(554h) User-Friendly Computer-Aided Tool for Optimization of Multi-Path CO2 Capture and Utilization Superstructure

A carbon capture and utilization (CCU) is a concept of capturing CO₂ from industrial sources (e.g. flue gases) and utilizing them in making new products. A CCU superstructure is a systemic way to model all potential pathways from multiple carbon sources to multiple product candidates through various processing routes. This systemic approach is needed as the number of possible combinations of CO₂ sources, capture technologies, conversion technologies, and final products can be huge and numerous processing routes may need to be evaluated from the viewpoint of economics and environmental impact. The profitability and sustainability of the processing routes may change with circumstances such as a change of the electricity source from a fossil-fuel based one to a renewable kind¹.

To aid such modeling and evaluation efforts, we have developed a user-friendly software tool that can help build a superstructure and identify and visualize the best processing routes within the built superstructure. The tool is named Aramco-KAIST Tool for CO₂ Capture and Conversion (ArKaTAC³), and we describe a major upgrade from a previously released version which was capable of evaluating a single processing route². Generic models³ and network models are implemented in the tool so that a superstructure with an arbitrary size can be built conveniently and optimized in a manner of both mixed integer linear program (MILP) and nonlinear program (NLP). The database for various conversion and separation processes’ mass and energy balance parameters, techno-economic parameters, and life cycle inventory parameters are constructed and connected with the evaluation tool. A graphic user interface is also built to specify and visualize a superstructure network and pathways in a convenient and intuitive way.

As case studies, exemplary CCU superstructures for various industrial sectors (e.g. refinery, iron and steel, cement, and power generation) are built. The superstructures are optimized under multiple scenarios: Korea / United States / Saudi Arabia as different countries as well as the current energy makeup, future energy makeup, and global recession as potential scenarios of different price and carbon footprints of the raw materials, products, and energy sources.

References

1. Roh K., Frauzem R., Nguyen T., Gani R., Lee J., A methodology for the sustainable design and implementation strategy of CO2 utilization processes, Computers and Chemical Engineering 91 (2016) 407-421.
2. Roh K., Lim H., Chung W., Oh J., Yoo H., Al-Hunaidy A., Imran H., Lee J., Sustainability analysis of CO₂ capture and utilization processes using a computer-aided tool, Journal of CO₂ utilization 26 (2018) 60-69.
3. Bertran M., Frauzem R., Sanzhez-Aricilla A., Zhang L., Woodley J., Gani R., A generic methodology for processing route synthesis and design based on superstructure optimization, Computers and Chemical Engineering 106 (2017) 892-910.