[0063] The solvent evacuation system 356 is configured to receive the gas-rich solvent 374 from the solvent outlet 372 and transfer the gas-rich solvent 374 to the solvent regeneration system 376 (e.g., a stripper system). The solvent regeneration system 376 may include strippers, such as a stripper tower, configured to remove undesirable gases from the gas-rich solvent 374. The solvent evacuation system 356 also includes a gas compressor 378 downstream from the solvent regeneration system 376, a gas dryer 380 downstream from the gas compressor 378, and an outlet for the captured gas 194 downstream from the gas dryer 380. The solvent evacuation system 356 also provides a return conduit 382 from the solvent regeneration system 376 to the solvent supply system 354 so that the regenerated solvent can be returned to the solvent supply system 354 as a gas-lean solvent 358.

[0064] The absorber 352 also includes a gas inlet 384 configured to receive gas 286 (e.g., intake flow 60 or exhaust gas flow 68) into the absorber 352, and a gas outlet 386 configured to discharge treated gas 338 from the absorber 352. In the illustrated embodiment, the absorber 352 includes a container or housing 388 having an upper part 390, a bottom part 392, and an intermediate part 394 axially positioned between the upper part 390 and the bottom part 392 with respect to the central axis 396 of the housing 388. In the following description, references may be made to an axial direction or axis 398 positioned along the central axis 396, a radial direction or axis 400 intersecting or perpendicular to the central axis 396, and a circumferential direction or axis 402 extending circumferentially around the central axis 396. The upper part 390 includes an upper plate or cover 404 having a gas outlet 386 coaxial with the central axis 396. However, the gas outlet 386 may be positioned offset from the central axis 396 or at other locations along the upper part 390.

[0065] The intermediate portion 394 includes a side wall 406 extending circumferentially 402 around the central axis 396. For example, the side wall 406 may be an annular side wall, a square side wall, a rectangular side wall, or any other suitable shape extending around the central axis 396. In certain embodiments, a gas outlet 386 may be located along the side wall 406 along the upper part 390. Furthermore, a solvent inlet 370 may be located along the upper plate or cover 404 of the upper part 390 or along the side wall 406.

[0066] The bottom 392 may include a base plate 408 below the gas inlet 384 and solvent outlet 372. In the illustrated embodiment, the gas inlet 384 and solvent outlet 372 are located on the side wall 406 along the bottom 392. However, in certain embodiments, the gas inlet 384 and / or solvent outlet 372 may be located on the base plate 408 of the bottom 392. In some embodiments, the gas inlet 384 may include multiple gas inlets and / or the solvent outlet 372 may include multiple solvent outlets.

[0067] Within the internal volume 368 of the absorber 352, the absorber 352 may further include one or more sets of packing 410, a support tray or screen 412, and a solvent distributor 414 having a plurality of nozzles 416. For example, in the illustrated embodiment, the absorber 352 includes four sets of components (e.g., packing 410, support tray or screen 412, and solvent distributor 414) positioned between the solvent distributor 362 and the bottom 392 having a gas inlet 384 and a solvent outlet 372. The packing 410 may include a plurality of beads, balls, or mixing induction structures configured to facilitate mixing between the gas 286 supplied to the internal volume 368 of the absorber 352 and the gas-lean solvent 358. The support tray or screen 412 may include a wire mesh, a plate with a plurality of openings, or another suitable structure that holds the packing 410 in place while allowing the fluid flow of gas and solvent through the absorber 352 and through the support tray or screen 412 in the opposite direction. The solvent partition 414 may be similar to the solvent partition 362, and therefore the nozzle 416 outputs the solvent dispersion 418 to distribute more uniformly throughout the entire internal volume 368, thereby better distributing the solvent through the packing 410 and the support tray or screen 412. The set of packing 410, support tray or screen 412, and solvent partition 414 is spaced apart from each other along the central axis 396. However, in certain embodiments of the absorber 352, the spacing may be increased, decreased, or even eliminated.

[0068] During operation, the absorber 352 is configured to generate a direct or countercurrent flow of gas-lean solvent 358 and gas 286 within its internal volume 368, thereby facilitating the gas absorption of certain undesirable gases (e.g., CO2) from gas 286 to the gas-lean solvent 358. As illustrated, at the bottom 392, gas 286 enters the absorber 352 through the gas inlet 384, and the gas 286 flows upward through the internal volume 368 of the absorber 352 as indicated by arrow 420. The gas 286 entering the absorber 352 as indicated by arrow 420 may form bubbles of gas 286 rising upward through the gas-lean solvent 358 within the internal volume 368. The gas 286 then passes through each subsequent stage or set of packing 410, support tray or screen 412, and solvent partitioner 414.

[0069] In the upper section 390, the solvent supply system 354 supplies gas-lean solvent 358 to the internal volume 368 through a solvent inlet 370, a conduit 360, a solvent distributor 362, and a number of nozzles 364. Again, the nozzles 364 may be distributed to various positions throughout the internal volume 368 to help distribute the gas-lean solvent 358 more uniformly throughout the internal volume 368, as indicated by the solvent dispersion 366. The gas-lean solvent 358 then flows downward through the internal volume 368, passing through each subsequent set or stage of the solvent distributor 414, which has packing 410, a support tray or screen 412, and nozzles 416. As the gas-lean solvent 358 passes through each packing 410, the various beads, balls, or mixed structures within the packing 410 are configured to help mix the gas-lean solvent 358 with the gas 286, thereby helping to absorb various undesirable gases from the gas 286 into the gas-lean solvent 358. For example, the gas-lean solvent 358 may be configured to absorb carbon dioxide (CO2) or other undesirable gases, as described in detail above. As the absorption process occurs, heat is generated within the absorber 352, thereby raising the temperature of the solvent within the absorber 352. In certain embodiments, a thermal control system (e.g., a heat exchanger, cooler, etc.) may be coupled to the absorber 352 to control the temperature and improve the efficiency of the absorption process. The absorption process continues within each set or stage of the packing 410, support tray or screen 412, and solvent partitioner 414. Between each stage or set, the solvent partitioner 414 helps to better distribute the solvent, as shown by the solvent dispersion 418. The solvent dispersion 418 may help to homogeneously mix the solvent with the gas 286 and to demonstrate further uniformity of the temperature distribution. The absorption process is then repeated in the next set or stage of packing 410, support tray or screen 412, and solvent distributor 414.

[0070] Ultimately, the absorber 352 discharges the gas-rich solvent 374 at the bottom 392 through the solvent outlet 372, and the absorber 352 discharges the treated gas 338 at the top 390 through the gas outlet 386. The treated gas 338 may substantially contain or have had one or more undesirable gases (e.g., CO2) removed. In contrast, the gas-rich solvent 374 may have absorbed one or more undesirable gases (e.g., CO2). Therefore, the gas-rich solvent 374 may be described as a CO2-rich solvent (or other gas-rich solvents depending on the undesirable gases), while the gas-lean solvent 358 may be described as a CO2-lean solvent (or other gas-lean solvents depending on the undesirable gases and the specific gas absorption that occurs in the absorber 352). Similarly, gas 352 may be described as a CO2-containing or rich gas (or other containing or rich gas depending on the undesirable gas), while treated gas 338 may be described as a CO2-reduced gas, a CO2-lean gas, or a CO2-free gas (or other reduced gas, lean gas, or free gas depending on the undesirable gas and the specific gas absorption occurring in absorber 352). The gas absorptions described herein are intended to cover any one or more of the undesirable gases described herein, or any other regulated gases or greenhouse gases.

