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Research Papers: Gas Turbines: Cycle Innovations

# Comparative Study of Two Low $CO2$ Emission Power Generation System Options With Natural Gas Reforming

[+] Author and Article Information
Na Zhang1

Institute of Engineering Thermophysics, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100080, P.R.C.zhangna@mail.etp.ac.cn

Noam Lior

Department of Mechanical Engineering and Applied Mechanics, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, PA 19104-6315

1

Corresponding author.

J. Eng. Gas Turbines Power 130(5), 051701 (Jun 13, 2008) (11 pages) doi:10.1115/1.2904895 History: Received October 17, 2007; Revised October 18, 2007; Published June 13, 2008

## Abstract

Two power plant schemes that reduce $CO2$ emission and employ natural gas reforming were analyzed and discussed. The first one integrates natural gas reforming technology for efficiency improvement with an oxy-fuel combined power system (OXYF-REF), with water as the main work fluid. The reforming heat is obtained from the available turbine exhaust heat, and the produced syngas is used as fuel with oxygen as the oxidizer. The turbine working fluid can expand down to a vacuum, producing a high-pressure ratio and thus more net work. The second system integrates natural gas reforming in a precombustion decarbonization scheme using chemical absorption technology for the $CO2$ removal (PCD-REF). The gas turbine is the conventional air-based one with compressor intercooling. Supplementary combustion is employed to elevate the turbine exhaust temperature and thus achieve a much higher methane conversion rate (96.9%). Both systems involve internal heat recuperation from gas turbine exhausts, and particular attention has been paid to the integration of the heat recovery chain to reduce the related exergy destruction. The systems are simulated and their thermal efficiency, overall and component exergy losses, and $CO2$ removal capacity are compared. The OXYF-REF system has a higher energy efficiency, of 51.4%, and higher $CO2$ removal, but the product $CO2$ has lower purity, of 84%. The PCD-REF system has a thermal efficiency of 46%, the captured $CO2$ is 99% pure, and the $CO2$ specific emission is $58.5g∕kWh$.

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## Figures

Figure 1

Methane conversion rate predicted by chemical equilibrium

Figure 2

Process flowsheet of Configuration I: OXYF-REF

Figure 3

Process flowsheet of Configuration II: PCD-REF

Figure 4

(a) EUD in the reforming section of the OXYF-REF cycle and (b) EUD in the reforming section of the PCD-REF cycle

Figure 5

(a) EUD in the turbine exhaust heat recovery process of the OXYF-REF cycle and (b) EUD in the heat recovery process of the PCD-REF cycle

## Errata

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