Thermal integration of a carbon dioxide capture and compression unit with a steam or combined cycle plant

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-9856755-B2
Application number	US-201113093040-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Apr 25, 2011
Priority date	Apr 28, 2010
Publication date	Jan 2, 2018
Grant date	Jan 2, 2018

Abstract

A power plant system including a fossil fuel fired power plant ( 6 ) for the generation of electricity, a carbon dioxide capture and compression system ( 5, 13 ), and an external heat cycle system has at least one heat exchanger ( 1,2,3 ) for the heating of the flow medium of the external heat cycle system. The heat exchanger ( 1,2,3 ) is connected to a heat flow from the CO 2 capture plant ( 5 ) or a CO 2 compression unit ( 13 ). A return flow from the heat exchanger ( 1,2,3 ) is led to the CO 2 capture and compression system ( 5,13 ) or to the power plant ( 6 ). The power plant system allows an increase in overall efficiency of the system.

First claim

We claim:

1. A method for operation of a power plant system including a power plant for generation of electricity, an external heat cycle system, and a carbon dioxide capture and compression system, the carbon dioxide capture and compression system comprising a carbon dioxide capture plant and a carbon dioxide compression unit, the method comprising:
operating the carbon dioxide capture plant to absorb carbon dioxide from exhaust gases of the power plant with an absorber solution and release the absorbed carbon dioxide from the absorber solution to form a carbon dioxide gas stream and an absorber solution by directing the absorber solution through a reboiler;
forwarding the carbon dioxide gas stream to the carbon dioxide compression unit configured to compress and cool the carbon dioxide gas stream;
operating a main heat exchanger to transfer heat from a steam flow extracted from the power plant to a flow medium of the external heat cycle system and direct a return flow from the main heat exchanger to a water steam cycle of the power plant;
transferring heat from the carbon dioxide capture plant and the carbon dioxide compression unit to the flow medium of the external heat cycle system with at least one additional heat exchanger, wherein the least one additional heat exchanger comprises a first heat exchanger, a second heat exchanger, and a third heat exchanger; and
directing a return flow from the first heat exchanger of the at least one additional heat exchanger to the power plant;
and
directing a return flow from the third heat exchanger of the at least one additional heat exchanger to the carbon dioxide compression unit.

2. The method according to claim 1 , further comprising:
operating the at least one additional heat exchanger for the cooling of carbon dioxide in the carbon dioxide compression unit;
directing a flow from the first heat exchanger of the at least one additional heat exchanger to the second heat exchanger of the at least one additional heat exchanger;
operating the second heat exchanger of the at least one additional heat exchanger to transfer heat to the flow medium of the external heat cycle system; and
directing a first return flow from the second heat exchanger of the at least one additional heat exchanger to a cooling cycle for compressed carbon dioxide operatively connected to the carbon dioxide compression unit.

3. The method according to claim 2 , further comprising:
operating the second heat exchanger of the at least one additional heat exchanger in series with the main heat exchanger; and
operating the main heat exchanger downstream of the second heat exchanger of the at least one additional heat exchanger in the direction of the flow medium of the external heat cycle system.

4. The method according to claim 2 , further comprising:
directing a condensate flow from the reboiler to the first heat exchanger of the at least one additional heat exchanger for heat exchange with the flow medium of the external heat cycle system; and
directing a second return flow from the first heat exchanger of the at least one additional heat exchanger as a condensate flow to the water steam cycle of the power plant;
wherein the first heat exchanger of the at least one additional heat exchanger and the second heat exchanger of the at least one additional heat exchanger are operated in series.

5. The method according to claim 1 , further comprising:
directing a carbon dioxide flow generated by the carbon dioxide capture plant to the third heat exchanger of the at least one additional heat exchanger;
operating the third heat exchanger of the at least one additional heat exchanger to transfer heat from the carbon dioxide flow to the flow medium of the external heat cycle system; and
directing a carbon dioxide flow returning from the third heat exchanger to the carbon dioxide compressing unit.