[0071] The gas-rich solvent 374 output from the absorber 352 flows into a solvent regeneration system 376, which may be configured to regenerate the solvent by capturing undesirable gases (e.g., CO2) in the gas-rich solvent 374 (e.g., removing undesirable gases (e.g., CO2) for reuse as a gas-lean solvent 358). In the illustrated embodiment, the solvent system gas capture system 350 includes a steam supply system 422 coupled to the solvent regeneration system 376 to facilitate solvent regeneration and capture of the captured gas 194. In particular, the steam supply system 422 includes one or more sources of heating fluid 168 (e.g., steam and / or heated water), such as an HRSG 14, a steam turbine system 16, and / or a waste heat recovery system 172 (e.g., 182, 184, and 186). The steam supply system 422 can directly inject the heating fluid 168 (e.g., steam and / or heated water) into the solvent regeneration system 376 for solvent regeneration and capture of captured gas 194, such as by directly injecting the heating fluid 168 into the stripper tower and / or reboiler of the solvent regeneration system 376. In some embodiments, the steam supply system 422 can further process and / or control the properties of the heating fluid 168 (e.g., steam and / or heated water) before injecting it into the solvent regeneration system 376, such as by temperature control and / or pressure control. In some embodiments, the steam supply system 422 can use the heating fluid 168 (e.g., steam and / or heated water) and / or waste heat from the waste heat recovery system 172 as an indirect heat source for the absorber 352 and / or to generate steam in the boiler. In each of these embodiments, the heating fluid 168 (e.g., steam and / or heated water) and the waste heat from the waste heat recovery system 172 may be acquired and / or processed as described above in detail with reference to Figures 1 and 2.

[0072] Therefore, undesirable gases (e.g., CO2) may be output from the solvent regeneration system 376 to the gas compressor 378 as indicated by arrow 424, and as a result, the gas compressor 378 is configured to compress the undesirable gases before being dried by the gas dryer 380. The gas dryer 380 then removes the moisture content from the compressed undesirable gas from the gas compressor 378 and then outputs the compressed and dried undesirable gas as the captured gas 194. Furthermore, the solvent regeneration system 376 outputs the regenerated solvent as a gas-lean solvent 358, which is returned to the solvent supply system 354 through the return conduit 382. The regenerated solvent is essentially a gas-rich solvent 374, and the undesirable gases are removed within the solvent regeneration system 376.

[0073] In the solvent supply system 354, the gas-lean solvent 358 is supplied to the absorber 352 using one or more components 426, 428, 430, and 432, whether it is the original supply of gas-lean solvent 358 or a regenerated solvent from the solvent regeneration system 376. Components 426, 428, 430, and 432 may include one or more solvent pumps, solvent filters or processing systems, one or more heat exchangers configured to cool the gas-lean solvent 358, one or more solvent tanks, one or more solvent pressure regulators, one or more solvent flow meters, or any combination thereof.

[0074] Figure 4 is a schematic diagram of an embodiment of the combined cycle power plant 10 of Figure 1, showing an embodiment of the gas capture system 160 of the gas treatment system 18 having a solvent-based gas capture system 450. The solvent-based gas capture system 450 can use one or more solvents to capture undesirable gases. Exemplary solvents include monoethanolamine (MEA), diglycolamine (DGA), advanced amine solvents, amino acid salts, carbonate solvents, aqueous ammonia, immiscible liquids, and ionic liquids. As described later, the solvent-based gas capture system 450 uses a heating fluid 168 (e.g., steam from HRSG 14 and / or steam turbine system 16 and / or heated water) and / or waste heat (e.g., from waste heat recovery system 172) to facilitate the gas capture of undesirable gases.

[0075] The gas turbine system 12, HRSG 14, and steam turbine system 16 are substantially the same as those described in detail above. In particular, the illustrated HRSG 14 includes a first pressure section 72 (e.g., a high-pressure (HP) section), a second pressure section 74 (e.g., an intermediate-pressure (IP) section), a third pressure section 76 (e.g., a low-pressure (LP) section), and a fourth pressure section 77 (e.g., an auxiliary low-pressure (LP) section), each of sections 72, 74, 76, and 77 including one or more heat exchangers and / or heat exchange components 70. The fourth pressure section (e.g., a heat exchanger and / or heat exchange component 70) may be configured to generate low-pressure steam for the gas capture system 160 (e.g., a solvent-based gas capture system 450) while simultaneously cooling the exhaust gas stream 68 to a temperature range suitable for gas capture in the gas capture system 160 (e.g., a solvent-based gas capture system 450) (e.g., within upper and lower temperature thresholds). In certain embodiments, a gas capture system 160 (e.g., a solvent-based gas capture system 450) may be configured to transfer a heating fluid 168 (e.g., steam and / or heated water) from the HRSG 14 and / or the steam turbine system 16 to one or more injection locations within the gas capture system 160 (e.g., a solvent-based gas capture system 450), where the steam may be high-pressure steam, medium-pressure steam, and / or low-pressure steam extracted from one or more of sections 72, 74, 76, and / or 77 of the HRSG 14 and / or one of the steam turbines 106, 108, and / or 110 of the steam turbine system 16.

[0076] The solvent-based gas capture system 450 includes an absorber 452 (e.g., an absorber tower), a stripper 454 (e.g., a stripper tower), a gas circuit 456 (e.g., a gas processing circuit), a solvent circuit 458 (e.g., a fluid absorption circuit), and one or more vapor circuits 460. Each of the gas circuit 456, solvent circuit 458, and vapor circuit 460 includes one or more fluid conduits or lines, fluid manifolds, fluid splitters, fluid couplers, fluid mixing chambers, fluid valves, internal fluid paths through components, or any combination thereof. During operation, the gas circuit 456 is configured to transfer an exhaust gas flow 68 (or any other gas flow containing an undesirable gas) through the absorber 452, while the solvent circuit 458 is configured to transfer a solvent flow through the absorber 452 and the stripper 454. The gas circuit 456 includes a gas path 462 extending toward the absorber 452 between the HRSG 14 and the absorber 452, a gas path 464 extending upward through the absorber 452, and a gas path 466 extending away from the absorber 452. The solvent circuit 458 includes a solvent path 468 extending in a loop through the absorber 452 and the stripper 454 and extending downward through the absorber 452, a solvent path 470 extending from the absorber 452 to the stripper 454, a solvent path 472 extending downward through the stripper 454, and a solvent path 474 extending from the stripper 454 to the absorber 452. The steam circuit 460 extends between the stripper 454, the HRSG 14, and the steam turbine system 16, thereby providing multiple steam sources to support the operation of the stripper 454 using steam generated in the HRSG 14 and the steam turbine system 16. The steam circuit 460 may be configured to extract steam at a pressure and temperature suitable for transferring heat to the stripper 454 in order to reduce or eliminate the need for a separate heat source for the stripper 454. In certain embodiments, the steam circuit 460 may be configured to supply high-pressure steam, medium-pressure steam, and / or low-pressure steam to the stripper 454. However, the stripper 454 may be well suited to medium-pressure steam and / or low-pressure steam.

