An Integrated Framework for Controllability Assessment and Solvent Selection in Post-Combustion CO2 Capture Processes

The current work addresses the assessment of alternative solvent/process flowsheet combinations in amine based CO2 capture plants based on economic and static controllability criteria. Various amine solvent blends are employed within an integrated framework that supports optimal design while also considering process performance under multiple variations in process parameters and disturbances. Process operability is explored through the implementation of a multi-variable control scheme that prioritizes control objectives and resource utilization. The steady-state process behavior is investigated through nonlinear sensitivity analysis and quantified in terms of an overall operability index that encompasses the steady-state effort required by the control system to compensate for the effects of exogenous disturbances on the control objectives. Aqueous mono-ethanol-amine (MEA) and 3-amino-1-propanol (MPA) solutions employed in different flowsheet structure configurations enabling material and energy distribution options are evaluated in terms of economic and operability performance.