H[sub]2 separation and use in fuel cells and CO[sub]2 separation and reuse as a reactant in the existing methanol process

Anita Kovač Kralj (Author), Peter Glavič (Author)

Abstract

Fuel-cell efficiencies yield substantial reductions in the emissions of climate-change gases and promise an end to exclusive reliance on carbon fuels for energy. Fuel cells, CO[sub]2 reuse, process heat integration, and open gas turbine electricity cogeneration can be optimized simultaneously, using a nonlinear programming (NLP) algorithm. The simplified NLP model contains equations of structural and parametric optimization. This NLP model is used to optimize complex and energy-intensive continuous processes. This procedure does not guarantee a global cost optimum, but it does lead to good, perhaps near-optimum, designs. The plant, which produces methanol, has a surplus of hydrogen (H[sub]2) and CO[sub]2 flow rates in purge gas. H[sub]2 is separated from the purge gas by an existing pressure swing adsorption (PSA) column. Pure H[sub]2 can be usedas fuel in fuel cells. CO[sub]2 can be separated from the outlet stream (purge gas) by a membrane or absorption system (absorber and regenerator) or an adsorption system and reused as a reactant in a reactor system. Therefore, the product yield can be increased and CO[sub]2 emissions can be reduced, simultaneously. CO[sub]2 emissions can then be reduced at the source. The retrofitted process can be operated within existing parameters. Using a methanol process as a case study, the CO[sub]2 emission flow rate can be reduced by 4800 t/a. The additional electricity cogeneration in the gas turbine and in fuel cells and additional flow rates of the raw material could generate an additional profit of 2.54 MEUR/a.

Keywords

kemijska procesna tehnika;proizvodnja metanola;optimiranje;nelinearno programiranje;ponovna uporaba CO2;gorivne celice;toplotna integracija;kogeneracija;chemical processing;methanol production;optimization;nonlinear programming;CO2 reuse;fuel cells;heat integration;energy cogeneration;

Data

Language:	English
Year of publishing:	2007
Typology:	1.01 - Original Scientific Article
Organization:	UM FKKT - Faculty of Chemistry and Chemical Engineering
UDC:	661.721.012
COBISS:	11756054
ISSN:	0887-0624
Views:	2067
Downloads:	73
Average score:	0 (0 votes)
Metadata:

Other data

Secondary language:	English
Secondary keywords:	kemijska procesna tehnika;proizvodnja metanola;optimiranje;nelinearno programiranje;ponovna uporaba CO2;gorivne celice;toplotna integracija;kogeneracija;
URN:	URN:SI:UM:
Pages:	str. 2892-2899
Volume:	ǂVol. ǂ21
Issue:	ǂiss. ǂ5
Chronology:	2007
DOI:	10.1021/ef070085q
ID:	8717415