[0077] The steam circuit 460 may include any number and configuration of steam passages (e.g., conduits), connection points, and control mechanisms to supply a suitable heating fluid 168 (e.g., steam and / or heated water) to the stripper 454. The steam circuit 460 can be fluidically and mechanically coupled to the HRSG 14 and the steam turbine system 16 at one or more steam extraction points 476 (e.g., extraction ports or connections), such as extraction points 476 located upstream, downstream, and between sections 72, 74, 76, and 77 of the HRSG 14 and the steam turbines 106, 108, and 110. Furthermore, the steam circuit 460 can be fluidically and mechanically coupled to the stripper 454 at one or more steam injection points 478 (e.g., injection ports or connections), such as injection points 478 located upstream, downstream, and between components of the stripper 454. In certain embodiments, the solvent gas capture system 450 may have one or more vapor circuits 460 having any combination of vapor extraction locations 476 and vapor injection locations 478. The vapor circuits 460 may be independent vapor circuits (e.g., separate vapor paths or conduits) or interconnected vapor circuits (e.g., fluid-coupled vapor paths or conduits) having one or more common vapor conduits, and the vapor circuits 460 may include one or more valves 480 coupled to the controller 150 to selectively control the vapor flow to the stripper 454.

[0078] As a non-limiting example, the steam circuit 460 may include a steam circuit 482 extending between the HRSG 14 and the stripper 454, a steam circuit 484 extending between the steam turbine system 16 and the stripper 454, and a steam circuit 486 extending between the steam turbine system 16 and the stripper 454. For example, the steam circuit 482 is fluidically and mechanically coupled to the HRSG 14 at a fourth pressure section 77 located at steam extraction locations 476, 488 (e.g., extraction ports or connections), and the steam circuit 482 is fluidly and mechanically coupled to the stripper 454 at steam injection locations 478, 490 (e.g., injection ports or connections). As a further example, steam circuit 484 is fluidically and mechanically coupled to the steam turbine system 16 along a steam passage 492 (e.g., steam conduit) between the IP steam turbine 108 and the LP steam turbine 110 at steam extraction locations 476, 494 (e.g., extraction ports or connections), and steam circuit 484 is fluidically and mechanically coupled to stripper 454 at steam injection locations 478, 496 (e.g., injection ports or connections). As a further example, steam circuit 486 is fluidly and mechanically coupled to the steam turbine system 16 at the LP steam turbine 110 at steam extraction locations 476, 498 (e.g., extraction ports or connections), and steam circuit 486 is fluidly and mechanically coupled to stripper 454 at steam injection locations 478, 500 (e.g., injection ports or connections). In the illustrated embodiment, the steam extraction locations 476 (e.g., 488, 490, and 492) and the steam injection locations 478 (e.g., 490, 496, and 500) are distinct from one another. However, the steam circuit 460 (e.g., 482, 484, and 486) may include one or more common steam extraction locations, such as the steam extraction locations 476 (e.g., 488, 490, and 492), and / or one or more common steam injection locations, such as any of the steam injection locations 478 (e.g., 490, 496, and 500).In certain embodiments, each of the steam circuits 460 (e.g., 482, 484, and 486) can be selectively coupled to a stripper 454 at one or more of the steam injection locations 478 (e.g., 490, 496, and 500) using steam conduits, valves 480, manifolds, and other flow control. The steam circuits 460 (e.g., 482, 484, and 486) are configured to supply a heating fluid 168 (e.g., steam and / or heated water) to the stripper 454 at a temperature, pressure, and flow rate that is at least partially controlled by valves 480 along each of the steam circuits 460 (e.g., 482, 484, and 486) (e.g., controlled via feedback from controller 150 and sensor 148). Further details of the steam circuits 460 (e.g., 482, 484, and 486) and the steam supply to the stripper 454 are described below.

[0079] In certain embodiments, when steam is extracted in the fourth pressure section 77 of the HRSG14 (e.g., extraction location 488), the LP steam turbine 110 (e.g., extraction location 498), or the steam passage 492 between the IP steam turbine 108 and the LP steam turbine 110 (e.g., extraction location 494), the low-pressure steam may have a pressure in the range of about 1.1 to 10 bar. However, the low-pressure steam may have a pressure in the range of about 1.1 to 7 bar, 1.2 to 6 bar, 1.3 to 5 bar, 1.4 to 4 bar, or 1.5 to 2 bar. For example, the low-pressure steam may have a pressure of less than 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, or 10 bar. For example, in some embodiments, the pressure of the steam extracted from the fourth pressure section 77 (e.g., extraction location 488) may be lower than the pressure extracted from the LP steam turbine 110 (e.g., extraction location 498) or the pressure extracted in the steam passage 492 between the IP steam turbine 108 and the LP steam turbine 110 (e.g., extraction location 494). Furthermore, the pressure of the steam extracted from the LP steam turbine 110 (e.g., extraction location 498) may be lower than the pressure of the steam extracted from the steam passage 492 between the IP steam turbine 108 and the LP steam turbine 110 (e.g., extraction location 494). For example, the pressure of the steam extracted at extraction location 488 may be in the range of 1 to 2 bar (e.g., about 1.5 bar), the pressure of the steam extracted at extraction location 498 may be in the range of 1 to 2 bar (e.g., about 1.7 bar), and the pressure of the steam extracted at extraction location 494 may be in the range of 4 to 6 bar (e.g., about 5 bar). However, the aforementioned examples do not limit the range of vapor extraction in the gas processing system 18, and therefore any suitable range of temperature and pressure is within the scope of the disclosed embodiments.

[0080] The absorber 452 includes a plurality of absorber sections 502 arranged inside a container or housing 504, the housing 504 including a gas inlet 506, a gas outlet 508, a solvent inlet 510, and a solvent outlet 512. The housing 504 has an upper section 514, a bottom section 516, and an intermediate section 518 axially positioned between the upper section 514 and the bottom section 516 with respect to the central axis 520 of the housing 504. The upper section 514 includes an upper plate or cover 522 having a gas outlet 508 coaxial with the central axis 520. However, the gas outlet 508 may be offset from the central axis 520 or located elsewhere along the upper section 514. The intermediate section 518 includes a side wall 524 extending around the central axis 520. For example, the side wall 524 may be an annular side wall, a square side wall, a rectangular side wall, or any other suitable shape extending around the central axis 520. In certain embodiments, the gas outlet 508 may be located on the side wall 524 along the top 514. Furthermore, the solvent inlet 510 may be located on the top plate or cover 522 of the top 514 or along the side wall 524. The bottom 516 may include a base plate 526 below the gas inlet 506 and solvent outlet 512. In the illustrated embodiment, the gas inlet 506 and solvent outlet 512 are located on the side wall 524 along the bottom 516. However, in certain embodiments, the gas inlet 506 and / or the solvent outlet 512 may be located on the base plate 526 of the bottom 516. In some embodiments, the gas inlet 506 may include multiple gas inlets and / or the solvent outlet 512 may include multiple solvent outlets.

[0081] The multiple absorber sections 502 within the internal volume 528 of the housing 504 may include any number and any type of absorber sections 502, such as 530, 532, 534, 536, 538, and 540, which may include packings, support trays or screens, wire mesh, solvent distributors, or any combination thereof. For example, each packing may include multiple beads, balls, or mixing induction structures configured to facilitate mixing between the gas flow and solvent flow within the absorber 452. Each support tray or screen may include wire mesh, a plate with multiple openings, or another suitable structure that holds the packing in place while allowing the gas and solvent fluid flows through the absorber 452 and then through the support tray or screen in the opposite direction. Each solvent distributor may include multiple solvent nozzles configured to distribute the solvent across the internal volume 528. In some embodiments, absorber sections 530, 534, 538, and 540 include wire mesh, while absorber sections 532 and 536 include packing, support trays or screens, and solvent distributors. However, absorber sections 502 (e.g., 530, 532, 534, 536, 538, and 540) are not limited to the illustrated configurations.

