A carbon dioxide catcher, a method for capturing carbon dioxide from process air conducted through a carbon dioxide catcher and a computer program

Abstract

The disclosure relates to a carbon dioxide catcher (100), comprising a pair of main reactors (110a, 110b) and a pair of stand-by reactors (110c, 110d), a process air circuit (S3) configured to conduct process air through the reactors (110a-d); and a control unit (160) configured to control the flow of process air through the process air circuit (S3); wherein the control unit (160) is configured to switch between conducting process air through a first main reactor (110a, 110b) to the other main reactor (110a,110b), and to switch from conducting the process air through at least one of the main reactors (110a, 110b) to conducting process air through at least one of the stand-by reactors (110c, 110d) based on a carbon dioxide level of the process air downstream of one or both main reactors (110a, 110b) exceeding a predetermined threshold. The disclosure further relates to a corresponding method (200) and computer program.

Description

[0001] A carbon dioxide catcher, a method for capturing carbon dioxide from process air conducted through a carbon dioxide catcher and a computer program

[0002] Technical field

[0003] The present disclosure relates to a carbon dioxide catcher, a method for capturing carbon dioxide from process air conducted through a carbon dioxide catcher and a computer program. More specifically, the disclosure relates to a carbon dioxide catcher, a method for capturing carbon dioxide from process air conducted through a carbon dioxide catcher and a computer program as defined in the introductory parts of the independent claims.

[0004] Background art

[0005] Carbon dioxide (CO2) is a major greenhouse gas contributing to global warming and climate change and various ways of capturing the gas have been developed over the years. By capturing the carbon dioxide for example from industrial sources helps reducing the amount of this gas released to into the atmosphere, mitigating its impact on the environment. Different types of carbon dioxide capture material are known, for example covalent organic frameworks, metal-organic frameworks, activated carbon, zeolites and carbon nanotubes. Carbon dioxide capture materials are also good at adsorbing water vapor, which can compete with the capturing of carbon dioxide. Carbon dioxide catchers typically comprise one or more reactors with cassettes containing the carbon dioxide capture material. Many carbon dioxide capture materials are also good at adsorbing water vapor, which can compete with the carbon dioxide adsorption. Carbon dioxide catcher systems using such materials therefore often comprise dehumidifiers upstream of the carbon dioxide catcher, such that the carbon dioxide capture material can focus on capturing the carbon dioxide more efficiently.

[0006] Interruptions such as malfunctions or maintenance to the air treatment process can be time-consuming and costly. There is therefore a need in the art for reducing downtime.

[0007] Summary

[0008] It is an object of the present disclosure to mitigate, alleviate or eliminate one or more of the above-identified deficiencies and disadvantages in the prior art and solve at least the above-mentioned problem.

[0009] According to a first aspect there is provided a carbon dioxide catcher comprising: a pair of main reactors and a pair of stand-by reactors, each reactor comprising a carbon dioxide capture material arranged to adsorb carbon dioxide in process air led through the reactor; a process air circuit configured to conduct process air through the reactors; and a control unit configured to control the flow of process air through the process air circuit; wherein the control unit is configured to switch between conducting process air through a first main reactor to the other main reactor based on a carbon dioxide level of the process air downstream of the first main reactor, and wherein the control unit is further configured to switch from conducting the process air through at least one of the main reactors to conducting process air through at least one of the stand-by reactors based on a carbon dioxide level of the process air downstream of one or both main reactors exceeding a predetermined threshold.

[0010] The disclosed carbon dioxide catcher thereby provide redundancy for when an unexpected problem or shutdown of the one or both reactors of the pair of main reactors occurs.

[0011] The reactor may also be referred to as an adsorbent and / or absorbent unit. Thus, the reactor is a unit configured to adsorb and / or absorb carbon dioxide in process air conducted through the reactor.

[0012] According to some examples, the control unit is configured to make the switch from conducting the process air through the pair of main reactors to conduct process air through the pair of stand-by reactors based on the carbon dioxide level of the process air downstream of one or both reactors of the pair of main reactors exceeding the predetermined threshold.

[0013] By switching to the pair of stand-by reactors, both reactors of the pair of main reactors are freed up for maintenance and inspection. Since the reactors of the pair of main reactors operate about the same amount over time, it is often the case that a problem occurring in one of the reactors has to be addressed or prevented also in the other reactor. By switching to the pair of stand-by reactors, preventive maintenance can be performed in addition to addressing the cause for exceeding the predetermined threshold.

[0014] According to some examples, the control unit is configured to: make the switch from conducting the process air through the first main reactor to conduct process air through a corresponding first stand-by reactor based on the carbon dioxide level of the process air downstream of the first main reactor exceeding the predetermined threshold; initiate a reactivation process to desorb carbon dioxide from the carbon dioxide capture material of the other main reactor; and make a switch from conducting the process air through the first standby reactor to conduct process air through the reactivated other main reactor of.

