UT/SRP CO2 Capture Pilot Plant - Operating Experience and Procedures

The Separations Research Program (SRP) pilot plant is located at The University of Texas (UT) Pickle Research Campus and has been operated as a carbon capture facility since 2002. The semi-works scale pilot facility uses air and 3-14 mol% CO2 as flue gas as it applies the latest advancements in carbon dioxide recovery technology. The capacity of the pilot plant is approximately 15 m(3)/min of gas and 130 liters/min of solvent. Past experimental studies include solvent performance characterization using potassium carbonate with piperazine, monoethanolamine, concentrated piperazine and other proprietary solvents. In recent years, the pilot plant has been utilized to determine the mass transfer and hydraulic characteristics of various structured and random packings using amine-based solvents for CO2 absorption. In 2002, the UT/SRP began developing improved measurement techniques and operating procedures to ensure reliable process control and closure of material and energy balances. Past experience and learning with the UT/SRP pilot plant is currently being utilized for the design and operation of several future pilot plants that will process actual coal-fired flue gas. The purpose of the presentation is to provide a brief description of the UT/SRP CO2 capture pilot plant capabilities, innovative operational procedures and instrument accuracies. The objectives of this paper are to discuss SRP pilot plant experience including: process description, operations and control, key equipment, measurement methods including novel techniques, overall process performance, and future work. (C) 2011 Published by Elsevier Ltd.