[0082] During operation, the absorber 452 is configured to generate a direct or counterflow of gas 542 (e.g., exhaust gas) along the gas path 464 and the gas-lean solvent 544 along the solvent path 468 within the internal volume 528, thereby facilitating the gas absorption of certain undesirable gases (e.g., CO2) from gas 542 to the gas-lean solvent 544. As illustrated, at the bottom 516, gas 542 enters the absorber 452 through the gas inlet 506 and flows upward through the internal volume 528 of the absorber 452. The gas 542 entering the absorber 452 through the gas inlet 506 may form bubbles of gas 542 rising upward through the gas-lean solvent 544 within the internal volume 528. The gas 542 then passes through each subsequent absorber section 502 (e.g., 530, 532, 534, 536, 538, and 540).

[0083] In the intermediate section 518 (or upper section 514), the solvent system gas capture system 450 supplies the gas-lean solvent 544 into the internal volume 528 using one or more solvent distributors, such as a solvent distribution manifold, solvent nozzle, or grid of a solvent injector. The solvent system gas capture system 450 can supply the gas-lean solvent 544 directly to the absorber section 502, above and / or below it, through the illustrated solvent inlets 510, or through any number or arrangement of solvent inlets 510. The gas-lean solvent 544 then flows through each subsequent absorber section 502 and downward through the internal volume 528. As the gas-lean solvent 544 passes through each absorber section 502, various mixing structures (e.g., packing, mesh, support tray, etc.) are configured to help mix the gas-lean solvent 544 with the gas 542, thereby helping to absorb various undesirable gases from the gas 542 into the gas-lean solvent 544. For example, the gaseous lean solvent 544 may be configured to absorb carbon dioxide (CO2) or other undesirable gases, as described in detail above. When the absorption process occurs, heat is generated in the absorber 452, which in turn raises the temperature of the solvent in the absorber 452.

[0084] In certain embodiments, a thermal control system 546 may be coupled to the absorber 452 to control the temperature and improve the efficiency of the absorption process. For example, the thermal control system 546 may include a cooling circuit 548 coupled to the absorber 452, the cooling circuit 548 including a heat exchanger 550 (e.g., a cooler) and a pump 552. The pump 552 is configured to cool the solvent by circulating the solvent through the heat exchanger 550, thereby transferring heat from the solvent to a cooling fluid such as water or another coolant. Any number or configuration of thermal control systems 546 may be implemented within the absorber 452.

[0085] In certain embodiments, the absorber 452 also includes a water washing system 554 having a heat exchanger 556 (e.g., a cooler) and a pump 558 arranged along the water washing circuit 560. In some embodiments, absorber sections 536, 538, and / or 540 may be configured to assist the water washing process of the water washing system 554, while absorber sections 530, 532, and 534 help to enhance the mixing between the gas 542 and the gas-lean solvent 544 to increase the absorption of undesirable gases. For example, absorber sections 536, 538, and / or 540 may be configured to help distribute water across the absorber 552 in the upper 514 to remove any dissolved solvent in the gas 542 flowing upward through the absorber 552. In some embodiments, the water washing system 554 may be excluded from the absorber 452 or moved downstream.

[0086] Finally, the absorber 452 discharges the gas-rich solvent 562 through the solvent outlet 512 at its bottom 516, and the absorber 452 discharges the treated gas 564 through the gas outlet 508 at its top 514. The treated gas 564 may substantially contain or have had one or more undesirable gases (e.g., CO2) removed. In contrast, the gas-rich solvent 562 may have absorbed one or more undesirable gases (e.g., CO2). Therefore, the gas-rich solvent 562 may be described as a CO2-rich solvent (or other gas-rich solvent depending on the undesirable gas), while the gas-lean solvent 544 may be described as a CO2-lean solvent (or other gas-lean solvent depending on the undesirable gas and the specific gas absorption performed in the absorber 452). Similarly, gas 542 may be described as a CO2-containing or rich gas (or other containing or rich gas depending on the undesirable gas), while treated gas 564 may be described as a CO2-reduced gas, a CO2-lean gas, or a CO2-free gas (or other reduced gas, lean gas, or free gas depending on the undesirable gas and the specific gas absorption performed in absorber 452). The gas absorptions described herein are intended to cover any one or more of the undesirable gases described herein, or any other regulated gases or greenhouse gases.

[0087] In certain embodiments, the gas circuit 456 may include one or more components upstream of the absorber 452. For example, the gas circuit 456 may include a gas cooler or gas cooling system, such as a direct contact cooler (DCC) 566, located along the gas path 462 upstream of the absorber 452. In certain embodiments, the fourth pressure section 77 of the HRSG 14 may be configured to generate a heated fluid 168 (e.g., steam and / or heated water) while cooling the exhaust gas flow 68, so that the DCC 476 may be miniaturized or eliminated in the solvent gas capture system 450. If included in the gas circuit 456, the DCC 566 may include a cooling housing 568 housing a wire mesh 570 and a cooled fluid distributor 572, the cooled fluid distributor 572 including a plurality of fluid nozzles 574. The DCC566 may also include a cooling fluid circuit 576 having a pump 578 and a heat exchanger 580 (e.g., a cooler), the cooling fluid circuit 576 being coupled to a cooling fluid distributor 572 above the wire mesh 570 and to the bottom of the housing 568 below the wire mesh 570. The pump 578 is configured to circulate a cooling fluid (e.g., water or other liquid) through the DCC566, while the heat exchanger 580 is configured to cool the cooling fluid by transferring heat from the cooling fluid to another working fluid. Multiple fluid nozzles 574 distribute the cooling fluid (e.g., a cooling fluid dispersion) over the internal volume of the housing 568, while the DCC566 transfers a gas flow from a gas inlet 582 to a gas outlet 584 as indicated by arrow 586. Thus, the cooling fluid dispersion is cooled by direct contact with the gas flow (e.g., exhaust gas flow 68). In some embodiments, the gas circuit 456 also includes one or more fans 588 configured to increase the pressure and / or flow rate of the gas flow supplied to the absorber 452 (e.g., exhaust gas flow 68). However, as stated above, the DCC 566 may be excluded when incorporating the fourth pressure section 77 of the HRSG 14, since the fourth pressure section 77 serves the dual purpose of exhaust gas cooler and steam generator.

[0088] The solvent gas capture system 450 may also include multiple components along a solvent circuit 458 between the absorber 452 and the stripper 454. In the illustrated embodiment, the solvent circuit 458 includes a pump 590 and a heat exchanger 592 along a solvent path 470 from the absorber 452 to the stripper 454, and the solvent circuit 458 includes a pump 594, a heat exchanger 592, a heat exchanger 596, and a filter 598 along a solvent path 474 from the stripper 454 to the absorber 452. The pump 590 is configured to pump a gas-rich solvent 562 along the solvent path 470 to the stripper 454 through the heat exchanger 592, while the pump 594 is configured to pump a gas-lean solvent 544 along the solvent path 474 to the absorber 452 through the heat exchangers 596 and 598 and the filter 598. Heat exchanger 592 is configured to transfer heat from the gas-lean solvent 544 in solvent path 474 to the gas-rich solvent 562 in solvent path 470, thereby cooling the gas-lean solvent 544 and heating the gas-rich solvent 562. Heat exchanger 596 is configured to cool the gas-lean solvent 544 by transferring heat from the gas-lean solvent 544 to a coolant flow (e.g., water or other liquid coolant), thereby providing cooled gas-lean solvent 544 for supply to absorber 452. Filter 598 is configured to filter and / or purify the gas-lean solvent 544 for use in absorber 452. In certain embodiments, the solvent circuit 458 may include further components (e.g., heat exchangers, filters, valves, etc.) and / or exclude one or more of the illustrated components. Stripper 454 processes the gas-rich solvent 562 as described below.