[0015] By inserting a regeneration process, the other reactor can be prepared for carbon dioxide capture before it is being used. This can be particularly efficient in carbon dioxide catchers that operate under suboptimal conditions, such as for some carbon dioxide catcher that have been used a long time and experience minor leaks at seals or similar defects that impact the performance of a reactor that has been idle for an extended period of time.

[0016] According to a second aspect there is provided a method for controlling a carbon dioxide catcher according to the first aspect. The method comprises: conducting process air through a first main reactor; switching to conduct process air through the other main reactor based on a carbon dioxide level of the process air downstream of the first main reactor; and switching from conducting the process air through at least one of the main reactors to conduct process air through at least one of the stand-by reactors based on a carbon dioxide level of the process air downstream of one or both main reactors exceeding a predetermined threshold.

[0017] According to a third aspect there is provided a computer program comprising computer instructions which, when executed by a processor of the control unit of a carbon dioxide catcher according to any of the first aspect, causes the carbon dioxide catcher to carry out the disclosed method according to the second aspect.

[0018] According to fourth aspect there is provided a computer program product for a carbon dioxide catcher according to the first aspect, the computer program product comprising a non- transitory computer-readable storage medium having thereon a computer program comprising program instructions, the computer program being loadable into a processor and configured to cause the processor to perform the disclosed method according to the second aspect.

[0019] Effects and features of the second, third and fourth aspects are to a large extent analogous to those described above in connection with the first aspect. Examples mentioned in relation to the first aspect are largely compatible with the second and third aspects.

[0020] The present disclosure will become apparent from the detailed description given below. The detailed description and specific examples disclose preferred embodiments of the disclosure by way of illustration only. Those skilled in the art understand from guidance in the detailed description that changes and modifications may be made within the scope of the disclosure.

[0021] Hence, it is to be understood that the herein disclosed disclosure is not limited to the particular component parts of the device described or steps of the methods described since such device and method may vary. It is also to be understood that the terminology used herein is for purpose of describing particular examples only, and is not intended to be limiting. It should be noted that, as used in the specification and the appended claim, the articles "a", "an", "the", and "said" are intended to mean that there are one or more of the elements unless the context explicitly dictates otherwise. Thus, for example, reference to "a unit" or "the unit" may include several devices, and the like. Furthermore, the words "comprising", "including", "containing" and similar wordings does not exclude other elements or steps.

[0022] Brief of the

[0023] The above objects, as well as additional objects, features and advantages of the present disclosure, will be more fully appreciated by reference to the following illustrative and non-limiting detailed description of examples of the present disclosure, when taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings.

[0024] Figures la-ld show schematically a carbon dioxide catcher according to examples of the present disclosure; and

[0025] Figure 2 shows a method for capturing carbon dioxide from process air conducted through a carbon dioxide catcher according to the first aspect.

[0026] Detailed

[0027] The present disclosure will now be described with reference to the accompanying drawings, in which preferred example embodiments of the disclosure are shown. The disclosure may, however, be embodied in other forms and should not be construed as limited to the herein disclosed embodiments. The disclosed embodiments are provided to fully convey the scope of the disclosure to the skilled person.

[0028] Figures la-ld show schematically examples of the first aspect of this disclosure: a carbon dioxide catcher 100. The carbon dioxide catcher 100 comprises: a pair of main reactors 110a, 110b and a pair of stand-by reactors 110c, llOd, each reactor llOa-d comprising a carbon dioxide capture material arranged to adsorb carbon dioxide in process air led through the reactor; a process air circuit S3 configured to conduct process air through the reactors llOa-d; and a control unit 160 configured to control the flow of process air through the process air circuit S3; wherein the control unit 160 is configured to switch between conducting process air through a first main reactor 110a, 110b to the other main reactor 110a, 110b based on a carbon dioxide level of the process air downstream of the first main reactor, and wherein the control unit 160 is further configured to switch from conducting the process air through at least one of the main reactors 110a, 110b to conducting process air through at least one of the stand-by reactors 110c, llOd based on a carbon dioxide level of the process air downstream of one or both main reactors 110a, 110b exceeding a predetermined threshold.

[0029] In Figures la-lb, the standard operational behaviour of conduct process air through a first reactor 110a, as shown in Fig. la, of the pair of main reactors 110a, 110b, and switch to conduct process air through the other reactor 110b, as shown in Fig. lb, of the pair of main reactors 110a, 110b based on a carbon dioxide level of the process air downstream of the first reactor 110a is illustrated. A deficiency in either of the first pair of reactors 110a, 110b manifesting itself in the carbon dioxide level of the process air downstream of one or both reactors of the pair of main reactors 110a, 110b exceeding a predetermined threshold causes the control unit 160 to conduct process air through at least one of the pair of stand-by reactors 110c, llOd instead, as illustrated in Figs, lc-ld.

