CSS process heat transfer

Heat transfer efficiency promotes successful carbon capture and storage (CCS) processes. Increasingly, the renewable energy sector looks to Alfa Laval for smart and economical solutions to recover carbon dioxide from flue gas through chemical or physical absorption. As a reliable partner, Alfa Laval helps increase process efficiency, reduce costs and improve sustainability of power production.

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On the pulse of carbon capture and storage 

Recovering carbon dioxide from flue gas poses challenges – from ideal cooling temperatures for acceptable absorption efficiency, to optimal heating processes in order to achieve full release of the pure carbon dioxide product.

Challenging heat recovery in the flue gas duct

Before entering the absorber where it releases its CO2, the flue gas goes through a cooling step to align with the Absorber temperature. The cooling step includes partial condensing of water vapor and formation of sulfuric acid. The flue gas cooler design must accommodate very low pressure drop, condensate droplet separation, resistance to corrosion, and reasonable size vs flue duct section.

Optimal heat transfer for absorption processes

Capturing carbon dioxide from flue gas requires high heat transfer efficiency for chemical or physical absorption processes. First, a solvent absorbs the CO2 in a contacting tower and then releases it in a stripping tower before returning to the absorber. Absorption and stripping take place at extremely different temperatures. This means the process is an endless exercise in heating and cooling that requires high heat transfer efficiency.

CCS expertise provides peace of mind

Whatever the heating or cooling challenge, Alfa Laval has the expertise, equipment and services to optimize and supply all the heat exchangers needed for your CCS processes. We have worked closely with the carbon capture and storage industry, including manufacturing, processing and power generation companies.

Through this close collaboration, we have gained broad experience in optimizing heating and cooling applications for CCS pilot plants, demonstration plants and commercial plants. By sharing best practices from these successful projects, we can bring you peace of mind.

Broad portfolio of heat transfer equipment

Alfa Laval offers an extensive heat transfer portfolio that provides you with a wide range of solutions for heating and cooling applications involved in carbon capture and storage processes, including:

  • Lean/rich interchangers with welded or gasketed plate-based construction for minimum thermal pinch and pressure drop
  • Stripper reboiler, either stab-in or external, with welded or semi-welded plate-based construction to work with lower steam temperature
  • Stripper overhead condensers, either integral or external, with welded plate-based construction for very low pressure drop
  • Gasketed plate-type water coolers for use in flue gas cooling and/or CO2 condensation duties
  • Flue gas conditioners (heater/cooler/dryer) with corrosion resistant welded plate-based construction for compact designs that fit inside flue ducts. These plate bundles accommodate the pressure drop dictated by the fans moving the flue gas through the duct.  They also dry the flue gas through a combination of liquid drainage in the plate bundle and efficient droplet separation at the outlet of the bundle.

References around the globe

We have 25 pre- and post-combustion references located in Australia, Austria, Canada, China, Japan, Norway, Sweden, UK and US.

Our customers include companies such as EON, Sask Power, University of Texas, CSIRO, Doosan Babcock, Kansai Electric, Statoil, University of Sevilla, ENDESA, Sigma Power and Akitsu.