[0089] The stripper 454 includes a plurality of stripper sections 600 arranged inside a container or housing 602, the housing 602 including a solvent inlet 604, a solvent outlet 606, and a gas outlet 608. The housing 602 has an upper part 610, a bottom part 612, and an intermediate part 614 axially positioned between the upper part 610 and the bottom part 612 with respect to the central axis 616 of the housing 602. The upper part 610 includes an upper plate or cover 618 having a gas outlet 608 coaxial with the central axis 616. However, the gas outlet 608 may be positioned offset from the central axis 616 or at other locations along the upper part 610. The intermediate part 614 includes a side wall 620 extending around the central axis 616. For example, the side wall 620 may be an annular side wall, a square side wall, a rectangular side wall, or any other suitable shape extending around the central axis 616. In certain embodiments, the gas outlet 608 may be located in the side wall 620 along the upper section 610. Furthermore, the solvent inlet 604 may be located along the upper section 610 or the middle section 614. The bottom section 612 may include a base plate 622 below the solvent outlet 606. In the illustrated embodiment, the solvent outlet 606 is located in the side wall 620 along the bottom section 612. However, in certain embodiments, the solvent outlet 606 may be located in the base plate 622 of the bottom section 612.

[0090] The stripper sections 600 within the internal volume 624 of the housing 602 may include any number and any type of stripper sections 600, such as stripper sections 626, 628, 630, 632, and 634, which may include packing, support trays or screens, wire mesh, solvent distributors with nozzles, vapor distributors with nozzles, or any combination thereof. For example, each packing may include a plurality of beads, balls, or mixing induction structures configured to facilitate mixing between the solvent flow (e.g., gas-rich solvent 562) and vapor 636 within the stripper 454. Each support tray or screen may include wire mesh, a plate with a plurality of openings, or another suitable structure that holds the packing in place while allowing the fluid flow of the solvent (e.g., gas-rich solvent 562) and vapor 636 to pass through the support tray or screen. Each solvent distributor may include a plurality of solvent nozzles configured to distribute the solvent across the internal volume 624. Each steam distributor may include a plurality of steam nozzles configured to distribute steam 636 across an internal volume 624. In some embodiments, stripper sections 628, 630, and 634 include wire mesh, stripper section 626 includes packing and a support tray or screen, and stripper section 632 includes a barrier plate or partition plate having one or more openings. However, the stripper sections 600 (e.g., 626, 628, 630, 632, and 634) are not limited to the illustrated configurations.

[0091] As described above with reference to Figure 1, the stripper 454 is configured to remove undesirable gases from the gas-rich solvent 562 using a heating fluid 168 (e.g., steam and / or heated water) extracted from the HRSG 14 and / or steam turbine system 16 and supplied to the gas capture system 160 (e.g., solvent system gas capture system 450) via a steam supply system 170 (e.g., steam circuit 460), waste heat recovered by the waste heat recovery (WHR) system 172 of the combined cycle power plant 10, or a combination thereof. In the illustrated embodiment, the steam circuit 460 (e.g., steam circuits 482, 484, and 486) is coupled to various steam extraction locations 476 and steam injection locations 478 to supply heat in the form of a heating fluid 168 (e.g., steam and / or heated water) to support the stripper 454. Each of these steam circuits 460 (e.g., steam circuits 482, 484, and 486) may be configured to transfer heat to the solvent in the stripper by direct heat transfer (e.g., direct injection into the solvent), indirect heat transfer (e.g., via a heat exchanger), or any combination thereof. The controller 150 is configured to selectively control (e.g., open and close) the valve 480 to control the flow of each of the heating fluids 168 (e.g., steam and / or heated water) to the stripper 454 through the steam circuits 460 (e.g., steam circuits 482, 484, and 486). In the illustrated embodiment, steam circuits 482 and 486 are coupled to the intermediate portion 614 of the housing 602 at steam injection locations 490 and 496 located between stripper sections 628 and 630. However, steam circuits 482 and 486 may be coupled to the stripper 454 at any suitable injection locations, which may be the same or different between steam circuits 482 and 486. For example, steam injection locations 478 (e.g., 490 and 496) may be located directly above and / or below one or more of the stripper sections 600.Furthermore, steam injection locations 478 (e.g., 490 and 496) may include a steam distributor having a plurality of steam nozzles configured to distribute a heating fluid 168 (e.g., steam and / or heated water) across the internal volume 624 of the stripper 454.

[0092] In the illustrated embodiment, the stripper 612 may be coupled to or include one or more further components, such as a thermal control system 638 and a moisture removal system 640. The thermal control system 638 may be coupled to any part of the stripper 612, such as at the bottom 612. The thermal control system 638 may include a solvent recirculation circuit 642 having a reboiler 644 configured to heat and boil the solvent for recirculation to the stripper 612. In the illustrated embodiment, the reboiler 644 is coupled to at least one of the steam circuits 460 (e.g., steam circuit 484) as a heat source for heating and boiling the solvent, rather than relying on an independent or separate heat source. However, in some embodiments, the reboiler 644 may include one or more further heat sources for heating the solvent, such as an electric heater, a combustor or furnace, a steam generator, or other heat source. Further heat sources may be used when steam is unavailable and / or insufficient to provide the desired heating within the reboiler 644.

[0093] However, in the illustrated embodiment, the steam circuit 460 may be the primary heat source for supporting the reboiler 644. For example, at least one of the steam circuits 460 (e.g., steam circuit 484) supplies a heating fluid 168 (e.g., steam and / or heated water) into the reboiler 644 at an inlet 646 (e.g., steam injection location (500)), while the reboiler 644 discharges water and / or steam at an outlet 648. The discharged water and / or steam flows from the reboiler 644 to the HRSG 14 through a return circuit 650, which is configured to condense any steam into water. A condenser 652 may be included. In the illustrated embodiment, the return circuit 650 is coupled to a pump 124 that returns the condensate to the HRSG 14. The steam circuit 484 is coupled to the reboiler 644, but one or more of the steam circuits 460 (e.g., steam circuits 482, 484, and 486) may be coupled to the reboiler 644 to provide a heating fluid 168 (e.g., steam and / or heated water) as a heat source for heating and boiling the solvent in the stripper 454.

[0094] The moisture removal system 640 may include a condenser circuit 654 having a condenser 656, which is coupled to a gas outlet 608 and a return inlet 658. The condenser 656 is configured to cool and condense any vapors and solvent vapors present in the captured gas 194 discharged from the stripper 454, thereby outputting water or condensate 660, so that the captured gas 194 is substantially free of water and solvent vapors, and the solvent vapors return to the stripper 454 via the return inlet 658. In some embodiments, the condenser 656 includes a heat exchanger (e.g., a cooler) configured to transfer heat from the captured gas 194. The moisture removal system 640 is coupled to the upper part 610 of the housing 602. However, the moisture removal system 640 may be located at any suitable location to condense the vapors and solvent vapors present in the captured gas 194. The captured gas 194 may also be compressed within the compression system 188 and transferred to the storage and / or pipeline 228 as described above.

