Integrated Carbon Capture Plant Using Shared DAC Infrastructure
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing carbon capture technologies are costly and inefficient, particularly for direct air capture due to the lower concentration of CO2 in ambient air, which complicates the engineering and increases costs.
Innovation Solution
An integrated carbon capture plant combining point source carbon capture and direct air carbon capture, utilizing shared facilities and resources to reduce costs, such as using excess heat and water from point source capture for direct air capture, and integrating fan arrangements to provide air flow and cooling.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Quantity of substance
If direct air carbon capture is implemented as a standalone plant, then CO2 can be captured from ambient air, but the cost and complexity of the process increases significantly due to low CO2 concentration
Solution Approach 1:
The patent combines direct air carbon capture (DAC) with point source carbon capture in a single integrated plant. The DAC arrangement captures CO2 from ambient air while the point source arrangement handles high-concentration CO2 streams. Both arrangements share common infrastructure including compression facilities, storage facilities, and transportation infrastructure, thereby reducing overall system complexity and cost while achieving both CO2 capture functions.
Solution Approach 2:
The integrated plant design makes the carbon capture facilities serve multiple functions. The compression and storage facilities can handle CO2 from both DAC and point source arrangements. The plant can operate flexibly, capturing CO2 from air when point source emissions are low, and vice versa, making the infrastructure universally applicable to different CO2 sources and optimizing resource utilization.
2Quantity of substance
If direct air carbon capture is implemented as a standalone plant, then CO2 can be captured from ambient air, but the operational cost increases due to high energy consumption
Solution Approach 1:
The patent utilizes waste heat from the point source carbon capture process to support the energy-intensive DAC operations. The thermal energy that would otherwise be discarded is redirected to pre-heat air streams or support regeneration processes in the DAC arrangement, converting a harmful waste product into a beneficial resource that reduces overall energy consumption of the integrated system.
Solution Approach 2:
By merging DAC and point source capture in one plant, the system shares energy infrastructure and can optimize energy usage across both processes. The compression and storage facilities serve both CO2 streams, and the plant can coordinate operations to minimize peak energy demands, thereby reducing total operational energy consumption compared to separate standalone plants.
3Quantity of substance
If separate equipment is used for point source capture and direct air capture, then each process can be optimized independently, but capital costs increase due to duplication of facilities
Solution Approach 1:
The patent integrates DAC and point source capture facilities into a single plant with shared infrastructure. Common facilities including compression stations, storage facilities, and transportation infrastructure are jointly used by both capture arrangements, eliminating duplication and significantly reducing capital costs while maintaining adequate CO2 capture capacity from both air and point sources.
Solution Approach 2:
The shared facilities are designed to handle CO2 from both DAC and point source arrangements universally. The compression and storage infrastructure can process variable CO2 flows from either or both sources, making the facilities multi-functional and reducing the need for separate dedicated equipment for each capture method, thereby lowering overall capital investment.
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 integrated approach reduces the capital and operational costs of direct air capture by leveraging existing point source capture facilities and resources, enhancing efficiency and reducing the need for separate equipment.
Implementation Method 1
a fan heat exchanger arranged to cool, by means of the air flow, a flow of a fluid that transfers excess heat away from the carbon capture and conditioning arrangement
Implementation Method 2
a heat exchanger arrangement configured to transfer excess heat from the carbon capture and conditioning arrangement during operation of the plant to a regeneration unit of the direct air carbon capture arrangement
Implementation Method 3
the water is generated by condensation when cooling the source flow in the carbon capture and conditioning arrangement
Data Source
AI summary
The disclosure concerns a carbon capture plant comprising: an emission source providing a source flow of a fluid containing CO2; a carbon capture and conditioning arrangement configured to capture CO2 from the source flow fluid and prepare the captured CO2 for transport and/or storage; and a direct air carbon capture arrangement configured to capture CO2 from ambient air and provide an outgoing flow enriched in CO2, wherein the carbon capture plant is configured to integrate the carbon capture and conditioning arrangement and the direct air carbon capture arrangement. The disclosure also concerns a method for operating the carbon capture plant.