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Title: Carbon dioxide absorber and regeneration assemblies useful for power plant flue gas

Abstract

Disclosed are apparatus and method to treat large amounts of flue gas from a pulverized coal combustion power plant. The flue gas is contacted with solid sorbents to selectively absorb CO.sub.2, which is then released as a nearly pure CO.sub.2 gas stream upon regeneration at higher temperature. The method is capable of handling the necessary sorbent circulation rates of tens of millions of lbs/hr to separate CO.sub.2 from a power plant's flue gas stream. Because pressurizing large amounts of flue gas is cost prohibitive, the method of this invention minimizes the overall pressure drop in the absorption section to less than 25 inches of water column. The internal circulation of sorbent within the absorber assembly in the proposed method not only minimizes temperature increases in the absorber to less than 25.degree. F., but also increases the CO.sub.2 concentration in the sorbent to near saturation levels. Saturating the sorbent with CO.sub.2 in the absorber section minimizes the heat energy needed for sorbent regeneration. The commercial embodiments of the proposed method can be optimized for sorbents with slower or faster absorption kinetics, low or high heat release rates, low or high saturation capacities and slower or faster regeneration kinetics.

Inventors:
; ;
Issue Date:
Research Org.:
Southern Company (Birmingham, AL)
Sponsoring Org.:
USDOE
OSTI Identifier:
1080453
Patent Number(s):
8303696
Application Number:
12/833,023
Assignee:
Southern Company (Birmingham, AL)
Patent Classifications (CPCs):
B - PERFORMING OPERATIONS B01 - PHYSICAL OR CHEMICAL PROCESSES OR APPARATUS IN GENERAL B01D - SEPARATION
F - MECHANICAL ENGINEERING F23 - COMBUSTION APPARATUS F23J - REMOVAL OR TREATMENT OF COMBUSTION PRODUCTS OR COMBUSTION RESIDUES
DOE Contract Number:  
NT0000749
Resource Type:
Patent
Country of Publication:
United States
Language:
English
Subject:
37 INORGANIC, ORGANIC, PHYSICAL, AND ANALYTICAL CHEMISTRY

Citation Formats

Vimalchand, Pannalal, Liu, Guohai, and Peng, Wan Wang. Carbon dioxide absorber and regeneration assemblies useful for power plant flue gas. United States: N. p., 2012. Web.
Vimalchand, Pannalal, Liu, Guohai, & Peng, Wan Wang. Carbon dioxide absorber and regeneration assemblies useful for power plant flue gas. United States.
Vimalchand, Pannalal, Liu, Guohai, and Peng, Wan Wang. Tue . "Carbon dioxide absorber and regeneration assemblies useful for power plant flue gas". United States. https://www.osti.gov/servlets/purl/1080453.
@article{osti_1080453,
title = {Carbon dioxide absorber and regeneration assemblies useful for power plant flue gas},
author = {Vimalchand, Pannalal and Liu, Guohai and Peng, Wan Wang},
abstractNote = {Disclosed are apparatus and method to treat large amounts of flue gas from a pulverized coal combustion power plant. The flue gas is contacted with solid sorbents to selectively absorb CO.sub.2, which is then released as a nearly pure CO.sub.2 gas stream upon regeneration at higher temperature. The method is capable of handling the necessary sorbent circulation rates of tens of millions of lbs/hr to separate CO.sub.2 from a power plant's flue gas stream. Because pressurizing large amounts of flue gas is cost prohibitive, the method of this invention minimizes the overall pressure drop in the absorption section to less than 25 inches of water column. The internal circulation of sorbent within the absorber assembly in the proposed method not only minimizes temperature increases in the absorber to less than 25.degree. F., but also increases the CO.sub.2 concentration in the sorbent to near saturation levels. Saturating the sorbent with CO.sub.2 in the absorber section minimizes the heat energy needed for sorbent regeneration. The commercial embodiments of the proposed method can be optimized for sorbents with slower or faster absorption kinetics, low or high heat release rates, low or high saturation capacities and slower or faster regeneration kinetics.},
doi = {},
journal = {},
number = ,
volume = ,
place = {United States},
year = {Tue Nov 06 00:00:00 EST 2012},
month = {Tue Nov 06 00:00:00 EST 2012}
}