Loop Tower CO2 Capture System with Stacked Cyclones
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Solution Overview
Problem
Current CO2 capture technologies, such as fluidized bed reactors, are inadequate for large-scale applications in coal-fired power plants and the cement industry due to limitations in handling massive gas volumes and energy efficiency, and lack effective mechanisms for recycling waste heat.
Innovation Solution
A loop tower CO2 capture system comprising a carbonator, calciner, and cyclone dust collecting units, where calcium oxide is reused as an absorbent, allowing for high-temperature preheating and reverse gas flow for efficient CO2 capture and calcination, enabling large-scale applications by vertically stacking the carbonator and calciner to facilitate calcium cycling.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Quantity of substance
If fluidized bed reactors are used for CO2 capture, then CO2 capture capability is achieved, but the system cannot handle large-scale gas volumes from colossal coal-fired power plants
Solution Approach 1:
The system divides the CO2 capture process into multiple stages using a series of cyclone dust collecting units arranged in sequence. Each cyclone unit handles a portion of the gas flow and absorbent reaction, allowing the system to scale by adding more units in parallel or series to match the gas volume from colossal power plants.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent transitions from horizontal fluidized bed configuration to a vertical loop tower structure with multiple stacked cyclone units. This vertical arrangement increases the effective reaction volume and gas-absorbent contact area, enabling the system to handle much larger gas volumes while maintaining efficient mass transfer.
2Quantity of substance
If cement industry combustion process is used, then CO2 is produced, but the CO2 concentration remains low at 25-30 vol% due to unsatisfactory air combustion
Solution Approach 1:
The system introduces a dedicated combustion chamber that serves as an intermediary device to pre-concentrate CO2 before the main carbonation process. This separate combustion unit optimizes the combustion conditions to produce higher CO2 concentration gas, which then feeds into the cyclone carbonation units for further processing.
3Use of energy by moving object
If cogeneration is implemented in cement industry, then energy efficiency is increased, but enormous amounts of funds and installation costs are required
Solution Approach 1:
The loop tower system performs multiple functions within a single integrated structure: the cyclone units serve both as reaction vessels for carbonation and as heat exchange zones, the combustion chamber provides both CO2 generation and process heating, and the system simultaneously achieves CO2 concentration and energy recovery without requiring separate cogeneration equipment.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent combines the CO2 concentration process with the energy recovery process in a single loop tower system. The heat from combustion is directly utilized in the same apparatus for driving the carbonation reaction, merging thermal processing and chemical reaction functions that would traditionally require separate equipment installations.
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 reduces CO2 emissions by enabling high-capacity CO2 capture and regeneration of the absorbent, enhancing energy efficiency and reducing costs, making it suitable for large-scale applications without the need for additional equipment, and allowing for CO2 reuse and storage.
Implementation Method 1
An absorbent is driven and forwarded by the gas blower to a top portion of the carbonator via the feeding unit
Implementation Method 2
the absorbent descends into the first cyclone dust collecting units, and becomes mixed with the CO2-containing gas in a reverse direction to produce powder of a metal carbonate
Implementation Method 3
The high temperature CO2-containing gas in the second cyclone dust collecting units is driven by the gas recirculating blower and forwarded to an entrance of the combustion chamber to serve as a feed transporting gas for the powder
Implementation Method 4
the powder becomes mixed and calcined with the high temperature CO2-containing gas in a reverse direction in the second cyclone dust collecting units to produce a metal oxide and to release CO2
Data Source
AI summary
A loop tower CO2 capture system includes a feeding unit, a carbonator, an accumulator, a calciner, a combustion chamber and a gas blower. The feeding unit has a first gas pipe. The carbonator includes multiple first cyclone dust collecting units. The first gas pipe has one end connected to the uppermost first cyclone dust collecting unit. The accumulator is connected to the lowermost first cyclone dust collecting unit, and is located between the carbonator and the calciner. The calciner includes multiple second cyclone dust collecting units. The accumulator is connected to the uppermost second cyclone dust collecting unit. The first gas pipe has the other end connected to the lowermost second cyclone dust collecting unit. The combustion chamber is connected to the lowermost second cyclone dust collecting unit. The gas blower is connected to the first gas pipe of the feeding unit.