H84PGC-E1

The University of Nottingham

DEPARTMENT OF CHEMICAL AND ENVIRONMENTAL ENGINEERING

A LEVEL 4 MODULE, AUTUMN SEMESTER 2014-2015

POWER GENERATION AND CARBON CAPTURE

Time allowed TWO Hours

Candidates may complete the front cover of their answer book and sign their desk card but
must NOT write anything else until the start of the examination period is announced

Answer ALL questions in Section A and TWO questions in Section B

This examination represents 70% of the final module mark.

SECTION A (60 minutes, maximum 50 marks) See page 2

SECTION B (60 minutes, maximum 50 marks) See page 3

Dictionaries are not allowed with one exception. Those whose first language is not English
may use a standard translation dictionary to translate between that language and English
provided that neither language is the subject of this examination. Subject specific translation
dictionaries are not permitted.

No electronic devices capable of storing and retrieving text, including electronic dictionaries,
may be used.

DO NOT turn examination paper over until instructed to do so

ADDITIONAL MATERIAL: Periodic Table and Formulae sheet

INFORMATION FOR INVIGILATORS:

Question papers should be collected in at the end of the exam – do not allow candidates to
take copies from the exam room.

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SECTION A

Answer ALL of the following questions

1. The Earth’s energy balance is heavily influenced by the planetary atmospheric

composition and plays a key role in determining the climate system. Explain the
following phenomena:

(a) The Earth’s actual surface temperature, which averages 288K, is significantly
higher than its effective radiative temperature of 255K. Briefly describe how
you reconcile this. [5 marks]

(b) Based on your understanding, what are the features of a greenhouse gas?
[3 marks]

(c) The table below provides the properties of six greenhouse gases. Explain what
you understand by the term “Global Warming Potential (GWP)” and discuss
why some gases, for instance CFCs, have far higher global warming potentials
than CO2. [7 marks]

Atmospheric Radiative Efficiency

Gas GWP (over 100 years)
Lifetime (years) (W m-2 ppb-1)
CO2 200 1.4x10-5 1
CH4 12 3.7x10-4 25
CFC-11 45 0.25 4750
CFC-113 85 0.3 6130
CFC-114 300 0.31 10000
CFC-13 640 0.25 14400

2. A natural gas containing negligible impurities is combusted in an industrial boiler with

an air/fuel ratio by volume of 11.9.

(a) Calculate the level of excess air used in the power plant. [4 marks]

(b) Assuming complete combustion, calculate the volumetric concentrations of

CO2 and excess O2 in the hot wet flue gas stream from the combustion
chamber. [7 marks]

(c) Compared to gas fired industrial boilers, the stack gas of a combined cycle gas
turbine (CCGT) power plant usually contains significantly lower CO2 (ca. 4 %
v/v) and higher O2 (12% v/v) concentrations. Briefly explain how this happens
in a CCGT gas power plant. [4 marks]

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3. The data provided in the following table highlight the proposed limits of gas impurities
allowed for the pipeline transportation of CO2 from pre-combustion capture plant in
Europe:

Gas Allowable limit

CO2 >95.5 vol %
H2O 500 ppm
H2S 200 ppm
CO 2000 ppm
CH4 < 2 vol %
non-condensable gases (N2, H2) <4 vol %

Based on your understanding, explain:

(a) What is the most critical gas impurity in terms of its impact on the safe
operation of the pipeline infrastructure; and explain why in reality its
allowable limit shown in the table is likely to be even lower? [4 marks]

(b) On what basis has the allowable limit for non-condensable gases been
defined? [3 marks]

(c) What are the major concerns for limiting the concentrations of H2S and CO?
[3 marks]

4. From 2016 onwards, the EU Industrial Emissions Directive will apply and the power
generation industry will have to comply with the new updated environmental
emissions limits of SOx, NOx and particulate matter. You are contacted by one energy
company to provide the following information on NOx formation, control and reduction
techniques for its coal and natural gas fired power plants in operation:

(a) Explain in brief the mechanisms of NOx formation in combustion plants, also
to include how the relative significance of different NOx formation mechanisms
varies for coal and natural gas combustion. [4 marks]

(b) Name three techniques that can be used to reduce NOx emissions based on
combustion modifications. [3 marks]

(c) Recommend the current best available post-combustion DeNOx technology

that can be installed to its coal power plant to meet the stringent NOx
emissions limit, also to include the chemistries involved. [3 marks]

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SECTION B

Answer TWO of the following three questions

5. Answer ALL of the following:

An oxy-fuel combustion power plant burns a dry coal with a gas mixture (oxidiser)
containing 30% O2 and 70% CO2 by volume. The coal has the following composition
by mass on a dry and ash free basis:
Carbon (C) 84.0 %
Hydrogen (H) 6.6 %
Sulphur (S) 1.6 %
Nitrogen (N) 1.4 %
Oxygen (O) 6.4 %
Other data: Atomic mass C=12; H=1, S=32; N=14; O=16

