Oxycombustion definition
Oxycombustion, or oxy-fuel combustion, is a combustion process in which fuel is burned in the presence of nearly pure oxygen (instead of air) to produce a flue gas that is primarily composed of CO₂ and H₂O.
This main purpose of Oxycombustion process is to eliminate nitrogen from combustion, thus reducing formation of nitrogen oxides NOₓ and facilitating Carbon Capture.
The key advantages of oxycombustion are :
- Higher flame temperatures and better combustion efficiency.
- Easier CO₂ capture for carbon storage (CCS) due to a concentrated CO₂ flue gases.
- Reduced emissions of pollutants such as NOₓ and particulates
Comments
Oxycombustion is a process known for ages already but came back to the table recently becasue of development of Carbon Capture & Storage activities.
It is an efficient alternative of post combustion Carbon Caputre that requires filtering all the flue gases.
With oxycombustion, there is no need for separation anymore as the majority of the output gas is CO2.
In traditional combustion, fuel is burned with air, which contains about 78% nitrogen. This results in a flue gas with a low CO₂ concentration, making separation more difficult.
Oxycombustion, on the other hand, uses pure oxygen instead of air, eliminating nitrogen from the process. As a result, the flue gas consists mostly of CO₂ and water vapor. The water vapor can be easily removed by condensation, leaving behind a nearly pure CO₂ stream that is much easier to capture.
This method significantly improves the efficiency of Carbon Capture, achieving CO₂ capture rates of over 90%. The captured CO₂ can then be compressed, transported, and stored underground or used in industrial applications.
There is not so many Carbon Capture projects in the world based on Oxycombustion processes. But the advancements in efficiency of this technology may be a game changer. To Gain Control of Energy Projects, follow our experts at 2b1st Consulting.
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