Method and apparatus for capturing carbon dioxide during combustion of carbon containing fuel

A boiler system, comprising:

• a series of boilers, each boiler in said series being adapted to create steam above atmospheric pressure and including:
• a shell having an upstream end, a downstream end opposite said upstream end, and a hollow interior;
• an oxidizer inlet entering the hollow interior adjacent the upstream end of the shell and being adapted for introducing oxygen into the hollow interior of the shell when the hollow interior is pressurized to above atmospheric pressure;
• a fuel nozzle positioned adjacent the upstream end of the shell and being adapted for introducing fuel into the hollow interior of the shell when the hollow interior is pressurized to above atmospheric pressure;
• and
• a flue duct connected to the shell adjacent the downstream end for transporting flue gas from the hollow interior;
• wherein the oxidizer inlet of a first boiler in the series is adapted to receive oxygen;
• wherein the oxidizer inlet of each boiler in the series subsequent to said first boiler is adapted to receive flue gas from an immediately preceding boiler in the series;
• and
• wherein the fuel nozzle of each boiler in the series of boilers is adapted to receive fuel mixed with flue gas from a final boiler in the series.

A boiler, comprising:

• a shell surrounding a vertical centerline, the shell defining an inner surface having an inner diameter and an inner length extending between an upper upstream end and a lower downstream end, said inner surface defining a hollow interior suitable for withstanding pressure greater than ambient, the interior having a pre-combustion zone, a combustion zone downstream from the pre-combustion zone, and a post-combustion zone downstream from the combustion zone;
• an oxidizer inlet entering the pre-combustion zone of the hollow interior adjacent the upper upstream end of the shell;
• a flow distributor mounted in the hollow interior of the shell downstream from oxidizer inlet adapted to provide oxidizer flowing downstream from the flow distributor with an even radial flow distribution, with an even circumferential flow distribution, and with a ratio of circumferential momentum to axial momentum of less than 0.2;
• a fuel nozzle positioned adjacent the upper upstream end of the shell for introducing fuel into the combustion zone of the hollow interior of the shell along the vertical centerline and downstream from the flow distributor;
• a tube assembly mounted in the combustion zone and post-combustion zone of the hollow interior of the shell for transferring heat to fluid flowing through the tube assembly, the tube assembly having an upstream inner diameter surrounding the combustion zone and a downstream inner diameter surrounding the post-combustion zone, the downstream inner diameter being smaller than the upstream inner diameter;
• and
• a flue duct connected to the shell adjacent the lower downstream end for transporting flue gases from the hollow interior.

A boiler system, comprising:

• a series of boilers, each boiler in said series including:
• a shell surrounding a vertical centerline, the shell defining an inner surface having an inner diameter and an inner length extending between an upper upstream end and a lower downstream end, said inner surface defining a hollow interior suitable for withstanding pressure greater than ambient, the hollow interior having a pre-combustion zone, a combustion zone downstream from the pre-combustion zone, and a post-combustion zone downstream from the combustion zone;
• an oxidizer inlet entering the pre-combustion zone of the hollow interior adjacent the upper upstream end of the shell;
• a flow distributor mounted in the hollow interior of the shell downstream from oxidizer inlet adapted to provide oxidizer flowing downstream from the distributor with an even radial flow distribution;
• a fuel nozzle positioned adjacent the upper upstream end of the shell for introducing fuel into the combustion zone of the hollow interior of the shell along the vertical centerline and downstream from the flow distributor;
• and
• a flue duct connected to the shell adjacent the lower downstream end for transporting flue gas from the hollow interior;
• wherein a first boiler in the series is adapted to receive oxygen through the oxidizer inlet of said first boiler;
• and
• wherein the oxidizer inlet of each boiler in the series subsequent to said first boiler is adapted to receive flue gas from an immediately preceding boiler in the series.