Devices, systems, facilities and processes for CO<sub>2 </sub>capture/sequestration and direct air capture
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Solution Overview
Problem
Industrial facilities face challenges in effectively reducing greenhouse gas emissions, as existing emission reduction technologies like scrubbers and flares do not adequately address the issue of overall greenhouse gas reduction while also considering cost synergies for direct air capture.
Innovation Solution
The proposed solution involves a system that includes a carbon capture unit and a direct air capture unit, utilizing commercially available solvents and technologies to process flue gas streams, cool and condense gases, and then compress CO2-rich streams for sequestration, integrating waste heat recovery and dehydration units to enhance efficiency.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Object-affected harmful factors
If conventional emission reduction technologies (scrubbers and flares) are used, then some greenhouse gas emissions are reduced, but the overall greenhouse gas reduction effectiveness is insufficient and cost synergies for direct air capture are not achieved
Solution Approach 1:
The patent combines direct air capture units with existing industrial facilities, merging two previously separate systems (conventional emission reduction and direct air capture) into an integrated facility. This allows the direct air capture unit to process both flue gas and ambient air, thereby achieving synergistic greenhouse gas reduction that conventional technologies alone cannot accomplish.
Solution Approach 2:
The integrated facility is designed to perform multiple functions: conventional emission reduction through scrubbers and flares, direct air capture of CO2 from ambient air, and waste heat recovery. This multi-functional approach allows the facility to address greenhouse gas emissions from multiple sources simultaneously, improving overall reduction effectiveness.
2Object-affected harmful factors
If direct air capture is implemented separately from industrial facilities, then CO2 can be captured from ambient air, but cost synergies are not achieved and overall facility efficiency is not improved
Solution Approach 1:
The direct air capture unit is merged with the industrial facility's existing infrastructure, including shared utilities, control systems, and land use. This integration reduces the need for duplicate facilities and achieves cost synergies by utilizing existing resources for both conventional emission reduction and direct air capture operations.
Solution Approach 2:
The direct air capture unit utilizes ambient air that is already present at the facility location, eliminating the need for separate air intake systems. The integrated facility serves itself by using its own infrastructure and resources to support the direct air capture function, thereby reducing overall complexity and cost.
3Manufacturing precision
If flue gas is cooled and condensed before carbon capture, then CO2 absorption efficiency is improved, but additional processing steps and energy consumption are required
Solution Approach 1:
The patent converts the waste heat from flue gas into a useful resource by using it for the cooling and condensation process. Instead of discarding the heat or requiring separate cooling energy input, the waste heat is utilized to cool and condense the flue gas, thereby improving CO2 absorption efficiency while minimizing additional energy consumption.
Solution Approach 2:
The flue gas undergoes phase transitions from gas to liquid through cooling and condensation, which concentrates the CO2 and improves absorption efficiency in the carbon capture unit. This phase change process is driven by waste heat recovery, making the energy-intensive step more efficient.
4Quantity of substance
If CO2 rich streams from carbon capture and direct air capture are combined, then total CO2 sequestration is increased, but compression and sequestration infrastructure requirements increase
Solution Approach 1:
The CO2 rich streams from both the carbon capture unit and direct air capture unit are merged into a single stream for compression and sequestration. This consolidation allows the facility to use a single compression system and sequestration infrastructure to handle CO2 from multiple sources, thereby increasing total CO2 captured while avoiding the need for duplicate compression and sequestration facilities.
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
This approach significantly reduces greenhouse gas emissions by capturing CO2 from both flue gas and ambient air, improving overall facility efficiency and reducing costs through synergistic use of existing technologies and waste heat recovery.
Implementation Method 1
the flue gas may be cooled and the water may be removed at the cooler/condenser
Implementation Method 2
The carbon capture unit may include a commercially available absorbing media for CO2, such as amine, ammonia, ionic fluids, sodium carbonate, methanol, potassium chloride, and/or any other commercially available solvents
Implementation Method 3
The carbon capture unit may include an absorber for absorbing CO2
Implementation Method 4
The carbon capture unit may use any commercially available adsorption or membrane-based CO2 removal technology
Implementation Method 5
The carbon capture unit may use any commercially available adsorption or membrane-based CO2 removal technology
Implementation Method 6
the CO2 rich gas stream from the carbon capture unit is further processed and sent to the sequestration compressor unit to be compressed and sequestered
Data Source
AI summary
Devices, systems, facilities, and processes for direct air capture combined with carbon capture for reducing the overall emissions are disclosed herein. An exemplary system may include a first air blower configured to move a CO2 containing gas through a carbon capture unit; the carbon capture unit configured to separate and capture CO2 from the CO2 containing gas to generate a first CO2 rich stream; a second air blower configured to move an air from an air-cooled heat exchanger to a direct air capture unit; the direct air capture unit configured to capture CO2 from the air from the air-cooled heat exchanger to generate a second CO2 rich stream; and a sequestration compression unit configured to compress the first and second CO2 rich streams.