New Correlations for Predicting the Density and Viscosity of Supercritical Carbon Dioxide Under Conditions Expected in Carbon Capture and Sequestration Operations

Advanced oxy-combustion coupled with supercritical carbon dioxide (sCO2) power cycles offers a path to achieve efficient power generation with integrated carbon capture for base load power generation. One commonality among high efficiency sCO2 cycles is the extensive use of recuperation within the cycle. This high degree of recuperation results in high temperatures at the thermal input device and a smaller temperature rise to the turbine inlet. When combined with typical high side pressures ranging from 150 to 300 bar, these conditions pose a non-trivial challenge for fossil fired sCO2 cycles with respect to cycle layout and thermal integration. A narrow thermal input window can be tolerated for indirect cycles such as those used for nuclear power generation and concentrating solar power plants, however, it is at odds with traditional coal or natural gas fired Rankine cycles where the working fluid has been condensed and cooled to near ambient temperatures. Coal fired sCO2 cycles using oxy-combustion have been examined by Southwest Research Institute and Thar Energy L.L.C. under DOE award DE-FE0009593. Under this project, an indirect supercritical oxy-combustion cycle was developed that provides 99% carbon capture with a 37.9% HHV plant efficiency. This cycle achieves a predicted COE of $121/MWe with no credits taken for the additional 9% of carbon capture, and represents a 21% reduction in cost as compared to supercritical steam with 90% carbon capture ($137/MWe). Direct fired sCO2 cycles for natural gas or syngas are currently being evaluated by Southwest Research Institute and Thar Energy L.L.C. under DOE award DE-FE0024041. Initial evaluations of direct fired supercritical oxy-combustion cycles indicate that plant efficiencies on the order of 51% to 54% can be achieved with direct fired natural gas oxy-combustion when paired with the recompression cycle with 1,200 °C firing temperatures at 200 bar. Direct fired natural gas or syngas sCO2 cycles still face significant technology development needs, with the pressurized oxy-combustor a significant component with a low Technology Readiness Level, (TRL) as defined by the DOE. In addition to the combustion system, significant work will be required to prepare the sCO2 turbomachinery for the turbine inlet temperatures required to achieve plant efficiencies greater than 50%.

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Integration and Optimization of Coal Gasification Systems With a Near-Zero Emissions Supercritical Carbon Dioxide Power Cycle

Volume 9: Oil and Gas Applications; Supercritical CO2 Power Cycles; Wind Energy ◽

10.1115/gt2016-58066 ◽

2016 ◽

Cited By ~ 9

Author(s):

Xijia Lu ◽

Brock Forrest ◽

Scott Martin ◽

Jeremy Fetvedt ◽

Michael McGroddy ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Carbon Dioxide ◽

Supercritical Carbon Dioxide ◽

Carbon Capture ◽

Combined Cycle ◽

Low Grade ◽

Operating Pressure ◽

Power Cycle ◽

The Core ◽

Heat Recuperation ◽

Supercritical Carbon

The Allam Cycle is a semi-closed, recuperated, oxy-fuel, supercritical carbon dioxide (sCO2) Brayton power cycle, offering advantages over simple cycle and combined cycle arrangements. The Allam Cycle uniquely combines oxy-combustion with a substantially elevated operating pressure, high sCO2 recirculation flow, high gross turbine efficiency, and inventive low- and high-grade heat recuperation. As a result, the core Allam Cycle meets or exceeds the achievable net efficiencies of existing high efficiency combined cycle plants not equipped for carbon capture, while capturing substantially all CO2 emissions at purities and pressures necessary for downstream CO2 reuse and/or sequestration. Additionally, with minor alterations, the core cycle can operate with a variety of organic fuels. A 50MWt natural gas-fired demonstration of the core cycle is currently under development by 8 Rivers, NET Power, CB&I, Exelon, and Toshiba. This paper addresses the coal syngas-fired variant of the Allam Cycle system, extending beyond high-level feasibility analyses conducted in previous studies. The paper explores in detail the unique considerations, possible hurdles, and advantages of integrating a commercially-available coal gasifier with the Allam Cycle. In particular, the paper analyzes five (5) primary technical optimizations that drive the Allam Cycle’s advantages in efficiency and cost over conventional baselines. These include: (1) a simpler overall process, requiring fewer critical integration points while still providing for efficient high- and low-grade heat recuperation; (2) high efficiencies regardless of coal rank and type used — further, the efficiency drop when using low-rank coal in an Allam Cycle arrangement is smaller than IGCC arrangements; (3) high efficiencies regardless of syngas composition (such as H2:CO ratio), particularly when compared to gasification in the chemical industry and IGCC with carbon capture and sequestration; (4) the ability to utilize a singular, cost-effective post-combustion SOX/NOX removal mechanism; and (5) considerable water savings versus IGCC and SCPC baselines, with the ability to run substantially water free with only minor impacts to overall efficiency.

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Effect of Mixtures on Compressor and Cooler in Supercritical Carbon Dioxide Cycles

Volume 9: Oil and Gas Applications; Supercritical CO2 Power Cycles; Wind Energy ◽

10.1115/gt2018-75568 ◽

2018 ◽

Author(s):

Ladislav Vesely ◽

K. R. V. Manikantachari ◽

Subith Vasu ◽

Jayanta Kapat ◽

Vaclav Dostal ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Carbon Dioxide ◽

Supercritical Carbon Dioxide ◽

Critical Point ◽

Carbon Capture ◽

Power Plants ◽

High Efficiency ◽

Waste Heat ◽

Operating Conditions ◽

Working Fluid ◽

Supercritical Carbon

With the increasing demand for electric power, the development of new power generation technologies is gaining increased attention. The supercritical carbon dioxide (S-CO2) cycle is one such technology, which has relatively high efficiency, compactness, and potentially could provide complete carbon capture. The S-CO2 cycle technology is adaptable for almost all of the existing heat sources such as solar, geothermal, fossil, nuclear power plants, and waste heat recovery systems. However, it is known that, optimal combinations of: operating conditions, equipment, working fluid, and cycle layout determine the maximum achievable efficiency of a cycle. Within an S-CO2 cycle the compression device is of critical importance as it is operating near the critical point of CO2. However, near the critical point, the thermo-physical properties of CO2 are highly sensitive to changes of pressure and temperature. Therefore, the conditions of CO2 at the compressor inlet are critical in the design of such cycles. Also, the impurity species diluted within the S-CO2 will cause deviation from an ideal S-CO2 cycle as these impurities will change the thermodynamic properties of the working fluid. Accordingly the current work examines the effects of different impurity compositions, considering binary mixtures of CO2 and: He, CO, O2, N2, H2, CH4, or H2S; on various S-CO2 cycle components. The second part of the study focuses on the calculation of the basic cycles and component efficiencies. The results of this study will provide guidance and defines the optimal composition of mixtures for compressors and coolers.

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