Condensed rotational separation for CO2 capture in coal gasification processes

Pre-combustion CO2 capture process based the pressure distillation process of condensed rotational separation (CRS1,2) for gasification plants is presented. Three sequential process steps are used: - Cooling of the producer gas after the water shift reaction to -50°C. The CO2 condenses in the form of droplets with a diameter between 1 to 10 micrometer. - Separation of the CO2 droplets with the rotational particle separator (RPS3,4) as efficient gas scrubber. - Pressurizing the liquid CO2 to the required sequestration pressure. The energy required for cooling the gas and pressurizing the CO2 in the liquid phase is similar to compression of gaseous CO2 to the sequestration pressure. Compared to absorption processes there is no energy penalty for regeneration of the solvent. Compared to absorption or temperature distillation technologies, the pressurized nature of the process reduces equipment size by a factor 100 (see also the contributions of Brouwers and van Benthum to CCT2012). The equipment for CRS can be sourced from existing processes like liquified natural gas production and cryogenic oxygen plants. In this presentation special attention is given to the dimensioning of the two phase heat exchangers5 used for heat integration as they are the largest pieces of equipment. A case study is presented for the Buggenum IGCC plant.