[0095] During operation, the controller 150 is configured to monitor the sensor 148 and control the operation of the solvent gas capture system 450 using a heating fluid 168 (e.g., steam and / or heated water) supplied through the steam circuit 460 to support the stripper 454. For example, the controller 150 can selectively control the valve 480 to supply the heating fluid 168 (e.g., steam to water content) through one or more of the steam circuits 460, depending on the conditions of the heating fluid 168 (e.g., temperature, pressure, steam to water content, etc.), the temperature of the solvent in the stripper 454, the temperature of the solvent in the reboiler 644, the operating conditions of the combined cycle power plant 10 (e.g., startup mode, steady state mode, shutdown mode, full load mode, and / or partial load mode), the proportion of undesirable gases in the exhaust gas flow 68, the flow rate of the gas-lean solvent 544, the flow rate of the gas-rich solvent 562, the flow rate of the gas 542, or any combination thereof. During startup mode, shutdown mode, and / or partial load mode, if steam is unavailable or limited, the controller 150 may be configured to control one or more additional heat sources (e.g., electric heaters, furnaces, etc.) to supply heat to support the stripper 454. During steady-state mode, if steam is available, the controller 150 may be configured to control the HRSG 14, steam turbine system 16, and valve 480 to supply a heating fluid 168 (e.g., steam and / or heated water) to the stripper 454. In some embodiments, the controller 150 may be configured to control a fourth pressure section 77 of the HRSG 14 to provide sufficient cooling of the exhaust gas flow 68 to eliminate the DCC 566 while providing the heating fluid 168 to support the stripper 454. In certain embodiments, the controller 150 may be configured to control the mixing of heating fluids 168 (e.g., steam and / or heated water) from various steam extraction locations 476, thereby providing the desired temperature and pressure of the heating fluids 168 (e.g., steam and / or heated water) to support the stripper 454.However, the solvent gas capture system 450 may be configured to selectively use a heating fluid 168 (e.g., steam and / or heated water) from the HRSG 14 and the steam turbine system 16 in any manner.

[0096] The technical effects of the disclosed embodiments include a multistage gas processing system having a plurality of gas capture systems 160 (e.g., 162, 164, and 166), which may include an adsorbent-based gas capture system (e.g., 250 in Figure 2) and / or a solvent-based gas capture system (e.g., 350 in Figure 3), having a heating fluid 168 (e.g., steam and / or heated water) and / or waste heat from a waste heat recovery system 172 (e.g., 182, 184, and 186) as a heat source for the gas capture process. The disclosed embodiments substantially reduce the concentration level of undesirable gases (e.g., CO2) to a level below the input level, thereby helping to achieve a low-carbon, net-neutral, or net-negative carbon footprint for the combined cycle power plant 10. In certain embodiments, the gas capture systems 160 (e.g., 162, 164, and 166) use heated fluid 168 (e.g., steam and / or heated water) from medium-pressure and / or low-pressure extraction locations in the HRSG 14 and steam turbine system 16, such as extraction locations 488, 494, and 498, as shown in Figure 4. As further shown in Figure 4, the gas capture systems 160 (e.g., 162, 164, and 166) can also use heated fluid 168 (e.g., steam and / or heated water) at injection locations 478 in the stripper 454, such as between stripper sections 628 and 638 and / or in the reboiler 644. In certain embodiments, the HRSG14 includes a fourth pressure section 77 configured to cool the exhaust gas flow 68 and extract further heat to support the stripper 454, thereby potentially eliminating or reducing the need for the DCC566 and / or further heat sources to support the stripper 454.

[0097] The subject matter described in detail above may be governed by one or more of the following clauses.

[0098] The system includes a gas treatment system having a gas capture system which includes an absorber, a stripper, a gas circuit through the absorber, and an absorbing fluid circuit through the absorber and stripper. The absorbing fluid is configured to absorb unwanted gases from the gas flowing along the gas circuit, and the stripper is configured to remove unwanted gases from the solvent. The gas treatment system also includes a steam circuit coupled to the stripper of the gas capture system, the steam circuit is configured to supply steam to the stripper from a heat recovery steam generator (HRSG) and / or a steam turbine system.

[0099] A system of the preceding clause, wherein the steam circuit is configured to be coupled to a steam flow path between a low-pressure extraction site, an intermediate-pressure extraction site, or a low-pressure extraction site and an intermediate-pressure extraction site.

[0100] A system of any preceding clauses, comprising at least one steam circuit configured to be coupled to the stripper's reboiler.

[0101] A system of any preceding clause, wherein at least one steam circuit is configured to couple to a steam flow path between the intermediate-pressure steam turbine and the low-pressure steam turbine of a steam turbine system.

[0102] A system of any preceding clause, comprising at least one steam circuit configured to be coupled to a stripper at one or more steam injection points, each of which is located on and / or below a stripper section located inside the casing of the stripper, and each of which includes a steam distributor having a plurality of steam nozzles.

[0103] A system of any preceding clause, comprising at least one steam circuit configured to couple with a stripper and a low-pressure steam turbine of a steam turbine system.

[0104] A system of any preceding clauses, comprising at least one steam circuit configured to connect to at least one low-pressure section of a stripper and an HRSG.

[0105] A system of any preceding clauses in which the HRSG comprises a high-pressure section, an intermediate-pressure section, a first low-pressure section, and a second low-pressure section of the HRSG, wherein at least one low-pressure section comprises a second low-pressure section of the HRSG.

[0106] A system of any preceding clause, including HRSG and steam turbine systems.

[0107] A system of any preceding clause, comprising a gas turbine system configured to generate an exhaust gas flow, wherein an HRSG is configured to transfer heat from the exhaust gas flow to generate steam, and a gas capture system is configured to capture undesirable gases from the exhaust gas flow as gas.

[0108] A system of any preceding clause, excluding a direct contact cooler (DCC) configured such that the gas circuit extends from the HRSG to the absorber of the gas capture system, and the gas circuit cools the exhaust gas flow.

[0109] A system of any preceding clause, configured such that the steam circuit is coupled to at least one of the high-pressure section, medium-pressure section, first low-pressure section, or second low-pressure section of the HRSG.

[0110] A system of any preceding clause, including an HRSG, wherein the steam circuit is coupled to the second low-pressure section of the HRSG.

[0111] A system of any preceding clause, wherein the steam circuit is configured to be coupled to at least one of the high-pressure steam turbine, medium-pressure steam turbine, or low-pressure steam turbine of a steam turbine system.

[0112] A system of any preceding clause, including a steam turbine system, wherein the steam circuit is coupled to the low-pressure steam turbine of the steam turbine system, the steam flow path between the intermediate-pressure steam turbine and the low-pressure steam turbine of the steam turbine system, or a combination thereof.

[0113] A system of any preceding clause, wherein the steam circuit comprises multiple steam circuits, each of the multiple steam circuits comprises a valve, and the controller is configured to control each valve, HRSG, and / or steam turbine system to supply steam to the stripper of the gas capture system.

[0114] A system of any preceding clause, wherein the gas capture system includes a solvent-based gas capture system and the absorption fluid includes a solvent.

[0115] A system of any preceding clauses in which the undesirable gas includes carbon dioxide (CO2).

