Emissions reduction for CO2 capture

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-10052585-B2
Application number	US-201514838948-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Aug 28, 2015
Priority date	Mar 26, 2012
Publication date	Aug 21, 2018
Grant date	Aug 21, 2018

Abstract

Systems and processes for reducing carbon capture emissions are described. The process involves introducing a radical species into a decarbonized combustion gas. The radical species react with residual amines or unwanted compounds in the decarbonized combustion gas, thus reducing the concentration of residual amines or unwanted compounds in the exhaust gas. The system includes a carbon capture absorber with non-thermal plasma generator configured to provide radical species reducing the concentration of residual amines or unwanted compounds in the exhaust combustion gas.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A system for reducing unwanted emissions from a carbon capture process, comprising:
an absorber having an inlet for a combustion gas and an outlet for an exhaust gas that define a gas pathway, wherein the absorber is configured to receive the combustion gas at the inlet and to receive an amine solvent at a first point of the absorber; and
a non-thermal plasma generator coupled with the absorber and configured to provide a plurality of radical species at a second point of the absorber;
wherein the absorber is further configured to remove carbon dioxide from the combustion as to produce a rich amine solvent and a decarbonized combustion gas, wherein the absorber produces the decarbonized combustion gas at or downstream of the first point, wherein the decarbonized combustion gas comprises a plurality of unwanted compounds at a first concentration; and
wherein the absorber is further configured to receive the plurality of radical species into the pathway at the second point such that at least a subset of the plurality of radical species reacts with at least a subset of the plurality of unwanted compounds to thereby reduce the first concentration of the plurality of unwanted compounds in the decarbonized combustion gas to a second concentration of the plurality of unwanted compounds in the exhaust gas,
wherein the second point is between the first point and the outlet.

2. The system of claim 1 , further comprising a power source that is configured to produce an electric field within the non-thermal plasma generator.

3. The system of claim 2 , wherein the non-thermal plasma generator is located outside of the absorber.

4. The system of claim 3 , wherein the non-thermal plasma generator has an atmospheric air inlet for producing the plurality of radical species from atmospheric air.

5. The system of claim 4 , further comprising a blower that is configured to push air into the atmospheric air inlet.

6. The system of claim 1 , wherein an unwanted compound of the plurality of unwanted compounds is selected from the group consisting of monoethanolamine (MEA), diethanolamine (DEA), methyldiethanolamine (MDEA), piperazine, diglycolamine (DGA), 2-Amino-2-methyl-1-propanol (2-AMP), methylamines, formaldehyde, acetaldehyde, methanol, ammonia, and nitrosamines.

7. The system of claim 1 , wherein an unwanted compound of the plurality of unwanted compounds comprises an amine degradation product.

8. The system of claim 1 , wherein the first concentration is greater than or equal to fifty parts-per-million and the second concentration is less than or equal to 1 part-per-million.

9. The system of claim 1 , wherein the absorber is configured to receive the combustion gas into the pathway via the inlet.

10. A method for reducing unwanted emissions from a carbon capture process, comprising:
receiving a combustion gas into a pathway within an absorber, wherein the absorber has an inlet for the combustion gas and an outlet for an exhaust gas that define the pathway, and wherein the absorber comprises an amine solvent configured to remove carbon dioxide from the combustion gas to produce a decarbonized combustion gas and a rich amine solvent;
receiving the amine solvent at a first point of the absorber, wherein the absorber is further configured to produce the decarbonized combustion gas at or downstream of the first point, wherein the decarbonized combustion gas comprises a plurality of unwanted compounds at a first concentration;
providing a plurality of radical species at a second point of the absorber using a non-thermal plasma generator, wherein the non-thermal plasma generator is coupled with the absorber; and
receiving, by the absorber, the plurality of radical species into the pathway at the second point;
reacting at least a subset of the radical species with at least a subset of the plurality of unwanted compounds; and
reducing the first concentration of the plurality of unwanted compounds in the decarbonized combustion gas to a second concentration in an exhaust gas based on the reacting,
wherein the second point is between the first point and the outlet.

11. The method of claim 10 , further comprising producing an electric field within the non-thermal plasma generator.

12. The method of claim 11 , wherein the non-thermal plasma generator is located outside of the absorber.

13. The method of claim 12 , wherein the non-thermal plasma generator has an atmospheric air inlet for producing the plurality of radical species from atmospheric air.

14. The method of claim 13 , further comprising pushing air into the atmospheric air inlet.

15. The method of claim 10 , wherein an unwanted compound of the plurality of unwanted compounds is selected from the group consisting of monoethanolamine (MEA), diethanolamine (DEA), methyldiethanolamine (MDEA), piperazine, diglycolamine (DGA), 2-Amino-2-methyl-1-propanol (2-AMP), methylamines, formaldehyde, acetaldehyde, methanol, ammonia, and nitrosamines.

16. The method of claim 10 , wherein the unwanted compound of the plurality of unwanted compounds comprises an amine degradation product.

17. The method of claim 10 , wherein the first concentration is greater than or equal to fifty parts-per-million and the second concentration is less than or equal to 1 part-per-million.

Assignees

• Fluor Tech Corp

Inventors

• Reddy Satish
• Yonkoski Joseph

Classifications

• B01D2252/20405

  Monoamines · CPC title

• B01D2252/2021

  Methanol · CPC title

• B01D2252/102

  Ammonia · CPC title

• B01D2257/504

  Carbon dioxide · CPC title

• B01D2252/20484

  with one hydroxyl group · CPC title