Comparison of SelexolTM and Rectisol® Technologies in an Integrated Gasification Combined Cycle (IGCC) Plant for Clean Energy Production

In this study, a comparison of SelexolTM and Rectisol® technologies in an Integrated Gasification Combined Cycle (IGCC) plant for Clean Energy production was carried out .The overall plant efficiency, individual solvent performance, the operating conditions and the energy requirements, the capital and operating cost were analyzed as well as the safety and environmental impacts. The result revealed that both the SelexolTM and Rectisol® reduce the overall plant efficiency by approximately 9% and 10% respectively. Rectisol® process showed ability to recover more carbon dioxide and sulfur than the SelexolTM process. It was also found that SelexolTM solvent gives good absorption at room temperature while Rectisol® solvent works better at reduced temperature which increases the power cost. The capital cost for constructing a carbon capture plant was found to be higher when using Rectisol® due to the process complexity. Finally, based on economical trade-offs it is recommendation to use SelexolTM technology in the IGCC plant for clean energy production.