Abstract:
The carbon dioxide capture process for a cement plant was designed, sized and cost evaluated using Aspen Plus and Icarus Process Evaluator Program. Monoethanolamine (MEA) based absorption was considered as a potential technique to capture carbon dioxide from cement plants. The MEA solvent, 30 percent by weight, was used as the solvent. The carbon dioxide flow rate entered to the capture process was 64,985 kg/hr. The base case model was developed at 0.05 lean loading (mole ratio of carbon dioxide to MEA in the lean solvent stream), 85 percent carbon dioxide recovery and the purity of the carbon dioxide product stream at 98 percent by mole was specified. The duty required in the reboiler at the regenerator for the base case was 441 MW. And the solvent circulating flow rate was 591, 645 kg/hr. For economic analysis, the capture cost ($/ton of captured carbon dioxide) was estimated, over 20 years in Canadian dollar with 7 percent interest rate. The capture cost for the base case was estimated at $ 195/ton of captured carbon dioxide. The sensitivity analysis of the economics to the lean loading and percent recovery was studied. The lean loading was varied from 0.05 to 0.40 at 85 percent recovery. The results showed that the minimum capture cost ($/ton of captured CO2) at constant 85 percent recovery was at a lean loading between 0.25 and 0.30. And the major cost was from steam consumption in the reboiler of the regenerator. Then the effect of the percent recovery on the capture cost was studied. It was divided into two cases. In the first case, the percent recovery was varied from 55 to 98 percent at lean loading from 0.20 to 0.35 and the flue gas flow rate entered to the capture process was the total amount of flue gas from the cement plant. For every lean loading, the percent recovery that gave the lowest capture cost ($/ton of captured CO2) was at 98 percent. For the second case, the percent recovery was varied from 55 to 95 percent at lean loading equals to 0.25 and 0.30. The flue gas from the plant was separated with proportional split fraction before entering to the capture process. And the percent recovery inside the process was specified at 95 percent in order to achieve each overall percent recovery. The results showed that the capture cost ($/ton of captured CO2) for percent recovery from 55 to 85 percent was reduced compared to the previous case. To decide the best operating condition for carbon dioxide capture process for a cement plant, not only the minimum capture cost ($/ton of captured CO2) should be considered, but also the maximum steam that can be supplied and the maximum annual cost ($/yr) that can be paid.