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US 11,486,638 B2Granted
CO2 separation and liquefaction system and method
AssigneeCarbon Capture America, Inc.
InventorsMiles L. Abarr, Scott Raymond Frazier
Life of this patent
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Abstract
A CO2 separation and liquefaction system such as might be used in a carbon capture and sequestration system for a fossil fuel burning power plant is disclosed. The CO2 separation and liquefaction system includes a first cooling stage to cool flue gas with liquid CO2, a compression stage coupled to the first cooling stage to compress the cooled flue gas, a second cooling stage coupled to the compression stage and the first cooling stage to cool the compressed flue gas with a CO2 melt and provide the liquid CO2 to the first cooling stage, and an expansion stage coupled to the second cooling stage to extract solid CO2 from the flue gas that melts in the second cooling stage to provide the liquid CO2.
Claims12
A CO2 separation and liquefaction system comprising:
- a first cooling stage for cooling CO2-containing gas, the first cooling stage comprising:
- a first gas path comprising at least a first heat exchanger configured to cool a first portion of the CO2-containing gas using a first portion of liquid CO2 as a coolant;
- and
- a second gas path coupled in parallel with the first gas path, the second gas path comprising at least a second heat exchanger configured to cool a second portion of the CO2-containing gas using a N2-rich stream of gas as a coolant;
- wherein the first cooling stage outputs a first cooled gas;
- a compression stage configured to compress the first cooled gas output by the first cooling stage in at least one compressor to output a compressed gas;
- a second cooling stage comprising:
- at least a third heat exchanger configured to use a second portion of the liquid CO2 as a coolant to cool the compressed gas;
- and
- wherein the second cooling stage is configured to receive the second portion of the liquid CO2 from a CO2 reservoir, to direct the second portion of the liquid CO2 to the first heat exchanger to form at least a part of the first portion of the liquid CO2;
- and to output a second cooled gas;
- an expansion stage comprising at least a frost heat exchanger, the expansion stage configured to:
- form the N2 rich stream of gas by extracting solid CO2 from the second cooled gas output by the second cooling stage;
- receive a third portion of the liquid CO2 from the CO2 reservoir in the at least one frost heat exchanger to melt at least a portion of the solid CO2 to produce melted CO2;
- provide the melted CO2 to the CO2 reservoir;
- and
- direct the N2-rich stream of gas output by the at least one frost heat exchanger:
- through at least one expander to cool the N2-rich stream of gas;
- from the at least one expander to the at least one frost heat exchanger for use as a coolant;
- and
- from the at least one frost heat exchanger to the second heat exchanger in the second gas path.
18 more elements
A method of operating a CO2 separation and liquefaction system, the method comprising:
- cooling a CO2 containing gas in a first cooling stage by cooling a first portion of the CO2-containing gas in a first gas path, the first gas path comprising a first heat exchanger that utilizes a first portion of a liquid CO2 as a coolant;
- cooling a second portion of the CO2-containing gas in a second gas path, the second gas path comprising a second heat exchanger that utilizes an N2 rich stream as a coolant;
- combining the first and second portions of the CO2-containing gas after cooling in the first and second gas paths, respectively, to output a first cooled gas;
- compressing the first cooled gas output by the first cooling stage in a compression stage comprising at least one compressor to output a compressed gas;
- cooling the compressed gas output by the compression stage in a second cooling stage comprising at least one heat exchanger using a second portion of liquid CO2 received from a CO2 reservoir as a coolant to output a second cooled gas;
- extracting solid CO2 from the second cooled gas output by the second cooling stage in an expansion stage comprising at least one frost heat exchanger configured to extract CO2 from the cooled gas output by the second cooling stage to form the N2 rich stream,
- cooling the N2 rich stream output by the at least one frost heat exchanger in at least one expander of the expansion stage;
- supplying the N2 rich stream from the at least one expander to the at least one frost heat exchanger for use as a coolant;
- supplying the N2 rich stream from the at least one frost heat exchanger to the second heat exchanger of the second gas path of the first cooling stage for use as a coolant;
- supplying a third portion of the liquid CO2 from the CO2 reservoir to the at least one frost heat exchanger of the expansion stage to melt at least a portion of the solid CO2 into a melted CO2;
- and providing the melted CO2 to the CO2 reservoir;
- wherein the first portion of the liquid CO2 comprises at least a part of the 2nd portion of the liquid CO2.
9 more elements
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.