An energetic analysis of CO2 capture on a gas turbine combining flue gas recirculation and membrane separation

Post-combustion Carbon Capture and Storage (CCS) is currently intensively investigated as a key issue for the mitigation of greenhouse gases emissions. A very large number of studies is dedicated to coal power plants. In this paper, the possibility to achieve carbon capture on a gas turbine, based on a combination of flue gas recycle and membrane separation is reported. Membrane processes are effectively known to offer attractive performances in terms of energy efficiency, as soon as concentrated and/or pressure mixtures have to be treated. Two different flow schemes have been simulated and compared: flue gas recycle with air combustion and flue gas recycle with an oxygen enriched feed mixture. The energy requirement of the different processes, expressed in GJ (thermal basis) per ton of recovered CO2, and the size of the membrane capture process (expressed in m(2) of membrane area) have been systematically estimated for different membrane separation performances. It is shown that an overall energy requirement down to 2.6 GJ per ton can possibly be achieved when optimal operating conditions, based on oxygen enriched air (OEA) combustion together with a highly selective membrane (CO2/N-2 selectivity of 200) are combined. Additional possibilities in order to minimise the energy penalty of the process are discussed. (C) 2011 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.