Heat Engine Organic Rankine Cycle CO2 Capture Efficiency
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Solution Overview
Problem
Conventional CO2 emission reduction methods in power plants decrease overall efficiency by 10% due to energy consumption, necessitating improved power plant efficiency while managing CO2 emissions.
Innovation Solution
A system incorporating a process fluid cooler, carbon dioxide removal system, compression system, and heat engines operating on organic Rankine cycles, which extract and utilize thermal energy from various sources within the CO2 removal and compression processes to enhance power plant efficiency.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Object-generated harmful factors
If conventional CO2 emission reduction methods are implemented in power plants, then CO2 emissions are reduced, but overall power plant efficiency decreases by about 10%
Solution Approach 1:
The patent converts the harmful waste heat streams from the CO2 removal process into beneficial energy sources by routing them through heat engines. Specifically, the hot stream from the stripper reboiler and the warm stream from the process fluid cooler are both directed to heat engines that generate electricity, transforming what would be wasted energy into a useful resource that offsets the energy consumption of CO2 removal.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent recovers thermal energy from process streams that would otherwise be discarded. The system captures heat from the stripper reboiler output and the process fluid cooler output, both of which represent discarded thermal resources. By installing heat engines in these streams, the system recovers usable energy that compensates for the 10% efficiency loss associated with CO2 removal.
2Loss of energy
If thermal energy is extracted from process fluid and CO2 removal streams, then waste heat is recovered, but the complexity of the system increases
Solution Approach 1:
The heat engines serve multiple functions within the system: they generate electricity to offset CO2 removal energy consumption, they cool the process streams to improve absorption efficiency, and they utilize waste heat that would otherwise be discarded. This multi-functionality justifies the added complexity by delivering multiple benefits from single components.
Solution Approach 2:
The heat engines are integrated into the CO2 removal process itself, where they utilize the process's own waste heat streams to generate power that serves the process. The system essentially services itself by using its own discarded thermal energy to fund its operation, reducing the need for external energy inputs.
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
The system effectively recovers waste thermal energy, increasing power plant efficiency by converting it into electricity, thereby addressing the efficiency loss associated with CO2 emission reduction methods.
Implementation Method 1
The process fluid cooler can be configured to receive a process fluid including carbon dioxide and to extract thermal energy from the process fluid
Implementation Method 2
The reboiler can be configured to heat the removal fluid (e.g., by receiving steam) so as to cause carbon dioxide to be released from the removal fluid
Implementation Method 3
heat the removal fluid so as to cause carbon dioxide to be released from the removal fluid
Implementation Method 4
The stripper condenser can be configured to extract thermal energy from the reboiler output stream so as to cause condensation of water associated with the reboiler output stream and to remove carbon dioxide therefrom
Implementation Method 5
The compression system can be configured to receive carbon dioxide from the stripper condenser and to remove thermal energy from the carbon dioxide
Implementation Method 6
The heat engine can be configured to operate according to an organic Rankine cycle and further configured to receive thermal energy from the heating fluid and/or extracted at the process fluid cooler, at the stripper condenser, and/or at the compression system
Implementation Method 7
The heat engine may also include a secondary condenser configured to extract thermal energy from a working fluid
Data Source
AI summary
A process fluid cooler can extract thermal energy from a process fluid including carbon dioxide. An absorber can transfer carbon dioxide from the process fluid to a removal fluid. A reboiler can heat the removal fluid so as to cause carbon dioxide to be released from the removal fluid and outputted as part of a reboiler output stream. The reboiler can also output a heating fluid. A stripper condenser can extract thermal energy from the reboiler output stream so as to cause condensation of water associated with the reboiler output stream and to remove carbon dioxide therefrom. A compression system can remove thermal energy from carbon dioxide received from the stripper condenser. A heat engine can be configured to operate according to an organic Rankine cycle, receiving thermal energy from the heating fluid and/or extracted at the process fluid cooler, at the stripper condenser, and/or at the compression system.