Evaluation of Stirling cooler system for cryogenic CO2 capture

In previous research, a cryogenic system based on Stirling coolers has been developed. In this work, the novel system was applied on CO2 capture from post-combustion flue gas and different process parameters (i.e. flow rate of feed gas, temperature of Stirling cooler and operating condition) were investigated to obtain the optimal performance (CO2 recovery and energy consumption). From the extensive experiments, it was concluded that the cryogenic system could realize CO2 capture without solvent and pressure drop condition. Meanwhile, the results showed that for post-combustion, the novel SC system can capture above 80% CO2 from flue gas with 3.4 MJ/kg CO2.

► The idea of freezing CO2 out of flue gas makes use of Stirling coolers is novel. ► The novel capture system can achieve above 80% recovery with 3.4 MJ/kg CO2. ► The system avoids regeneration and pressure issues in other technologies.