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Efficient Amine-based Carbon Capture in a Power-to-Jet process under varying Renewable Electricity supply

Abstract:

To comply with the outcomes of the Climate Change Conference in Paris (COP 21), the ever-growing greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions has to be drastically reduced. With the soaring growth rates of GHG emissions in the aviation sector, the need for a near zero-net greenhouse emission alternative is essential. The novel concept of the Power-to-Jet pathway directly utilizes renewable electricity, carbon dioxide and water to synthesize a sustainable kerosene fuel that chemically resembles the one produced from fossil sources, having ‘Drop-in’ capability allowing the use and distribution within existing architectures. In the Power-to-Jet process, hydrogen is produced via water electrolysis. Captured CO2 (from rich point sources) then reacts with hydrogen to produce the intermediate methanol, before being upgraded to the final synthetic jet fuel along with by-products (Schmidt et al., 2012). With fluctuating electricity inputs due to the variability in photovoltaic and wind power generation, the process units within the Power-to-Jet process have to be adjusted at each time-instant to satisfy the production constraints. To find the best operating strategy for these fluctuating conditions, dynamic models are needed. In this work, we will propose a model that describes the dynamic behaviour of the carbon capture section in the Power-to-Jet process. Several dynamic scenarios can be introduced for the carbon capture rate by altering the lean solvent concentration, flue gas flow rates and re-boiler duty. The dynamic information obtained from the simulations (such as: Open loop gain, time constants and dead time) can be used to device an appropriate control scheme under varying electricity inputs, while satisfying all operational constraints.