Techno-Economic Assessment of the Integration of Direct Air Capture and the Production of Solar Fuels

Publikation: Beitrag in FachzeitschriftForschungsartikelBeigetragenBegutachtung

Beitragende

  • Enric Prats-Salvado - , Deutsches Zentrum für Luft- und Raumfahrt (DLR) e.V., Technische Universität Dresden (Autor:in)
  • Nathalie Monnerie - , Deutsches Zentrum für Luft- und Raumfahrt (DLR) e.V. (Autor:in)
  • Christian Sattler - , Professur für Solare Brennstofferzeugung (g.B. DLR), Deutsches Zentrum für Luft- und Raumfahrt (DLR) e.V. (Autor:in)

Abstract

Non-abatable emissions are one of the decarbonization challenges that could be addressed with carbon-neutral fuels. One promising production pathway is the direct air capture (DAC) of carbon dioxide, followed by a solar thermochemical cycle and liquid fuel synthesis. In this study, we explore different combinations of these technologies to produce methanol from an economic perspective in order to determine the most efficient one. For this purpose, a model is built and simulated in Aspen Plus®, and a solar field is designed and sized with HFLCAL®. The inherent dynamics of solar irradiation were considered with the meteorological data from Meteonorm® at the chosen location (Riyadh, Saudi Arabia). Four different integration strategies are assessed by determining the minimum selling price of methanol for each technology combination. These values were compared against a baseline with no synergies between the DAC and the solar fuels production. The results show that the most economical methanol is produced with a central low-temperature DAC unit that consumes the low-quality waste heat of the downstream process. Additionally, it is determined with a sensitivity analysis that the optimal annual production of methanol is 11.8 kt/y for a solar field with a design thermal output of 280 MW.

Details

OriginalspracheEnglisch
Aufsatznummer5017
FachzeitschriftEnergies
Jahrgang15
Ausgabenummer14
PublikationsstatusVeröffentlicht - 1 Juli 2022
Peer-Review-StatusJa

Schlagworte

Ziele für nachhaltige Entwicklung

Schlagwörter

  • direct air capture, methanol, process integration, solar energy, techno-economic assessment, thermochemical cycle