[0116] The system includes a controller configured to control the gas capture system of the gas processing system to capture undesirable gases from the gas. The gas capture system includes an absorber, a stripper, a gas circuit through the absorber, and an absorbing fluid circuit through the absorber and stripper. The absorbing fluid is configured to absorb undesirable gases from the gas flowing along the gas circuit, and the stripper is configured to remove undesirable gases from the solvent. The controller is also configured to control the supply of steam through the steam circuit to the stripper from a heat recovery steam generator (HRSG) and / or steam turbine system, and the steam circuit is coupled to the stripper of the gas capture system.

[0117] The method includes controlling a gas capture system of a gas processing system to capture undesirable gases from a gas. The gas capture system includes an absorber, a stripper, a gas circuit through the absorber, and an absorbing fluid circuit through the absorber and stripper. The absorbing fluid is configured to absorb undesirable gases from the gas flowing along the gas circuit, and the stripper is configured to remove undesirable gases from a solvent. The method also includes controlling the supply of steam from a heat recovery steam generator (HRSG) and / or a steam turbine system to the stripper through a steam circuit, the steam circuit being coupled to the stripper of the gas capture system.

[0118] This specification describes embodiments, including best modes, by example, and enables any person skilled in the art to practice the embodiments disclosed herein, including fabricating and using any device or system and performing any incorporated methods. The patentable scope of the embodiments disclosed herein is defined by the claims and may include other examples conceivable by a person skilled in the art. Such other examples are intended to be within the claims if they have structural elements not different from the language of the claims, or if they include equivalent structural elements not substantially different from the language of the claims. [Explanation of Symbols]

[0119] 10 Combined Cycle Power Plants 12. Gas turbine systems, gas turbine engines 14. Heat Recovery Steam Generator (HRSG) 16 Steam Turbine System 18. Multi-stage gas processing system 20 Intake Section 22 Compressor Section 24 Combustor Section 26 Turbine Section 28 load 30 Compressor Stages 32 rotary compressor blades 34 Fixed compressor vanes 36 Compressor casing 38 Compressor shaft 40 Combustors 42 shafts 44 Fuel nozzles 46 Fuel supply source 48 Rotary Turbine Blades 50 Fixed Turbine Vane 52 Casing 54 Turbine shaft 56 Turbine Stages 58 shaft 60 Intake flow 62 Compressed air flow 64 Combustion chamber 66 High-temperature combustion gas flow 68 Exhaust gas flow 70 Heat exchange components 72 First pressure section 74 Second pressure section 76 Third pressure section 77 Fourth pressure section 78 Finishing high-pressure superheater 80 Secondary reheater 82 Primary reheater 84 Primary high-voltage superheater 86 Interstage overheating prevention device 88 Interstage overheating prevention device 90 High-Pressure Evaporator (HP EVAP) 92 High-voltage economizer (HP ECON) 94. Medium-Pressure Evaporator (IP EVAP) 95 Fuel gas heater 96. Medium-pressure economizer (IP ECON) 98 Low-Pressure Evaporator (LP EVAP) 100 Low-voltage economizer 102 Enclosure or duct 104 Steam Turbine 106 High-Pressure Steam Turbine (HP ST) 108 Intermediate Pressure Steam Turbine (IP ST) 110 Low-Pressure Steam Turbine (LP ST) 112 Shaft 114 shaft 116 load 118 shaft 120 Condensate 122 Condenser 124 pumps 125 pump 126 Water supply 130 Fluid Connection Systems 132 High-pressure steam supply conduit or line 134 Discharge or return line 136 Medium-pressure steam supply conduit or line 138 Discharge or return line 140 Low-pressure steam supply conduit or line 142 Discharge or return line 144 Control Systems 146 Monitoring System 148 sensors 150 controllers 152 processors 154 memory 156 Command 160 Gas Capture System 162 Gas Capture System 164 Gas Capture System 166 Gas Capture System 168 Heating fluid 170 Steam supply system 172 Waste Heat Recovery (WHR) System 174 Steam supply conduit or line 176 Steam supply conduit or line 178 Heat exchanger 180 Heat exchanger 182 Waste Heat Recovery System 184 Waste Heat Recovery System 186 Waste Heat Recovery System 188 Compression System 190 Airflow 192 Gas Capture System 194 Captured Gas 196 Discharge conduit or line 198 Dryer 200 Dryer 202 Fans 204 Valve 206 Exhaust passage 208 Discharge conduit or line 210 Dryer 212 Discharge conduit or line 214 Exhaust Stack 216 Discharge Line 218 Dryer 220 Discharge conduit or line 222 Compressor 224 Compressor 226 Intercooler 228 Storage units and / or pipelines 230 Discharge conduit or line 250 Adsorbent-based gas capture systems 252 Adsorbent-based gas capture assembly or unit 254 Adsorbent-containing conduit 256 Adsorbent-containing conduit 258 Adsorbent-containing conduit 260 Outer conduit wall 262 Channels 264 Central axis 266 Entrance 268 Exit 270 Adsorbent Materials 272 Inner self 274 Upstream Flow Distribution System 276 Downstream flow distribution system 278 Heating fluid supply system 280 Gas supply systems 282 Post-installation / removal processing system 284 Processed Gas Processing Systems 286 Gas 288 Heating Fluid Control 290 Heating fluid control components 292 Heating fluid control components 294 Heating fluid control components 296 valves 298 Distribution conduit or line 300 distribution conduit or line 302 Gas pretreatment 304 Gas pretreatment components 306 Gas pretreatment components 308 Gas pretreatment components 310 Valve 312 Distribution conduit or line 314 Distribution conduit or line 316 Valve 318 Distribution conduit or line 320 Distribution conduit or line 322 Processor after removal 324 Post-installation / de-installation processing components 326 Post-installation / de-installation processing components 328 Post-installation / detachment processing components 330 water 332 Valves 334 Distribution conduit or line 336 Distribution conduit or line 338 Processed gas 350 Solvent-based gas capture systems 352 Absorber 354 Solvent supply system 356 Solvent Evacuation System 358 Gas-lean solvents 360 Conduit 362 Solvent partitioner 364 nozzles 366 Solvent dispersion 368 Internal volume 370 Solvent inlet 372 Solvent outlet 374 Gas-rich solvents 376 Solvent Regeneration System 378 Gas compressor 380 Gas Dryer 382 Return conduit 384 Gas Inlet 386 Gas outlet 388 cabinets 390 Top 392 Bottom 394 Middle part 396 Central axis 398 Axial direction or axis 400 Radial or axial 402 Circumferential direction or axis 404 Top plate or cover 406 Side wall 408 Base Plate 410 Packing 412 Support tray or screen 414 Solvent partitioner 416 Nozzles 418 Solvent dispersion 420 Arrow 422 Steam supply system 424 Arrow 426 components 428 components 430 Components 432 Components 450 Solvent-based gas capture system 452 Absorber 454 Strippers 456 Gas Circuit 458 Solvent cycle 460 Steam Circuit 462 Gas routes 464 Gas routes 466 Gas routes 468 Solvent pathway 470 Solvent pathway 472 Solvent pathway 474 Solvent pathway 476 Steam extraction location 478 Steam injection location 480 valves 482 Steam Circuit 484 Steam Circuit 486 Steam Circuit 488 Steam extraction location 490 Steam injection location 492 Steam flow path 494 Steam extraction location 496 Steam injection location 498 Steam extraction location 500 Steam injection points 502 Absorber Section 504 cabinet 506 Gas Inlet 508 Gas Outlet 510 Solvent inlet 512 Solvent outlet 514 Top 516 Bottom 518 Middle part 520 center axis 522 Top plate or cover 524 Side wall 526 Base Plate 528 Internal volume 530 Absorber section 532 Absorber section 534 Absorber section 536 Absorber section 538 Absorber section 540 Absorber section 542 Gas 544 Gas-lean solvents 546 Thermal control system 550 heat exchanger 552 Pump 554 Water Washing System 556 Heat exchanger 558 Pump 560 Water flushing circuit 562 Gas-rich solvents 564 Processed Gas 566 Direct Contact Cooler (DCC) 568 Cooling enclosure 570 Wire mesh 572 Cooling Fluid Distributor 574 Fluid Nozzle 576 Cooling Fluid Circuit 578 Pump 580 heat exchanger 582 Gas Inlet 584 Gas outlet 586 Arrow 588 fans 590 pump 592 Heat exchanger 594 Pump 596 Heat exchanger 598 filters 600 Stripper Section 602 cabinet 604 Solvent Inlet 606 Solvent outlet 608 Gas outlet 610 Top 612 Bottom 614 Middle part 616 Center axis 618 Top plate or cover 620 side wall 622 Base Plate 624 Internal volume 626 Stripper Section 628 Stripper Section 630 Stripper Section 632 Stripper Section 634 Stripper Section 636 Steam 538 Thermal control system 640 Moisture Removal System 642 Solvent recirculation circuit 644 Reboiler 646 Entrance 648 Exit 650 Return Circuit 652 Condenser 654 Condenser Circuit 656 Condenser 658 Return entrance 660 Condensate

