DTI Carbon Capture Lab (DK3.1)

CARBON CAPTURE LAB

Carbon Capture Lab is a modular test facility to investigate CO₂ capture at reduced scale and under simulated industrial conditions. The facility currently consists of an absorber, a desorber, and several gas cleaning units. All major components of the facility can be exchanged. The pilot facility can run both continuously and in batch mode. It is suited for both fully automated and manual operation. All data are collected and can be made available on request. Carbon Capture Lab can be coupled digitally to Danish Technological Institute’s EnergyFlexLab.

Flue gas is generated from either a 100-kW wood pellet boiler or a 30-kW grate-fired boiler. The composition of trace species in the raw gas can be adjusted by adding other gases directly to the flue gas stream, or by removing flue gas components in a pre-scrubber.

Absorber and desorber are currently equipped with unstructured packing (DxH = 400 mm x 2000 mm), which can be replaced by another structured or unstructured packing material. There are three sampling ports over the height of the absorber packing.

In steady-state operation, solvent from the absorber is sent to the desorber via a crossflow heat exchanger and vice-versa. Alternatively, both columns can run individually between rich and lean solvent tanks (batch operation). An internal recirculation of solvent in both absorber and desorber allows to manipulate gas-to-liquid ratios and residence time independent of other variables. Both rich and lean solvents can be sampled directly from the plant while operating.

Heat to the desorber/reboiler is supplied by an electrical heating unit, which allows to accurately record the energy used.

Analysis of gas composition, including trace species.

Analysis of solvent composition and degradation.

Material analyses, corrosion analyses.

Solvent mixing.

Data analysis.

DTI Carbon Capture Lab is a flexible and customizable experimental setup for solvent-based carbon capture processes.

The plant can be run with a wide range of solvents, including proprietary mixtures of our project partners and customers. The plant has successfully run on amines as well as on potassium carbonate solutions.

Main components of the plant can be exchanged, including the packing material of the absorber and desorber columns.

Three sampling ports provide measurement access throughout the height of the packing material. Likewise, the liquid solvent can be sampled at several positions throughout the plant. Several ports provide access to use e.g., corrosion coupons.  

A pre-scrubber, which also works as a direct contact cooler, can be used to condition the raw gas into the absorber. Additional gaseous (trace) species can be dosed into the raw gas.

While the standard operation mode is steady state, i.e., solvent continuously loaded in the absorber and regenerated in the desorber, other operation modes are possible. Buffer tanks allow to run absorber and desorber decoupled from each other. Solvent recirculation from the bottom to the top of absorber and desorber columns, respectively, allow to vary gas to liquid-ratios within a wider range.

The plant is equipped with a fully automated SCADA system. All data from the plant are continuously recorded. Direct access to digital raw data is possible on agreement.

The plant can be outfitted with different measurement equipment for e.g., gas composition. This can be both DTI’s and our customers’/project partners’ equipment.

A unit for collecting and liquefying and/or pressurizing the captured CO₂ is in planning.