Identification of Process Integration Options for Carbon Capture

Many industrial sites consume vast amounts of fossil fuels and it is likely that they will continue to do so for the foreseeable future. The reasons for this are of various types, but the main ones are related to the convenience of using fuels as easily manipulated degrees of freedom in operating the plants. One of the options for reducing the emissions of greenhouse gases and most notably CO2 is the CO2 capture and its following sequestration. The present work aims at the optimisation of the performance of the power plants with CO2 capture, examining all possible options for heat integration - including utilisation of low-grade waste heat. The identification of streams containing low-grade or low-value heat are performed in this regard, combined with potential waste streams suitable for generating additional energy. The integration of the capture process into the power plants will also consider the use of fans, coolers, gas polishing and CO2 capture equipment. In power plants the steam extraction from the power train will be targeted for optimisation together with the recirculation of high grade heat. This allows identifying targets for energy recovery potentials and provides a sound design basis for cogeneration systems.