Process and apparatus for CO2 recovery from flue gas with thermocompression

A process for the recovery of CO2 from a flue gas, comprising,

• a) compressing a flue gas to a first pressure,
• b) cooling the flue gas to a first temperature,
• c) adsorbing CO2 in a first adsorbent bed, wherein said first adsorbent bed is at said first temperature and said first pressure, wherein said first adsorbent bed is isothermally maintained by a first cooling means,
• d) pressurizing said first adsorbent bed to a second pressure with CO2 at a second temperature, wherein said second pressure is greater than said first pressure, wherein said second temperature is greater than said first temperature,
• e) heating said first adsorbent bed to a third temperature with a first heating means, thereby increasing said first adsorbent bed to a third pressure, wherein said third temperature is greater than said second temperature, wherein said third pressure is greater than said second pressure, thereby releasing a first portion of adsorbed CO2,
• f) lowering the pressure of said first adsorbent bed in at least one more stage, while said first adsorbent bed is isothermally maintained at said third temperature by a second heating means, thereby releasing at least a second portion of adsorbed CO2,
• g) cooling the released CO2 with at least a second cooling means,
• h) sending said cooled CO2 to one or more surge drums,
• i) purging said first adsorption bed with a N2 stream, simultaneously cooling said first adsorption bed with a third cooling means,
• j) compressing said cooled CO2 from said surge drums in a multi-stage compressor, wherein the pressure of the CO2 from each surge drum is approximately equal to the inter-stage pressure into which it is admitted, and
• k) regenerating said first adsorption bed with a N2 stream, wherein said regeneration stream is heated by a third heating means.