SBIR Phase I: High-pressure Density-driven Separation Technology for Carbon Capture

这个小型企业创新研究(SBIR)项目的更广泛的影响/商业潜力是部署一个强大的碳捕获工具的潜力。CO2捕集是减缓温室气体排放的基础。目前二氧化碳捕获过程的高昂成本阻碍了它们的广泛应用。高压密度驱动分离器(HDS)技术高效、连续地从气流中捕获二氧化碳，包括烟道气和燃料气。HDS模块产生近乎纯净的高压二氧化碳(PH-CO2)。HDS技术具有变革性的运营成本，这得益于压缩、扩展、能量回收以及随后对稠油和轻质馏分的使用的创新战略。HDS模块没有活动部件、膜、压力波动或温度波动。因此，HDS技术具有极低的资本支出潜力。这些低成本使人们得以进入金融市场。其他收入来源也得益于较低的捕获成本。例如，PH-CO2是食品级的，价值超过100美元/吨。PH-CO2适合于提高采收率。HDS技术将二氧化碳从燃料气中分离出来，除了PH-CO2外，还会产生一种有价值的高压蒸汽。HDS技术极大地降低了二氧化碳捕获成本，并提供了实现盈利的B2B模式的纯度。这个STTRI期项目建议开发HDS技术。将改进和使用量化指标，以开发详细的资本支出和运营成本模型。要降低这些成本，必须克服两个技术障碍。这些障碍也是创新的机会。第一个机会是在压力容器中实现足够的体积效率，以供商业部署。HDS模块内部的平衡态是完全分离的。提高接近该平衡状态的速度可以减少HDS模块的大小和成本。这将通过利用流体状态、表面状态、流体运动和重力之间的协同作用来实现。这种协同作用将二氧化碳聚合在一起，使其能够快速从烟气和燃料气的剩余成分中分离出来。第二个机会是为商业部署实现足够的整体流程效率。压缩所需的功率决定了运营费用。我们的战略包括将近等温冷压缩列车和近等温热膨胀列车作为热机(近似于爱立信循环)进行操作。通过这种方式，创新的齿轮式压缩机和膨胀机与利用余热的热交换器一起工作，以降低或消除运营成本。该奖项反映了NSF的法定使命，并通过使用基金会的智力优势和更广泛的影响审查标准进行评估，被认为值得支持。

The broader impact/commercial potential of this Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR) project is the potential to deploy a powerful tool for carbon capture. CO2-capture is the foundation of greenhouse gas mitigation. The high cost of current processes for CO2-capture have prevented their widespread deployment. High-pressure, Density-driven Separator (HDS) technology efficiently and continuously captures CO2 from gas streams, including both flue gas and fuel gas. An HDS module produces nearly Pure High-pressure CO2 (PH-CO2). HDS technology has transformational operating expense enabled by innovative strategies for compression, expansion, energy recovery, and subsequent use of the dense and light fractions. An HDS module has no moving parts, membranes, pressure swings or temperature swings. Therefore, HDS technology has the potential for very low capital expense. These low costs allow access to financial markets. Other revenue sources are also facilitated by low capture cost. For instance, PH-CO2 is food grade, valued in excess of $100/ton. PH-CO2 is suitable for enhanced oil recovery. HDS technology separates CO2 from fuel gas, producing a valuable high-pressure vapor, in addition to PH-CO2. HDS technology dramatically reduces the CO2-capture cost and provides a purity that enables a profitable B2B model. This STTR Phase I project proposes to develop HDS technology. Quantitative metrics will be refined and employed to develop detailed capital expense and operating cost models. Two technical hurdles must be overcome to reduce these costs. These hurdles are also opportunities for innovation. The first opportunity is to achieve sufficient volumetric efficiency in the pressure vessel for commercial deployment. The equilibrium state inside the HDS module is perfect separation. Increasing the rate of approach to that equilibrium state reduces the size and cost of the HDS module. This will be accomplished by exploiting the synergy between fluid state, surface state, fluid motion, and gravity. This synergy coalesces CO2, allowing its rapid separation from the remaining components of flue gas and fuel gas. The second opportunity is to achieve sufficient overall process efficiency for commercial deployment. The power required for compression determines operating expense. Our strategy involves operating the near-isothermal cold compression train and near-isothermal hot expansion train as a heat engine (an approximation of the Ericsson cycle). In this manner, innovative gerotor compressors and expanders work together with heat exchangers using waste heat to reduce or eliminate operating costs.This award reflects NSF's statutory mission and has been deemed worthy of support through evaluation using the Foundation's intellectual merit and broader impacts review criteria.