[0030] According to some examples the control unit 160 is configured to make the switch from conducting the process air through the pair of main reactors 110a, 110b to conduct process air through the pair of stand-by reactors 110c, llOd based on the carbon dioxide level of the process air downstream of one or both main reactors 110a, 110b exceeding the predetermined threshold. In addition to reducing downtime and providing redundancy, switching from the main pair llOa-b to the pair of stand-by reactors llOc-d further allows maintenance of both reactors of the main pair llOa-b at the same time.

[0031] According to some examples the control unit 160 is configured to: make the switch from conducting the process air through the first main reactor 110a, 110b to conduct process air through a corresponding first stand-by reactor 110c, llOd based on the carbon dioxide level of the process air downstream of the first main reactor 110a, 110b exceeding the predetermined threshold, initiate a reactivation process to desorb carbon dioxide from the carbon dioxide capture material of the other main reactor 110a, 110b, and make a switch from conducting the process air through the first stand-by reactor 110c, llOd to conduct process air through the reactivated other main reactor of 110a, 110b.

[0032] Figure 2 illustrates the second aspect of this disclosure: a method 200 for controlling a carbon dioxide catcher 100 according to the first aspect. The method 200 comprises: conducting S100 process air through a first main reactor; switching S200 to conduct process air through the other main reactor 110a, 110b based on a carbon dioxide level of the process air downstream of the first main reactor; and switching S300 from conducting the process air through at least one of the main reactors 110a, 110b to conduct process air through at least one of the stand-by reactors 110c, llOd based on a carbon dioxide level of the process air downstream of one or both main reactors 110a, 110b exceeding a predetermined threshold. The method performs the functions of the carbon dioxide catcher 100 according to the first aspect of the present disclosure and consequently has the same technical effects and advantages.

[0033] The person skilled in the art realizes that the present disclosure is not limited to the preferred examples described above. The person skilled in the art further realizes that modifications and variations are possible within the scope of the appended claims. Additionally, variations to the disclosed examples can be understood and effected by the skilled person in practicing the claimed disclosure, from a study of the drawings, the disclosure, and the appended claims.

Claims

7CLAIMS1. A carbon dioxide catcher (100), comprising a pair of main reactors (110a, 110b) and a pair of stand-by reactors (110c, llOd), each reactor (llOa-d) comprising a carbon dioxide capture material arranged to adsorb carbon dioxide in process air led through the reactor; a process air circuit (S3) configured to conduct process air through the reactors (110a- d); and a control unit (160) configured to control the flow of process air through the process air circuit (S3); wherein the control unit (160) is configured to switch between conducting process air through a first main reactor (110a, 110b) to the other main reactor (110a, 110b) based on a carbon dioxide level of the process air downstream of the first main reactor, and wherein the control unit (160) is further configured to switch from conducting the process air through at least one of the main reactors (110a, 110b) to conducting process air through at least one of the stand-by reactors (110c, llOd) based on a carbon dioxide level of the process air downstream of one or both main reactors (110a, 110b) exceeding a predetermined threshold.

2. The carbon dioxide catcher (100) according to claim 1, wherein the control unit (160) is configured to make the switch from conducting the process air through the pair of main reactors (110a, 110b) to conduct process air through the pair of stand-by reactors (110c, llOd) based on the carbon dioxide level of the process air downstream of one or both main reactors (110a, 110b) exceeding the predetermined threshold.

3. The carbon dioxide catcher (100) according to claim 1 or 2, wherein the control unit (160) is configured to:• make the switch from conducting the process air through the first main reactor (110a, 110b) to conduct process air through a corresponding first stand-by reactor (110c, llOd) based on the carbon dioxide level of the process air downstream of the first main reactor (110a, 110b) exceeding the predetermined threshold,8• initiate a reactivation process to desorb carbon dioxide from the carbon dioxide capture material of the other main reactor (110a, 110b), and• make a switch from conducting the process air through the first stand-by reactor (110c, llOd) to conduct process air through the reactivated other main reactor of (110a, 110b).

4. A method (200) for controlling a carbon dioxide catcher (100) according to any one of claims 1-3, the method comprising: conducting (S100) process air through a first main reactor, switching (S200) to conduct process air through the other main reactor (110a, 110b) based on a carbon dioxide level of the process air downstream of the first main reactor, and switching (S300) from conducting the process air through at least one of the main reactors (110a, 110b) to conduct process air through at least one of the stand-by reactors (110c, llOd) based on a carbon dioxide level of the process air downstream of one or both main reactors (110a, 110b) exceeding a predetermined threshold.

5. A computer program comprising computer instructions which, when executed by a processor (162) of the control unit (160) of a carbon dioxide catcher (100) according to any one of claims 1-3, causes the carbon dioxide catcher (100) to carry out the method according to claim 4.

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