Carbon Capture in the Refining Process (First Grant Scheme)

The research aim of this project is to develop a Vacuum Swing Adsorption(VSA) process to capture CO2from a SMR-H2 plant in the refining process. For post-combustion capture, the amine process is, to date, closest to commercialisation and ready to be deployed, but a cyclic adsorption process can be more energy-efficient than the amine process in this particular case due to the higher CO2 fraction in the feed. The research will focus on finding an optimal configuration for a CO2 VSA process using a commercially available adsorbent. The target is to achieve 90+% CO2 recovery with 95+% purity from the H2 PSA off-gas. A lab-scale multi-column VSA rig will be constructed in the adsorption labs at Edinburgh to demonstrate that the target is achievable with a well-designed cyclic adsorption process. The design and optimisation of the VSA process will be facilitated by a proper simulation work integrated with an optimiser. An overall process design of an example H2 plant integrated with the VSA process will be implemented for the purpose of optimising its steam network.

Carbon Capture Refinery
Carbon Capture Refinery