1

New Energy Efficient Processes and Newly Developed Absorbents for

Flue Gas CO2 Capture

Koji Kadono

The Kansai Electric Power Co., Inc.

1st Post Combustion Capture Conference

17th-19th May 2011, Yas Hotel, Abu Dhabi, ＵＡＥ

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Introduction and Background

CO2 recovery pilot plant (Nanko Power Station)

Process Improvements

Development of new absorbents

Commercial CO2 capture plants

Summary

Outline

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Packing

Exhaust gas

To flue CO2 recovery

Pump

Pump

Steam

Absorber（40℃）

Cooler

Cooler

Cooler

Cooler

CO2separator

Washing

Blower

CO2separa-

tion

Rich CO2 absorbent

Heat exchanger

Exhaust gas

cooling tower

Reboiler

Stripper（120℃）

Introduction and Background

Kansai Electric Power Company (KEPCO) and Mitsubishi Heavy Industries, Ltd. (MHI) have been working together since 1990 and have developed an advanced

CO2 capture chemical absorption process – KM CDR ProcessTM

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Location: Nanko Power Station, Osaka, Japan

Capacity: 2 metric ton/day

Feed Gas: Natural Gas Boiler

Initial Start-up: April 1991

・ Installed at an operating thermal

power plant

・ Operating for 20 years

(longest operation in the world)

・ All process are demonstrated

Please come and visit!

Absorber

Stripper

CO2 recovery pilot plant (Nanko Power Station)

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CloseOpenImproved Process

OpenCloseConventional Process

Test Process at Nanko Pilot Plant

C.W.

Heat Recovery&

SolventRegeneration

Absorber

C.W.

C.W.

Stripper

Treated Gas

C.W.

Steam Condensate

CO2

Flue gas cooler

FlueGas

0.3 MPaG SteamFlue Gas Blower

ReboilerLean Solvent

Process Improvement -1- Energy saving process : Stripper -

Utilization of Lean solvent & Steam condensate heatAddition of several Heat exchangers & Pumps

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Process Improvement -2- New Energy Efficient Process : Increased CO2 loading

of rich amine -The Process was confirmed through modification of the Nanko CO2 capture pilot plant in 2009.- Increased CO2 loading of rich amine by reducing the

absorber temperature - Reduced absorbent heat loss by decreasingabsorbent recirculation rate

- Reduced CO2 reflux cooler heat loss by lowering the temperature at the top of the stripper

Process Optimization- New Energy Efficient Process : Increased CO2 loading

of rich amine -The Process equipment was further optimized and confirmed at the Nanko CO2 capture pilot plant in 2010.

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Development of new absorbents

Best Result in 2009 (=2.44MJ/kg-CO2)

The characteristics of this new absorbent, regarding corrosiveness and volatility, were confirmed through a series of recent laboratory tests.

Remarks) ① ： Process Improvement-1

② ： Process Improvement-2

③ ： Process Optimization

55186①②③10

－－②③－

63679①10New absorbent 2 (yet to be officially named)

－－①②③－

58378①②10

65785①10New absorbent 1(yet to be officially named)

56384①②③10

60383①②10

66990①10KS-1TM

Required energy for CO2 recovery(kcal/kg CO2)

CO2 recovery rate(%)

System configuration

CO2 concentration at plant inlet(%)

Test resultsTest condition

Test absorbents

Best Result in 2010(=2.31MJ/kg-CO2)

- Nanko CO2 capture pilot plant test results of newly developed absorbents

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Commercial CO2 capture plants

Map of MHI commercial CO2 recovery plant locations

1999 Malaysia200 t/d

2005 Japan330 t/d

2006 India (Aonla)450 t/d

2006 India (Phulpur)450 t/d

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22

33 44

2010 Bahrain450 t/d

77

2009 Abu Dhabi400 t/d

66 2009 India (Kakinada)450 t/d

55

2010 Vietnam240 t/d

99

2011 Pakistan340 t/d

88

Plants under operation

Plants under construction

KEY

2012 India(Vijaipur)450 t/d

1010

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Commercial CO2 capture plants- Commercial 400 tpd CO2 recovery plants for

ＦＥＲＴＩＬ ＵＡＥ -

United Arab EmiratesClient: Ruwais Fertilizer Industries (FERTIL)CO2 source: Natural gas boiler & steam reformerStart up: December 2009Capacity: 400 tpdProduct: Urea productionProcess: Improved KM-CDR ProcessTM

Solvent: KS-1TM

Status: Highest Performing commercial CO2Capture Plant

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1. The Kansai Electric Power (KEPCO) has developed energy efficient chemical absorbents and economical processes which aim to reduce the cost of CO2 capture, in collaboration with Mitsubishi Heavy Industries (MHI).

2. This work has been ongoing since 1990, using several Japan based R&D facilities and a pilot plant, located at Nanko Power Station in Osaka (Japan), to verify improvements.

3. Ten (10) commercial CO2 capture plants (capacity up to 450 tpd), using KS-1TM solvent, have been contracted worldwide(8 operational & 2 under construction).

