A technical and economical evaluation of CO2 capture from FCC units

The present work was focused on a technical and economical evaluation of two distinct CO2 capture technologies applied to an FCC unit, namely amine absorption and oxyfired FCC. All capital costs, utility requirements and chemical consumption of each technology were determined in order to allow the calculation of CO2 capture and avoided costs. The results showed a 45% decrease in CO2 capture cost for oxyfiring technology compared to the amine absorption alternative. As for the technical feasibility of oxyfiring in the FCC regenerator, a series of bench and pilot plant scale tests were performed. Product profile, stability of operation and the effectiveness of coke burn were evaluated. No significant changes from normal operation were observed.