(a) Assume complete combustion, calculate the following:

i. The theoretical oxidiser (30% O2 in CO2) requirement by kmol per kg of coal

[10 marks]
ii. When the oxy-fuel combustion plant operates with 15% excess oxidiser,
calculate the complete flue gas composition on a volumetric basis [10 marks]

(b) Based on your understanding of oxy-fuel combustion, discuss the factors that
may affect the raw CO2 purity in the product stream. [5 marks]

6. Answer ALL of the following:

A combustion plant burns a mixture of natural gas (methane) and air at 1 bar with
50% excess air. The fuel feed rate is 20 kg/min. The fuel/air mixture enters the
combustion chamber at 20 oC. The flue gas stream leaves the furnace at 134 °C. The
higher heating value of natural gas is 55 MJ/kg. The heat losses from the furnace
configuration are estimated at 2% of the total heat energy in the fuel.
Other data available:
Atomic mass: C=12; H=1;
Specific enthalpy of water at 20 oC: 99 KJ/kg
Specific enthalpy of water vapour at 134 oC: 2718 KJ/kg
At 77 oC (350K), the specific heat capacity of combustion products are as follows:

• Cp, CO2 = 0.895 kJ/kg K

• Cp, N2= 1.041 kJ/kg K
• Cp, O2 = 0.928 kJ/kg K

Assume the combustion is complete and the fuel contains negligible impurities.

(a) Calculate the efficiency of the combustion plant. Assume the gases of CO2, N2
and O2 can be treated as ideal gases. [19 marks]

(b) Briefly describe what measures can be taken to improve the boiler thermal
efficiency, based on your understanding of combustion systems. [6 marks]
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7. Answer ALL of the following:

You have been asked as an engineer to produce the conceptual design of carbon
capture plants for two 500MWth power plants, one is coal-fired and the other is
combined cycle gas turbine (CCGT) plant. The flue gas compositions of the two power
plants are provided below.

Gas A (coal fired) Gas B (CCGT)

Flue gas temperature (°C) 45 45
Total Pressure (bar) 1 1
CO2 (vol %) 13.5 3.8
N2 (vol %) 75 73
O2 (vol %) 3.5 12.2
H2O (vol %) 8 11
SO2 (ppmv) 180 <10
NOx (ppmv) 150 70
Flue gas flow rate for a 500 MWth
1.8 x 106 3.3 x 106
plant, kg/hour

Based on your understanding of carbon capture technologies, explain the following:

(a) Decide with reasons which type of solvent-based CO2 capture system is the
most applicable to both power plant flue gas streams? [3 marks]

(b) Based on your selected capture system above, describe the key process
components in your conceptual design of the capture plants, also to include:
the absorption process, reaction chemistries and operating conditions. [14 marks]

(c) According to the flue gas compositions, discuss what alternations you need to
make when you design the capture plant for the CCGT plant, based on the
design you already produced for the coal power plant. [3 marks]

(d) Solvent degradation is heavily influenced by flue gas compositions. Discuss

how the routes of solvent degradation will vary for the two different flue gas
conditions. [5 marks]

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H84PGC-E1
 FORMULA SHEET for H84PGC – Power Generation & Carbon Capture.
Relations between mass fractions and mole fractions
MWmix = xi*MWi
MWmix = 1/(Yi /MWi )
Yi = xi*MWi / MWmix
xi = Yi*MWmix / MWi
Where MWi is the molecular weight of individual gas components, MWmix is the molecular weight of the gax mixture; xi and yi
is the mole and mass fraction of individual components, respectively.

About Air Composition

− By volume/moles: oxygen (O2): 21 %
nitrogen (N2): 79 %
molar mass of air: 28.84 g/mol (kg/kmol)
− By mass: Oxygen: 23.3 wt%
Nitrogen: 76.7 wt%

About combustion Stoichiometry

Fuel equivalence ratio:

Excess Air

Calorific value and heat of combustion

Relationship between HHV and LHV

where m = mass of water vapour produced from the combustion of unit mass (e.g. 1 kg) of fuel.
hv = the latent heat of water vaporisation (kJ/kg) = 2442 kJ/kg at 25 oC.

where n and m are the number of moles and mass of water produced in vapour phase in a combustion
H2O(out) H2O(out)
reaction, and n and m is the number of moles and mass of fuels combusted, respectively.
fuel, in fuel, in

Calorific values or Heat of combustion:

where ni and Hi are the stoichiometric coefficients of individual

reactants/products and the enthalpy of their formation.
Calorific values or heat of combustion at non-standard conditions

Where ∆h0: the specific enthalpy of combustion at standard conditions, kJ/kg fuel
mi: the masses of reactants and products per Kg of fuel, kg/kg fuel
ho and hi: the specific enthalpy of reactants and products at the standard and other temperatures,
respectively, kJ/kg fuel

For dry combustion products (which can be treated as ideal gases), solids and liquids, the enthalpy can be expressed as:

Where Cpi is the specific heat capacity of reactants and combustion products
Periodic Table