Summary (1)

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4. Process Improvement -1,-2 with process optimization and new solvents were developed and tested at Nanko pilot plant last year. CO2 recovery and regeneration energy results:

KS-1 solvent: 563kcal/kg CO2 (= 2.36MJ/kg CO2) A ‘new’ solvent: 551kcal/kg CO2 (= 2.31MJ/kg CO2)

5. Improvements will be applied to all commercial CO2 capture plants and for coal fired flue gas applications, designed and delivered by MHI.

Summary (2)

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Thank you Any questions?

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Non-distributed documents

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5060

7080

90100

50 100 150 200Steam supply rate (kg/h)

CO

2ab

sorp

tion

effic

ienc

y (%

)KS-3 KS-1

KS-2

MEA

Reduction of CO2 recovery energy consumption by 20 to 25%

Development of KS-1TM

The energy required for regeneration of the KS-1 wasabout 20-25% less than MEA, by the conventional MHI process

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History of Process Improvement- Nanko pilot test results using KS-1TM -

Realize the absorber heat optimization with the new energy saving process in the wide range of the commercial operation with KS-1TM absorbent.

0.70

0.75

0.80

0.85

0.90

0.95

1.00

1.05

1.10

Quencher Outlet Gas Temperature (℃)

CO

2 R

ecov

ery

Hea

t (kc

al/k

gCO

2)as

Inde

x

Solvent : KS-1

MHI Conventional Process

Process Improvement-1

+ Process Improvement-2

+ Process Optimization

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Development of new absorbents- Energy calculation simulation for CO2 recovery -

Vapor–liquid equilibrium Reaction rate Reaction heat

Absorption

Related to CO2Recovery rate

CO2 recovery energy

Laboratory test data

Related to reaction heat for CO2

Related to sensitive heat & latent heat

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Future plan- Application to commercial CO2 capture plant -

1. These technology improvements have been proven through tests at the Nanko CO2 capture pilot plant.

2. These improvements will be applied to future commercial CO2 capture plants, to be designed and delivered by MHI.

(For example, Abu Dhabi CO2 capture plant uses Process Improvement-1.)

3. It is expected that coal fired flue gas with higher concentrations of CO2 will lead to a further reductions in CO2 capture and regeneration energy requirements. Therefore, for coal fired flue gas conditions, the steam consumption will be even less then 563 or 551 kcal/kg CO2

(= 2.36 or 2.31 MJ/kg CO2).

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Evaluation of vapour-liquid equilibrium(Test Apparatus)

CO

Outlet gas sample line

M

N2 cylinder

Saturator(Gas mixing tank)

Mass flowcontroller for N

Cooling tube

Inlet gas sample line

Liquid sample line

Thermocouple(Temperature sensor)

Mass flowcontroller for CO

cylinder

Cooling tower

Back pressure regulator

Safety

Heater

Pressuregauge

M

PI

2

2 Equilibrium cell

valve

2

19Stripper condition: Temperature 120°C, CO2 partial pressure 9.8 kPA

Absorber condition: Temperature 40°C, CO2 partial pressure 9.8 kPA

Absorbercondition

Strippercondition

MEA 0.606 0.204 0.402

KS-1 0.801 0.231 0.57

HA 0.755 0.158 0.597

DEA 0.614 0.137 0.477

CO2 loading Liquidcomponent

Effective CO2 loading

Evaluation of vapour-liquid equilibrium(CO2 Loading of Absorbent)

0.1

1

10

100

1000

0 0.2 0.4 0.6 0.8 1

CO2 loading　[mol-CO2/mol-amine]Pr

tial p

ress

ure

of C

O2

[kPa

]

KS-1 1M

MEA 1M

120℃40℃

CO2 loading :(mol CO2/mol amine)

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Evaluation of kinetics(Test Apparatus)

Gas phase stirrer

Liquid phase stirrer

85

60

50

115

230

20

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Gas phase stirrer

Liquid phase stirrer

230230

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Evaluation of kinetics(Absorption rate of CO2 into aqueous solutions)

0

2

4

6

8

10

12

14

16

18

0 0.5 1 1.5P Ai [ kPa ]

NA×

107

[ km

ol･

s-1･m

-2]

KS-1MEA

DEA

HA

MDEA

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90 %CO2 Recovery Rate2.0 metric ton/dayCO2 Capacity

80.4 vol.%-Dry10.3 vol.%-Dry9.3 vol.%-Dry5.9 vol.%100 vol.%

Flue Gas CompositionN2CO2O2H2OTotal

555 Nm3/hrFlue Gas Flow RateNatural gas fired boilerFlue Gas Source

Specification of Nanko Pilot Plant

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Lower energy regeneration system - Feature -

Reduction of steam requirement for Regeneration

CO2

Stripper

Steam

Lean solvent

Recovered CO2

Utilization Equipment

Steam Condensate

Improve heat recovery around CO2 stripper

Utilize heat of Lean solvent & Steam Condensate

Several additionalHeat exchanger & Pumps

•

•

Lean Solvent Utilization 10%Steam Condensate Utilization 5%Total Steam Reduction 15%