Engineering-scale Demonstration of the Mixed-Salt Process (MSP) for CO2 Capture

Abstract

The Mixed-Salt Process (MSP) developed at SRI International (SRI) is an advanced ammonia-based CO2 capture process that represents a step change in the solvent-based, post-combustion capture technology development progression. By using a mixture of selected salts, the capture system is designed to operate with reduction in (1) cooling and auxiliary electricity loads, (2) NH3 emission, (3) water usage, and (4) system footprint. The key advantage of the MSP regenerator design is to capture the latent heat within the regenerator before the CO2 stream exits the vessel, thus operating with a reduced reboiler duty. The MSP regenerator produces an almost dry CO2 stream (H2Ovap/CO2vap <0.2) at high pressure, reducing both operational and capital CO2 compression costs. The overall benefit of the MSP is a significant reduction in the cost of the CO2 capture. This paper presents the MSP technology background and the activities relating to the preparation for the upcoming engineering-scale demonstration at a coal-fired power plant field site, based on extensive testing at the lab and minipilot scale, process modeling, and techno-economic analysis.

Keywords: CO2 capture, ammonia, potassium carbonate, Mixed-Salt Process (MSP)