6. The method according to claim 5 , further comprising:
operating the third heat exchanger of the at least one additional heat exchanger in series with the main heat exchanger; and
operating the main heat exchanger downstream of the third heat exchanger of the at least one additional heat exchanger in the direction of the flow medium of the external heat cycle system.

7. The method according to claim 5 , further comprising:
directing a return condensate flow from the reboiler to the first heat exchanger of the at least one additional heat exchanger for heat exchange with the flow medium of the external heat cycle system; and
directing a second return flow from the first heat exchanger of the at least one additional heat exchanger as a condensate flow to the water steam cycle of the power plant;
wherein the first heat exchanger of the at least one additional heat exchanger and the third heat exchanger of the at least one additional heat exchanger are operated in series.

8. The method according to claim 5 , further comprising:
operating the at least one additional heat exchanger for the cooling of carbon dioxide in the carbon dioxide compression unit;
directing the second return flow from the at least one additional heat exchanger to the second heat exchanger of the at least one additional heat exchanger;
operating the second heat exchanger of the at least one additional heat exchanger to transfer heat to the flow medium of the external heat cycle system; and
directing a first return flow from the second heat exchanger of the at least one additional heat exchanger to a cooling cycle operatively connected to the carbon dioxide compression unit;
wherein the second heat exchanger of the at least one additional heat exchanger and the third heat exchanger of the at least one additional heat exchanger are operated in series.

9. The method according to claim 5 , further comprising:
directing a condensate flow from the reboiler to the first heat exchanger of the at least one additional heat exchanger for heat exchange with the flow medium of the external heat cycle system;
directing a second return flow from the first heat exchanger of the at least one additional heat exchanger as a condensate flow to the water steam cycle of the power plant;
operating at least one heat exchanger of the at least one additional heat exchanger for the cooling of carbon dioxide in the carbon dioxide compression unit;
directing the second return flow from the first heat exchanger of the at least one heat exchanger of the at least one additional heat exchanger to the second heat exchanger of the at least one additional heat exchanger;
operating the second heat exchanger of the at least one additional heat exchanger to transfer heat to the flow medium of the external heat cycle system; and
directing the first return flow from the second heat exchanger of the at least one additional heat exchanger to a cooling cycle operatively connected to the carbon dioxide compression unit wherein the first heat exchanger of the at least one additional heat exchanger and the second heat exchanger of the at least one additional heat exchanger and the third heat exchanger of the at least one additional heat exchanger are operated in series.

10. A power plant system comprising:
a power plant configured and arranged to generate electricity, the power plant including a steam extraction;
a carbon dioxide capture and compression system, the carbon dioxide capture and compression system comprising a carbon dioxide capture plant and a carbon dioxide compression unit, the carbon dioxide capture plant configured to maintain a cycle comprising an absorber solution configured and arranged to absorb carbon dioxide from exhaust gases of the power plant, and a reboiler configured and arranged to receive and heat the absorber solution and

Assignees

• Drouvot Paul
• Li Hongtao
• Dietzmann Jörg
• General Electric Technology Gmbh

Inventors

• Drouvot Paul
• Li Hongtao
• Dietzmann Jörg

Classifications

• F01K17/06

  Returning energy of steam, in exchanged form, to process, e.g. use of exhaust steam for drying solid fuel or plant · CPC title

• F01K23/10

  with exhaust fluid of one cycle heating the fluid in another cycle (F01K17/025 takes precedence) · CPC title

• F01K17/04

  for specific purposes other than heating (F01K17/06 takes precedence) · CPC title

• B01D2259/65

  Employing advanced heat integration, e.g. Pinch technology · CPC title

• F01K17/02 Primary

  for heating purposes, e.g. industrial, domestic (F01K17/06 takes precedence; domestic- or space-heating systems, e.g. central-heating systems, in general F24D1/00, F24D3/00, F24D9/00) · CPC title