In the scrubbing process, a CO
2-rich gas stream, such as a power plant’s flue gas, is "bubbled" through an amine solution. The CO
2 bonds with the amines as it passes through the solution while nonacidic gases continue up through the flue. The CO
2 in the resulting CO
2-saturated amine solution is then thermically removed from the amines and is ready for carbon storage. The amines themselves can be recycled. The entire process is very energy-intensive, resulting in large operating costs. Hence, optimizing the amine activity and usage by online analysis is a critical step in reducing overall costs and measuring the efficiency of the CO
2 capture at the same time.
The Applikon solution is based on an
ADI 2045TI Online Analyzer and uses acid titration of amine and free and total CO
2 in a caustic absorbing solution. The method has been tested with different capture chemicals and is compatible with laboratory tests.