Ammonia-based CO2 capture parameters optimization and analysis of lean and rich vapor compression processes

Carbon dioxide (CO2) capture through chemical solvent absorption process is the most favourable and well-proven technique to reduce CO2 emission. However, in this technique, the energy penalty correlated with absorbent regeneration is a critical challenge. To reduce energy consumption, the operating parameters in NH3-based CO2 capture process were optimized. Then flowsheet modifications including rich vapor compression (RVC) and lean vapor compression (LVC) were proposed for the first time in the NH3-based CO2 capture process. Both the LVC and RVC schemes were combined with cold solvent split (CSS) process to further reduce the energy requirements. Moreover, the LVC and RVC processes of this study were also compared with the advanced NH3-based and MEA-based LVC and RVC processes with respect to energy reduction. The optimized process was considered as a base process and it was compared with the modified processes. The RVC and LVC combined with CSS process reduced the reboiler duty by 26.7% and 19%, respectively. These energy savings are much higher than that of 11.6% and 8.26% energy savings of the advanced NH3-based rich split and inter-heating processes, respectively. The total equivalent energy savings of LVC, RVC, LVC with CSS, and RVC with CSS processes in this study were about 6.4%, 18.1%, 3.4%, and 15%, respectively, which are higher than 3.4% and 8.5% energy savings of MEA-based LVC with CSS and RVC with CSS processes, respectively. Furthermore, these combined processes can also avoid the use of a condenser.