(181d) Economic Optimization of Supercritical Pulverized Coal Power Plant with CO2 Capture By CO2-Binding Organic Liquid (CO2BOL) Solvent System

The U.S. Department of Energy’s Carbon Capture Simulation for Industry Impact (CCSI²) is focused on development and applications of computational tools and models for accelerating the development, scale-up, and deployment of carbon capture technologies. One of these tools is the Framework for Optimization, Quantification of Uncertainty, and Surrogates (FOQUS), a Python-based platform with the ability to connect with Aspen Plus^® process models to enable advanced capabilities including mathematical optimization (including optimization under uncertainty), surrogate modeling, stochastic parameter estimation, and design of experiments. A framework for power plant economic evaluation has been implemented in FOQUS, incorporating a baseline costing methodology for fossil energy plants developed by the National Energy Technology Laboratory (NETL),¹ which accounts for all capital and operating costs associated with the power plant. This tool enables direct comparison of solvent-based CO₂ capture systems, including variation in solvent type and configuration of the CO₂ capture unit.

In this work, the FOQUS tool is used to optimize a 550 MWe supercritical pulverized coal power plant coupled with a CO₂-Binding Organic Liquid (CO₂BOL) solvent system used to capture 90% of the CO₂ in the flue gas generated in the plant. CO₂BOL is a class of water-lean solvents developed in Pacific Northwest National Laboratory, which shows promise to reduce energy consumption and allows the use of less expensive construction materials due to its water-lean feature and unique properties. A derivative-free solver is used to determine the process conditions (e.g. absorber and stripper height and diameter, CO₂ loading in solvent, amount of steam extracted for solvent regeneration) required to minimize the cost of CO₂ capture associated with the construction and operation of the power plant. Finally, this work also includes consideration of the effects of process model and economic uncertainty on the optimal design and operation of the plant.

References

1. Fout, T., Zoelle, A., Keairns, D., Turner, M., Woods, M., Kuehn, N., Shah, V., Chou, V., Pinkerton, L., 2015. Cost and performance baseline for fossil energy plants. Volume 1a: Bituminous coal (PC) and natural gas to electricity. Revision 3. U.S. Department of Energy. National Energy Technology Laboratory.

Acknowledgement

Team KeyLogic’s contributions to this work were funded by the National Energy Technology Laboratory under the Mission Execution and Strategic Analysis contract (DE-FE0025912) for support services.

Disclaimer

This report was prepared as an account of work sponsored by an agency of the United States Government. Neither the United States Government nor any agency thereof, nor any of their employees, makes any warranty, express or implied, or assumes any legal liability or responsibility for the accuracy, completeness, or usefulness of any information, apparatus, product, or process disclosed, or represents that its use would not infringe privately owned rights. Reference herein to any specific commercial product, process, or service by trade name, trademark, manufacturer, or otherwise does not necessarily constitute or imply its endorsement, recommendation, or favoring by the United States Government or any agency thereof. The views and opinions of authors expressed herein do not necessarily state or reflect those of the United States Government or any agency thereof.