Emissions reduction for CO2 capture

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-9643125-B2
Application number	US-201313851010-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Mar 26, 2013
Priority date	Mar 26, 2012
Publication date	May 9, 2017
Grant date	May 9, 2017

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 compounds comprising:
an absorber comprising a carbon capture unit and a plasma generator;
wherein the carbon capture unit comprises an amine solvent comprising absorbed carbon dioxide;
a decarbonized combustion gas comprising an amine, or an amino degradation product, or both disposed in a pathway between the carbon capture unit and the plasma generator;
wherein the plasma generator is configured (i) to receive the decarbonized combustion gas from the carbon capture unit, and (ii) to produce a plurality of radical species from the plasma generator, and (iii) to contact the plurality of radical species with the decarbonized combustion gas such that at least a portion of the plurality of radical species react with the unwanted compounds to thereby reduce the concentration of the unwanted compounds to a second concentration.

2. The system of claim 1 , wherein the plasma generator comprises a non-thermal plasma generator.

3. The system of claim 1 , wherein carbon capture unit is configured to receive the stream of amine solvent to thereby produce a rich amine solvent and the decarbonized combustion gas.

4. The system of claim 1 , wherein the amine or the amine degradation product 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.

5. The system of claim 1 , wherein the decarbonized combustion gas comprises an amine degradation product.

6. The system of claim 1 , wherein a concentration of the amine, the amine degradation product, or both is greater than or equal to fifty parts-per-million, and wherein a second concentration of the amine, the amine degradation product, or both in a gas stream downstream of the plasma generator is less than or equal to 1 part-per-million.

7. The system of claim 1 , wherein the plasma generator is configured to produce a pressure drop in the absorber less than or equal to ten millibars.

8. The system of claim 1 , wherein the plasma generator is configured to produce a pressure drop in the absorber less than or equal to five millibars.

9. The system of claim 1 , wherein the plasma generator is configured to produce less than a 1% increase of NO x concentration in a gas stream downstream of the plasma generator.

10. A system for reducing unwanted compounds comprising:
an absorber comprising a carbon capture unit and a plasma generator, wherein the carbon capture unit comprises an amine solvent;
a combustion gas comprising an amine, or an amine degradation product, or both disposed in a pathway between the carbon capture unit and the plasma generator;
wherein the plasma generator is configured (i) to receive the combustion as from the carbon capture unit, and (ii) to produce a plurality of radical species from the plasma generator, and (iii) to contact the plurality of radical species with the combustion gas such that at least a portion of the plurality of radical species react with the unwanted compounds to thereby reduce the concentration of the unwanted compounds to a second concentration.

11. The system of claim 10 , wherein the plasma generator comprises a non-thermal plasma generator.

12. The system of claim 10 , wherein the unwanted compound 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.

13. The system of claim 10 , further comprising a downstream combustion gas disposed downstream of the plasma generator, wherein the downstream combustion gas comprises a second concentration of the amine, the amine degradation product, or both that is less than a first concentration of the amine, the amine degradation product, or both in the combustion gas.

14. The system of claim 13 , 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.

15. The system of claim 13 , wherein the plasma generator is configured to produce less than a 1% increase of NO x concentration in the downstream combustion gas.

16. A system for reducing unwanted emissions from a carbon capture process, comprising:
a carbon capture absorber having an inlet and an outlet that define a combustion gas pathway, wherein the carbon capture absorber comprises an amine solvent;
a combustion gas comprising a first concentration of an amine, or an amine degradation product, or both disposed in the combustion gas pathway between a carbon capture unit and a plasma generator;
the plasma generator disposed in the combustion gas pathway; and
a downstream combustion gas comprising a second concentration of an amine, or an amine degradation product, or both disposed in the combustion gas pathway downstream of the plasma generator, wherein the first concentration is greater than the second concentration.

17. The system of claim 16 , wherein the carbon capture absorber and the plasma generator are disposed in a single vessel.

18. The system of claim 16 , wherein the amine or the amine degradation product are 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.

19. The system of claim 16 , wherein the first concentration is greater than or equal to fifty parts-per-million.

20. The system of claim 19 , wherein the second concentration is less than or equal to 1 part-per-million.

Assignees

• Fluor Tech Corp

Inventors

• Reddy Satish
• Yonkoski Joseph

Classifications

• B01D2258/0283

  Flue gases · CPC title

• B01D53/72

  Organic compounds not provided for in groups B01D53/48 - B01D53/70, e.g. hydrocarbons · CPC title

• B01D2252/204

  Amines · CPC title

• B01D2252/20484

  with one hydroxyl group · CPC title

• B01D2252/20489

  with two or more hydroxyl groups · CPC title