Claims

1. A gas capture system (160) comprising an absorber (452), a stripper (454), a gas circuit (456) passing through the absorber (452), and an absorbing fluid circuit (458) passing through the absorber (452) and the stripper (454), wherein the absorbing fluid is configured to absorb undesirable gases from a gas (286) flowing along the gas circuit (456), and the stripper (454) is configured to remove the undesirable gases from the solvent, A steam circuit (460) coupled to the stripper (454) of the gas capture system (160), wherein the steam circuit (460) is configured to supply steam to the stripper (454) from a heat recovery steam generator (HRSG) (14) and / or a steam turbine system (16), and A gas treatment system (18) equipped with A system (10) comprising:

2. The system (10) according to claim 1, wherein the steam circuit (460) is configured to be connected to a low-pressure extraction location (498), an intermediate-pressure extraction location (494), or a steam flow path (492) between the low-pressure extraction location (498) and the intermediate-pressure extraction location (494).

3. The system (10) according to claim 1, wherein the steam circuit (460) includes at least one steam circuit (460) configured to be coupled to the reboiler (644) of the stripper (454).

4. The system (10) according to claim 3, wherein the at least one steam circuit (460) is configured to be coupled to a steam flow path (492) between the intermediate-pressure steam turbine (108) and the low-pressure steam turbine (110) of the steam turbine system (16).

5. The system (10) according to claim 1, wherein the steam circuit (460) includes at least one steam circuit (460) configured to be coupled to the stripper (454) at one or more steam injection locations (478), each of the one or more steam injection locations (478) is located on and / or below a stripper section (600) located inside the housing (602) of the stripper (454), and each of the one or more steam injection locations (478) comprises a steam distributor (572) having a plurality of steam nozzles (574).

6. The system (10) according to claim 1, wherein the steam circuit (460) includes at least one steam circuit (460) configured to be coupled to the stripper (454) and the low-pressure steam turbine (110) of the steam turbine system (16).

7. The system (10) according to claim 1, wherein the steam circuit (460) includes at least one steam circuit (460) configured to be coupled to the stripper (454) and the at least one low-pressure section (76, 77) of the HRSG (14).

8. The system (10) according to claim 7, wherein the HRSG (14) comprises a high-pressure section (72), an intermediate-pressure section (74), a first low-pressure section (76), and a second low-pressure section (77), and the at least one low-pressure section (76, 77) includes the second low-pressure section (77) of the HRSG (14).

9. The system (10) according to claim 1, comprising the HRSG (14) and the steam turbine system (16).

10. The system (10) according to claim 9, comprising a gas turbine system (12) configured to generate an exhaust gas flow (68), wherein the HRSG (14) is configured to transfer heat from the exhaust gas flow (68) to generate steam (168), and the gas capture system (160) is configured to capture the undesirable gas from the exhaust gas flow (68) as the gas (286).

11. The system (10) according to claim 10, wherein the gas circuit (456) extends from the HRSG (14) to the absorber (452) of the gas capture system (160), and the gas circuit (456) excludes a direct contact cooler (DCC) (566) configured to cool the exhaust gas flow (68).

12. The system (10) according to claim 1, wherein the steam circuit (460) is configured to be coupled to at least one of the high-pressure section (72), the medium-pressure section (74), the first low-pressure section (76), or the second low-pressure section (77) of the HRSG (14).

13. The system (10) according to claim 12, comprising the HRSG (14), wherein the steam circuit (460) is coupled to the second low-pressure section (77) of the HRSG (14).

14. The system (10) according to claim 1, wherein the steam circuit (460) is configured to be coupled to at least one of the high-pressure steam turbine (106), the medium-pressure steam turbine (108), or the low-pressure steam turbine (110) of the steam turbine system (16).

15. The system (10) according to claim 14, comprising the steam turbine system (16), wherein the steam circuit (460) is coupled to the low-pressure steam turbine (110) of the steam turbine system (16), the steam flow path (492) between the intermediate-pressure steam turbine (108) of the steam turbine system (16) and the low-pressure steam turbine (110), or a combination thereof.

16. The system (10) according to claim 1, wherein the steam circuit (460) comprises a plurality of steam circuits (460), each of the plurality of steam circuits (460) is equipped with a valve (480), and the controller (150) is configured to control each valve (480), the HRSG (14), and / or the steam turbine system (16) to supply the steam to the stripper (454) of the gas capture system (160).

17. The system (10) according to claim 1, wherein the gas capture system (160) includes a solvent-based gas capture system (450), and the absorption fluid includes a solvent.

18. The aforementioned undesirable gas is carbon dioxide (CO2). ２ The system (10) according to claim 1, including ).

19. Controlling a gas capture system (160) of a gas processing system (18) to capture undesirable gases from a gas (286), wherein the gas capture system (160) comprises an absorber (452), a stripper (454), a gas circuit (456) through the absorber (452), and an absorbent fluid circuit (458) through the absorber (452) and the stripper (454), wherein the absorbent fluid is configured to absorb the undesirable gases from the gas (286) flowing along the gas circuit (456), and the stripper (454) is configured to remove the undesirable gases from the solvent. Controlling the supply of steam from a heat recovery steam generator (HRSG) (14) and / or a steam turbine system (16) to the stripper (454) via a steam circuit (460), wherein the steam circuit (460) is coupled to the stripper (454) of the gas capture system (160). A controller (150) configured to perform the following actions. A system (10) comprising:

20. Controlling a gas capture system (160) of a gas processing system (18) to capture undesirable gases from a gas (286), wherein the gas capture system (160) comprises an absorber (452), a stripper (454), a gas circuit (456) through the absorber (452), and an absorbent fluid circuit (458) through the absorber (452) and the stripper (454), wherein the absorbent fluid is configured to absorb the undesirable gases from the gas (286) flowing along the gas circuit (456), and the stripper (454) is configured to remove the undesirable gases from the solvent. Controlling the supply of steam from a heat recovery steam generator (HRSG) (14) and / or a steam turbine system (16) to the stripper (454) via a steam circuit (460), wherein the steam circuit (460) is coupled to the stripper (454) of the gas capture system (160). Methods that include...

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