Compact High Efficiency and Zero-Emission Gas-Fired Power Plant with Oxy-Combustion and Carbon Capture

Abstract

Reduction of greenhouse gases emissions is a key challenge for the power generation industry, requiring the implementation of new designs and methods of electricity generation. This article presents a design solution for a novel thermodynamic cycle with two new devices—namely, a wet combustion chamber and a spray-ejector condenser. In the proposed cycle, high temperature occurs in the combustion chamber because of fuel combustion by pure oxygen. As a consequence of the chemical reaction and open water cooling, a mixture of H2O and CO2 is produced. The resulting working medium expands in one turbine that combines the advantages of gas turbines (high turbine inlet temperatures) and steam turbines (full expansion to vacuum). Moreover, the main purpose of the spray-ejector condenser is the simultaneous condensation of water vapour and compression of CO2 from condensing pressure to about 1 bar. The efficiency of the proposed cycle has been estimated at 37.78%. COM-GAS software has been used for computational flow mechanics simulations. The calculation considers the drop in efficiency due to air separation unit, carbon capture, and spray-ejector condenser processes. The advantage of the proposed cycle is its compactness that can be achieved by replacing the largest equipment in the steam unit. The authors make reference to a steam generator, a conventional steam condenser, and the steam-gas turbine. Instead of classical heat exchanger equipment, the authors propose non-standard devices, such as a wet combustion chamber and spray-ejector condenser.

Example of Using Particle Swarm Optimization Algorithm with Nelder–Mead Method for Flow Improvement in Axial Last Stage of Gas–Steam Turbine

“…The higher it becomes, the more reactive it is. This result concerns the outcome of the design analyses presented in the authors' previous paper [8,10]. However, it should be added that the initial blade design was presented in detail in [13].…”

“…Steam turbines, often considered an 'old technology', continue to be an area of extensive research and development, targeting improvements in their efficiency, their operational flexibility [5], and their range of applicability [6]. These turbines are not just restricted to traditional power plant setups but are also being tailored to novel concepts of power plants, such as solar power plants [7], carbon capture [8][9][10], storage technologies [11], oxy-fuel technology [12,13], waste-to-energy plants [14,15], nuclear power systems [16], ORC [17,18], and electricity/hydrogen/synfuel polygeneration plants [19]. In this context, the role of simulation and optimization codes is pivotal, providing predictions on the effects of design/control improvements on the overall performance of the power plant.…”

“…Oxy-combustion in gas-steam turbines has primarily been developed with a focus on the overall power plant efficiency and CO 2 capture capacity [8,12]. The absence of extensive analyses can be attributed to the technological challenges associated with practical implementation.…”

Monitoring of Thermal and Flow Processes in the Two-Phase Spray-Ejector Condenser for Thermal Power Plant Applications

“…The considered test rig is a part of the developed cycle of a negative CO 2 emission power plant using gasified sewage sludge as a main fuel-the assumptions and scheme of which were presented recently [11,12].…”

Review of Methods for Diagnosing the Degradation Process in Power Units Cooperating with Renewable Energy Sources Using Artificial Intelligence

“…However, the worldwide trends directed toward reducing carbon footprints promote sustainable development [6][7][8]. This development makes it necessary to reduce the emission of CO 2 [9,10] and other greenhouse gases, e.g., NOx and SOx [11]. This is important in meeting the climate requirements imposed by governments or global organizations [12,13].…”