Dynamic modelling of a commercial-scale CO2 capture plant integrated with a natural gas combined cycle (NGCC) power plant

MEA-based post-combustion CO2 capture technology has been considered as one of the mature technologies to mitigate CO2 emissions since it can be easily integrated to existing fossil-fired power plants. In this work, a model describing the dynamic operation of a 453MWe natural gas combined cycle (NGCC) power plant integrated with a commercial-scale post-combustion CO2 capture plant has been developed. The proposed model has been used to evaluate the dynamic performance of the integrated process under various scenarios, e.g. changes in the reboiler heat duty and power plant inputs. In addition, the transient operation of the integrated plant using a pre-defined (scheduled) trajectory profile in the consumption of steam in the reboiler unit has been compared to the case of constant withdrawal of steam from the power plant. The results show that a coordinated effort between the two plants is needed to run the integrated plant efficiently and at near optimal economic points under changes in power demands. The insights gained through this analysis will be instrumental to design basic and advanced control and scheduling strategies for the integrated NGCC-CO2 capture plant. (C) 2016 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.