FOCUS - Fundamentals of Optimised Capture Using Solids

我们的目标是在爱丁堡大学和华北电力大学之间建立正式的合作关系，以两个机构在碳捕集方面的卓越研究为基础，并开发一种基于循环新固体材料的新工艺，该工艺将从化石燃料燃烧产物中吸收二氧化碳，然后将其释放为可以压缩和储存的纯净流。目标是与现有技术相比，将捕获二氧化碳的能源需求减少25-50%，显著减少额外的燃料使用，从而降低成本。本研究计划的目标是：1。在碳捕获技术的发展方面，建立英国和中国领先研究团队之间的积极合作。通过物理和化学过程的结合，开发吸收CO2的新型固体。3.推进对这些颗粒在发电站的二氧化碳捕获装置中移动方式的理解4。建立联合收割机实验结果与工厂规模下至微孔规模的建模相结合的方法，以获得捕获单元的可靠建模预测5。预测这些新的碳捕集过程的性能，当它们被添加到燃煤发电站以现实的方式运行时。对于目标2，将开发不同类型的二氧化硅以及不同的胺作为NCEPU的CO2吸附材料。将在UoE下通过热重分析（TGA）评价其稳定性。吸附剂样品将根据CO2容量使用基于UoE开发的零长度柱（ZLC）方法的快速筛选技术进行排名，作为US-DOE和EPSRC资助研究的一部分。该技术只需要10毫克的吸附剂，因此非常适合开发的早期阶段。该小组将接待一名来自NCEPU的研究人员，为期一个月，提供培训和援助，以便在NCEPU实施类似的系统。在NCEPU，将使用颗粒状材料，使用有水和无水的CO2/N2混合物生成穿透曲线。这些实验还将用于评估使用吹扫流再生吸附剂的潜力，这将显著降低该过程的能量消耗。重复吸附/解吸循环将用于评价材料随时间的稳定性。在3中，为了能够充分了解新型捕集材料的循环流化床的性能，UoE将使用空气作为流化气体，使用树脂、沙子和颗粒吸附剂颗粒进行固体循环速率和气体示踪剂停留时间实验。为了进一步深入了解粒子流，CFB将在伯明翰的正电子发射粒子跟踪（PEPT）设施进行测试。详细的实验结果将成为测试NCEPU和UOE开发的计算流体动力学（CFD）模型的基础。为了实现目标4，NCEPU和UOE将合作扩展大规模计算机粒子流建模，以包括吸附和解吸引起的粒子密度变化的影响。将在各个部分上测试所得的CFD代码，以评估描述不同流态的能力。一个非常小的规模模型的描述组合的质量和热传递的吸附剂材料将实施和用于解释的动力学ZLC实验。然后将这些模型结合起来，以评估哪种捕获设备配置在分离效率和能源需求方面效果最好。在整个项目中，为了实现目标5，新吸附工艺的工作将与新发电厂一体化概念的工作相结合。中国和英国的合作伙伴都拥有丰富的电力行业经验，可以确保研究与真实的应用相关。

We aim to establish a formal collaboration between the University of Edinburgh and North China Electric Power University to build upon the research excellence in carbon capture at both institutions, and to develop a novel process based on circulating new solid materials that will take up CO2 from fossil fuel combustion products and then release it as a pure stream that can be compressed and stored. The target is to reduce the energy requirement for capturing CO2 by 25-50% compared to current technologies, a significant reduction in additional fuel use and hence costs. The objectives of this research programme are to:1. Establish a vigorous collaboration between leading UK and Chinese research groups in the development of carbon capture technologies.2. Develop novel solids that take up CO2 by a combination of physical and chemical processes.3. Advance the understanding of ways in which these particles can be moved around in CO2 capture units attached to power stations4. Establish ways to combine experimental results and modelling at plant scale down to minute pore scale to obtain reliable modelling predictions for capture units5. Predict the performance of these novel carbon capture processes when they are added on to coal fired power stations operating in a realistic wayFor objective 2 different types of silicas as well as different amines will be developed as materials for CO2 adsorption at NCEPU. Their stability will be evaluated by thermogravimetric analysis (TGA) at the UoE. Samples of adsorbents will be ranked in terms of CO2 capacity using the rapid screening technique based on the zero length column (ZLC) method developed at the UoE as part of US-DOE and EPSRC-funded research. The technique needs only 10 mg of adsorbent and is therefore ideal for the early stages of development. The group at the UoE will host a researcher from NCEPU for a month to provide training and give assistance so that a similar system can be implemented at NCEPU. At NCEPU the pelletised materials will be used to generate breakthrough curves using CO2/N2 mixtures with and without water. These experiments will also be used to evaluate the potential for regeneration of the adsorbent using a purge stream which would significantly reduce the energy consumption for the process. Repeated adsorption/desorption cycles will be used to evaluate the stability of the materials over time. In 3, in order to be able to understand fully the performance of circulating fluidised beds of the novel capture materials UoE will perform solid circulation rate and gas tracer residence-time experiments using air as the fluidising gas, and resins, sand and adsorbent pellets for the particles. To gain further detailed insight into particle flows, the CFBs will be tested at the Positron Emission Particle Tracking (PEPT) facility in Birmingham. The detailed experimental results will form the basis for testing computational fluid dynamic (CFD) models developed at NCEPU and the UoE.To meet objective 4 NCEPU and the UoE will collaborate on extending large-scale computer particle flow modelling to include the effect of changes in the density of the particles due to adsorption and desorption. The resulting CFD code will be tested on the individual sections to evaluate the ability to describe the different flow regimes. A very small scale model for the description of combined mass and heat transfer in the adsorbent materials will be implemented and used to interpret the kinetic ZLC experiments. These models will then be combined to evaluate which capture equipment configuration works best in terms of separation efficiency and energy requirements. Throughout the project in order to meet objective 5 the work on the novel adsorption process will be coupled to work on novel power plant integration concepts. Both Chinese and UK partners have extensive power industry experience and can ensure that the research is relevant for real applications.