Natural Gas Power System with Direct Air Capture and Heat Integration
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Solution Overview
Problem
Current carbon capture technologies are inadequate for reducing atmospheric CO2 concentrations from distributed sources, as they struggle to operate effectively at ambient conditions and capture CO2 from ultra-dilute sources, necessitating the development of systems that can integrate with natural gas power generation to dynamically adjust carbon capture levels based on electricity demand.
Innovation Solution
A natural gas power generating system incorporating a gas turbine, heat recovery steam generator, post-combustion carbon capture unit, and direct air capture unit, which uses a sorbent bed to adsorb CO2 from the atmosphere and automatically transitions between carbon capture and regeneration states based on CO2 saturation and electricity price, with steam from the heat recovery steam generator used for regeneration.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Object-affected harmful factors
If direct air capture is used to remove CO2 from ambient air, then CO2 concentration in atmosphere is reduced, but the system requires high energy input for regeneration and operation
Solution Approach 1:
The patent combines the direct air capture system with a natural gas power generation system, merging the CO2 removal function with the energy generation function. The power plant's waste heat and electricity are used to support the DAC operation, creating an integrated system where the harmful CO2 emissions from the power plant are captured and removed from the atmosphere.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent converts the harmful waste heat from the natural gas power plant into a beneficial resource for regenerating the sorbent material. Instead of dissipating the waste heat to the environment, it is used to desorb CO2 from the sorbent, reducing the external energy input required for regeneration and turning a harmful byproduct into a useful resource.
2Productivity
If carbon capture is integrated with natural gas power generation, then CO2 capture rates are increased, but the system complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The natural gas power generation system is designed to perform multiple functions: electricity generation, heat production for steam generation, and CO2 capture. The same infrastructure (steam system, sorbent regeneration system) is used for both power generation and carbon capture operations, reducing the need for separate dedicated systems and thereby limiting the increase in overall system complexity.
3Productivity
If steam is diverted to the direct air capture unit for regeneration, then CO2 removal efficiency is improved, but electrical power production decreases
Solution Approach 1:
The system dynamically adjusts the amount of steam diverted to the direct air capture unit based on operational conditions, CO2 prices, and electricity demand. The steam flow to the DAC unit is variable rather than fixed, allowing the system to optimize between CO2 removal efficiency and electrical power production according to market conditions and operational requirements.
Solution Approach 2:
The system changes operational parameters (steam flow rates, sorbent regeneration intensity, power generation output) based on varying conditions such as electricity prices, CO2 prices, and demand. This allows flexible optimization of the trade-off between CO2 removal efficiency and power production by adjusting key system parameters in response to external conditions.
Applied Scientific Principles
This section explains which scientific principles are used to turn an abstract innovation direction into a practical engineering solution.
Function Achieved in This Case
Enables flexible operation to maximize CO2 removal or electrical power production based on economic conditions, achieving high CO2 capture rates while reducing the parasitic load through heat integration and optimizing dispatch across varying electricity and carbon prices.
Implementation Method 1
a direct air capture (DAC) unit configured to adsorb CO2 from an atmosphere stream
Implementation Method 2
a heat recovery steam generator (HRSG) configured to recover heat from the waste gas by transferring heat energy from the waste gas to water to generate steam
Implementation Method 3
a gas turbine configured to generate power and generate a waste gas as a result of a combustion reaction between natural gas and air
Data Source
AI summary
Disclosed herein natural gas power generating systems comprising a post-combustion carbon capture (PCC) unit configured to remove carbon dioxide from a waste gas to create a flue gas, a direct air capture (DAC) unit configured to adsorb carbon dioxide from an atmospheric gas, and a compression unit configured to receive at least one of: (i) carbon dioxide gas from the first carbon dioxide rich outlet line and (ii) carbon dioxide gas from the second carbon dioxide rich outlet line to create a compressed carbon dioxide product. The DAC unit can further generate steam using a heat exchange with steam generated by a HRSG. The DAC unit can further comprise a sorbent module containing the sorbent bed. The sorbent module can have a carbon capture state configured to adsorb carbon dioxide and a regeneration state configured to contact steam with the sorbent bed.