Carbon dioxide recovery apparatus and carbon dioxide recovery method

A carbon dioxide recovery apparatus comprising:

• an absorption tower which introduces therein carbon dioxide-containing gas and brings the carbon dioxide-containing gas into contact with an absorbing liquid for absorbing carbon dioxide to generate a first rich liquid having absorbed the carbon dioxide, and, thus, to discharge the first rich liquid;
• a heat exchanger which heats the first rich liquid;
• a flow divider which divides the first rich liquid heated by the heat exchanger into a second rich liquid and a third rich liquid;
• a first carbon dioxide release device which heats the second rich liquid and thereby discharges a first semi-lean liquid in which carbon dioxide-containing steam is released;
• a second carbon dioxide release device which heats the third rich liquid and thereby discharges a second semi-lean liquid in which carbon dioxide-containing steam is released;
• and
• a regeneration tower which heats the first semi-lean liquid and the second semi-lean liquid to release remaining carbon dioxide-containing steam, and, thus, to generate a lean liquid and thereby returns the lean liquid to the absorption tower,
• wherein
• the heat exchanger is placed before the flow divider,
• a portion of the first rich liquid is divided between the absorption tower and the heat exchanger,
• the first carbon dioxide release device heats the second rich liquid, using the lean liquid discharged from the regeneration tower as a heat source,
• the second carbon dioxide release device heats the third rich liquid and the portion of the first rich liquid, using the carbon dioxide-containing steam discharged at the regeneration tower as a heat source,
• the heat exchanger heats the first rich liquid, using the lean liquid which has passed through the first carbon dioxide release device as a heat source, and
• a flow rate of the portion of the first rich liquid and a flow rate of the third rich liquid are equivalent to each other.