Parametrical Assessment of Polyacrylamide Polymer Membrane Used for CO2 Post-Combustion Capture

A sensitive analysis of CO2 capture from a coal-fired power plant of 600 MW with membrane technology based on post-combustion process is demonstrated. This study aimed to determine the influence of the membrane materials used (e.g., CO2 permeability was considered at 300, 1000, and 3000 GPU) on coal-fired power plant performance by investigating various parameters, such as the membrane number of stages, membrane surface area, and compressors' pressure. The membrane surface area required varied from 200,000 to 800,000 m(2) to procure no less than 99% purity. The total power plant efficiency was reduced by different values after integrating membrane CO2-capture technology based on the process design; nevertheless, the efficiency is profitable by around 13.5% when three membrane stages were harnessed instead of a two-stage configuration. Consequently, the levelized cost of energy (LCOE) decreased from 157 EUR/MWh (two stages of membrane) to 134 EUR/MWh (three stages of membrane).

Automated summary

This study demonstrates a sensitive analysis of CO2 capture from a coal-fired power plant using membrane technology. The results show that the choice of membrane material and various parameters such as membrane number of stages, surface area, and compressors' pressure can significantly affect the power plant performance. By implementing a three-stage membrane configuration instead of a two-stage configuration, the efficiency and levelized cost of energy (LCOE) can be improved.