Studying heat integration options for steam-gas power plants retrofitted with CO₂ post-combustion capture

Electricity generation from fossil fuels has become a focal point of energy and climate change policies due to its central role in modern economics and its leading contribution to greenhouse gas emissions. Carbon capture and sequestration (CCS) is regarded by the International Energy Agency as an essential part of the technology portfolio for carbon mitigation, as it can significantly reduce CO₂ emissions while ensuring electricity generation from fossil fuel power plants. This paper studies the retrofit of natural gas combined cycles (NGCCs) with an amine-based post-combustion carbon capture system. NGCCs with differently rated capacities were analysed under the assumptions that the heat requirement of the capture system was provided via a steam extraction upstream of the low-pressure steam turbine or by an auxiliary unit that was able to reduce the power plant derating related to the energy needs of the CCS system. Different types of auxiliary units were investigated based on power plant size, including a gas turbine cogeneration plant and a supplementary firing unit or boiler fed by natural gas or biomass. Energy and economic analyses were performed in order to evaluate the impact of type and layout of retrofit option on energy, environmental and economic performance of NGCCs with the CCS system. - Highlights: • Steam-gas power plants with an amine-based CO₂ capture unit are examined. • The study concerns three combined cycles with different capacity and plant layout. • Several options to fulfil the heat requirement of the CCS system are explored. • Steam extraction significantly reduces the capacity of steam-gas power plant. • An auxiliary combined heat and power unit allows to reduce power plant derating