Computational Modelling and Optimisation of Carbon Capture Reactors

南安普顿大学和意昂集团之间建立了密切的合作伙伴关系，旨在响应EPSRC关于“天然气发电站的碳捕获和储存”的呼吁。拟议的研究通过整合工业合作伙伴的现有活动来开发适合商业天然气发电厂的CCS技术，从而强烈关注工业需求。意昂集团的发电量约占英国总发电量的10%，并承诺到2030年将二氧化碳排放量减少50%（以1990年为基准）。意昂集团已经成立了专门的CCS部门来应对技术挑战，而开发适用于天然气发电站的CCS技术是优先事项之一。这项研究特别针对天然气发电厂，它的二氧化碳浓度较低。与燃煤电厂的13%相比，碳排放减少了4%，而且更难提取，这是CCS最具挑战性的案例。碳捕获和储存涉及将二氧化碳从排放物中分离出来，以便将其运输和储存到远离大气的地方。适用于天然气发电厂的最具商业可行性的方法是燃烧后捕获，利用化学反应从烟气中吸收二氧化碳，也称为洗涤，意昂一直在积极追求这一方法，并将成为本研究的重点。虽然对化学过程的研究已经进行了几十年，但反应器的CFD建模是最近的发展。意昂集团已经认识到CFD在优化当前CCS反应堆中发挥着至关重要的作用，并将更多的CFD研究纳入他们未来的研究战略中。南安普顿大学是CFD研究的主要场所，而工程科学学院目前拥有500万英镑的CFD重点EPSRC项目。双方的专业知识结合起来，形成了强有力的学术和工业合作伙伴关系，以利用先进的CFD模型解决目前碳捕获反应堆规模扩大的障碍。通过解决EPSRC呼吁中概述的所有挑战，本研究旨在使用新颖的CFD建模方法设计一种优化的反应堆，该反应堆能够实现超过90%的二氧化碳吸收量，同时确保将服务能源成本降至35%以下。新概念将结合改进的混合设计和改进的传热，同时减少反应器的尺寸。通过改进现有的CFD多相模型，将反应和流动控制装置结合起来，可以找到一个优化的结构填料布置，在促进反应过程的同时减少压降。该项目不仅将产生通过改进CFD方法开发的概念性想法，还将在实验室规模的反应器中进行测试，以确定其流动动力学的有效性，并可能导致知识产权的产生。

This programme is proposed to answer the EPSRC call on "Carbon capture and storage for natural gas power stations" by forming a close partnership between the University of Southampton and E.ON. The proposed research has a strong focus on industrial needs by integrating with the industrial partner's existing activities for developing CCS technologies suitable for commercial gas power plants. E.ON is generating around 10% of the UK's electricity and is committed to reducing its CO2 emission by 50% by 2030 (1990 baseline). E.ON has setup a dedicated CCS unit to address the technical challenges while one of the priorities is to develop CCS technologies suitable for natural gas power stations. This research specifically targets at natural gas power plants, which has a lower concentration of CO2 approx. 4% compared to 13% from coal-fired plants, and harder to extract, representing the most challenging case for CCS.Carbon capture and storage involves separating the CO2 from emissions so it can be transported and stored away from the atmosphere. The most commercially viable approach to be fitted in natural gas power plants is the post-combustion capture which absorbs CO2 from the flue gas using a chemical reaction - also known as scrubbing, which E.ON has been actively pursuing and will be the focus of this research. Whilst research on the chemical processes has been taking place for several decades, CFD modelling of the reactor is a recent development. E.ON has recognised that CFD plays a vital role in the optimisation of current CCS reactors by including more CFD research in their future research strategy. University of Southampton is a prime place for CFD based research while the School of Engineering Sciences currently holds £5M CFD focused EPSRC projects. The combined expertise forms a strong academic and industrial partnership to tackle current barriers of reactor scale-up in carbon capture using advanced CFD models. By addressing all the challenges outlined in the EPSRC call, this research aims to design an optimised reactor using a novel CFD modelling approach that is capable of achieving in excess of 90% CO2 absorption whilst ensuring the cost of service energy is minimised to below 35%. The new concept idea will incorporate improved mixing designs and improved heat transfer whilst reducing reactor size. It is planned through the enhancement of current CFD multiphase models to incorporate reaction and the inclusion of flow control devices that an optimal structured packing arrangement, which promotes the reaction process whilst reducing pressure drop, can be found. This project will not only produce conceptual ideas developed through enhance CFD methods but will also perform tests, in a lab-scale reactor, to determine its validity with respect to its flow dynamics and would potentially lead to the production of intellectual property.