IGCC Combustion with CO2 Mixture for Pure Carbon Capture
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Solution Overview
Problem
IGCC technology with CO2 capture suffers from reduced efficiency due to energy-intensive CO conversion and non-selective CO2 separation, which increases equipment and operating costs, and requires secondary stages for sulfur compound separation.
Innovation Solution
The method involves gasification of fuels in an entrained or fluidized bed gasifier, followed by catalytic raw gas hydrolysis to remove HCN and COS, selective scrubbing to remove H2S, and combustion of the desulfurized gas with a mixture of oxygen, CO2, and water vapor in a gas turbine, allowing for efficient separation and compression of CO2, thereby eliminating unnecessary stages and reducing energy consumption.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Object-affected harmful factors
If CO conversion and CO2 separation stages are implemented in IGCC technology, then CO2 capture is achieved, but energy efficiency decreases by up to 10%
Solution Approach 1:
The patent extracts and removes the energy-intensive CO conversion and CO2 separation stages from the IGCC process by directly combusting the raw gasification gas. This extraction eliminates the harmful CO2 emissions issue while preserving energy efficiency, as the combustion process naturally converts carbon to CO2 without requiring separate conversion and separation steps.
Solution Approach 2:
Instead of the conventional approach of converting CO to CO2 then separating CO2, the patent inverts the logic by directly combusting the raw gas mixture (containing CO, H2, and other components) to produce CO2, which is then separated. This inversion simplifies the process flow and reduces energy consumption by eliminating the exothermic CO conversion step that currently reduces efficiency.
2Object-affected harmful factors
If CO conversion is performed, then CO2 is produced for separation, but chemical energy is converted to heat and can only be used for steam generation
Solution Approach 1:
The patent merges the CO conversion function with the combustion process. Instead of separately converting CO to CO2 and then using the heat for steam generation, the CO is directly combusted along with other combustible components (H2, CH4) in the gas turbine combustion chamber. This combining allows the chemical energy to be directly converted to mechanical work in the turbine while producing CO2 for separation, thereby improving energy utilization.
3Object-affected harmful factors
If non-selective CO2 separation is performed with sulfur compounds, then CO2 capture is achieved, but secondary separation stages are required increasing equipment complexity
Solution Approach 1:
The patent segments the separation process into two distinct stages: first, selective desulfurization to remove sulfur compounds from the raw gasification gas before combustion; second, CO2 separation from the combustion exhaust. This segmentation allows each separation stage to be optimized independently, reducing the need for complex multi-stage processes and simplifying the overall equipment requirements.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent performs preliminary desulfurization of the raw gasification gas before combustion. By removing sulfur compounds in advance, the subsequent CO2 separation from combustion exhaust becomes more efficient and less complex, as the exhaust gas composition is more predictable and the separation process doesn't need to handle interfering sulfur compounds simultaneously.
4Object-affected harmful factors
If CO2 compression and underground storage are implemented, then CO2 is removed from atmosphere, but additional energy and equipment are required
Solution Approach 1:
The patent applies self-service by using the CO2 produced from combustion as the working fluid for the power generation cycle itself. The CO2-rich exhaust gas drives the power turbine, and the compressed CO2 is then utilized for various purposes (enhanced oil recovery, carbonation, etc.) rather than requiring separate compression and storage infrastructure. This reduces the additional energy and equipment requirements by making the CO2 compression serve dual purposes.
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 enhances energy efficiency by simplifying CO2 separation and reducing equipment and operating costs, resulting in a CO2-free power generation process with improved overall efficiency and reduced energy expenditure.
Implementation Method 1
gasification of the fuel, e.g. in an entrained bed gasifier at temperatures of between 1250 and 1700° C.
Implementation Method 2
cooling the gas turbine's exhaust gas consisting of carbon dioxide and water vapor and condensing out the water vapor
Implementation Method 3
performing catalytic raw gas hydrolysis at temperatures between 150 and 250° C.
Implementation Method 4
catalytic raw gas hydrolysis
Implementation Method 5
selective scrubbing to remove the H2S
Implementation Method 6
combustion of the desulfurized gas with a mixture of oxygen, CO2 and water vapor in a gas turbine
Implementation Method 7
combustion of the desulfurized gas with a mixture of oxygen, CO2 and water vapor in a gas turbine
Implementation Method 8
downstream steam turbine which uses the gas turbine's waste heat steam
Implementation Method 9
compressing the abstracted carbon dioxide
Data Source
AI summary
A method for producing electric energy from solid and liquid fuels is provided. The fuels are first subjected to a gasification process at high pressure, and the scrubbed gasification gas is fed to a gas and steam turbine process. The combustion of the scrubbed gasification gas in the gas turbine chamber does not occur with air, but with a mixture made of the three components oxygen, carbon dioxide and water vapor. As a result, the waste gas of the gas turbine is made only of carbon dioxide and water vapor. After the condensation thereof, technically pure carbon dioxide remains, which can be dissipated by storage in the deep substrate of the atmosphere.