Research Journal of Environmental and Earth Sciences 2(4): 245-254, 2010

ISSN: 2041-0492
M axwell Scientific Organization, 2010
Submitted Date: July 19, 2010
Accepted Date: September 06, 2010

Published Date: October 05, 2010

Removal of Carbon Dioxide Gas from the Exhaust Gases Generated

at the Takoradi Thermal Power Station
C. Mbo rah and S.P. Agbomadzi
Mechanical Engineering Department, University of Mines Tecnology, Tarkwa, Ghana
Abs tract: Takoradi Thermal Power Station (TTPS) generates electricity by burning fossil-fuel and hence
generates also greenhouse gases especially carbon dioxide, which is vented into the atmosphere. These
greenhouse gases are pollutants known to cause global warming. A method for the removal of carbon dioxide
gas from the exh aust gases g enera ted at TTPS is proposed in this research. It aims at reducing the plants carbon
dioxide emission into the atmosphere and hence reducing the plants rate of pollution the atmosphere. The
method em ploye d is a m odification of a method know n as the Fluo r Daniel EC ON AM INE FG proce ss. This
method remo ves carbon diox ide from exha ust gas by using an am ine solution w hich come s into contac t with
the exhaust gas in a counter-current manner. This method has been applied by 23 companies which produce
CO 2 on a large scale. However, before T TPS apply this method a cost fea sibility study is reco mm ended.
Key w ords: Carbon dioxide, Diethanolamine (DEA ), Diisopropanolamine (DIPA ), Fluo r Da niel
ECONAMINE FG, greenhouse gases, global warming, M ethyldiethano lamine (M DE A),
Monoethanolamine (MEA)
INTRODUCTION
Carbon dioxide (CO 2 ) captu re and storage (CC S) is
increasingly gaining recognition as a viable technology
option for the mitigation of greenhouse gas emissions
from large stationary sources such as power plants
(Botero et al., 2008 ). Acc ording to the International
Energy Agency (IEA ), the importance of CCS as an
emissions reduction technology could rank second only to
energy
efficiency
improvements
by
2050
(Anonym ous, 2006). The capture of CO 2 from power
plants may be carried through separation of carbon either
from the fuel (pre-com bustion) or from the exhaust, the
latter further differentiated according to wh ether pure
oxygen (oxyfuel combu stion) or amb ient air (po stcom bustion) is use d as an oxidant.
Post-combustion capture based on chemical
absorption with aqueous amines is considered to be an
attractive CO 2 capture option given its past commercial
deployment in other industries such as natural gas
processing, hydrogen and ammonia manufacturing
(Botero et al., 2008).
At the first international conference on carbon
dioxide remova l held in 1992, several studies w ere
presented in relation to the CO 2 removal from power
generated systems. At the conference the International
Energy Agency (IEA) release d several publication s in
which proposals on methods of CO 2 remo val methods
were stated. Among these proposals was the method
known as combined CO 2 and steam cycle which is an

extension of the humid air turbine (HAT), but most of

these focused on CO 2 abate ment from coal fired power
plants (Rnning et al., 1998).
During the increasing discussion of possible climate
changes caused by the increase of the carbon dioxide
concentration in the earths atmosphere (greenhouse
effect), which is attribu table primarily to the burning of
fossil fuels, such as natural gas, mineral oil and co al, there
is an increasing range of proposals being put forward as
to how, for example, in fossil-fired power plants, the
carbon dioxide can be removed from the flue gases of the
boiler or exhaust gases from gas turbine plants on an
industrial scale before it is released into the atmosphere.
Among these w as a proposal for removing carbon
dioxid e from a gas which contains carbon dioxide using
a granular metal oxide, which is converted into a metal
carbonate by absorbing carbon dioxide and is converted
back into the metal oxide by subsequent removal of the
carbon dioxide. The granular powder is either conveyed
back and forth in a cycle between a fixation tower and a
decomposition furnace or two similar devices with a solid
powder bed are used alternately to absorb and release the
carbon dioxide by switching between the devices. A
drawback of this method is that the device, into which the
carbon dioxide is released, again, must in each case
be operated as an externally heated furnace
(Schimkat et al., 2003).
In anoth er prop osal, the flue gases from the fossilfired boiler of a steam power plant is brought into
contact in counter-current with a liquid which absorbs

Corresponding Author: C. Mborah, Mechanical Engineering Department, University of Mines Tecnology, Tarkwa, Ghana
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Res. J. Environ. Earth Sci., 2(4): 245-254, 2010

carbon dioxid e and contains, for ex amp le, an
alkanolamine. The carbon dioxide which is absorbed by
the liquid is removed from the liquid again at a different
point in the liqu id cycle and is then liquefied. The liquid
cycle together with the necessary absorption and
regeneration columns requires a substantial outlay on
plant engine ering (S chim kat et al., 2003).
General procedure for CO 2 rem oval: The development
of techniques for the separation and capture of CO 2 is
considered to be one of th e high est priorities in the field
of carbon sequestration science. The technology for
separation of CO 2 from flue gas or from other gaseous
streams using chemical abso rption has existed and been
in use for decades (Allen et al., 1933). To date, chemical
absorption is the only technique that has been used
commercially to capture CO 2 from flue gas. The general
method involves exposing a gas stream to an aqueous
amine solution which reacts with the CO 2 in the gas by an
acid-base neutralization reaction to form a soluble
carbona te salt (Maddox, 197 4; Strazisar et al., 2001):

Fig. 1: Ghanas CO2 emission versus time in years (Source:

Anonymous, 2009)
Statoils Sleipner plant separates about 2,800 tons of CO 2
from a natural gas stream daily using chemical absorption
and injects it into a saline aq uifer below the North Sea
(Ham merstad, 20 00).

2 (R-NH2 ) + CO 2 + H 2 O X (R-HN3 ) 2 CO 3

Carbon dioxide emissions in Ghana: Ghana g enera lly

enjoys clean atmosp heric cond itions. How ever,
emissions from point sources such as vehicles, industries,
and dusts from untarred roads, etc. tend to create
atmosp heric polluta nts within their immediate
environments. The most abundant greenhouse gas
produced and emitted in Ghana is CO 2 . There are CO 2
sinks in the forested and the reforested land. The trend of
the total CO2 equivalent removal sinks, however, shows
a significant decline of about 49% from 1990 to 1996.
There is fear that the rate of deforestation will offset net
CO 2 remov al as forests, which serve as sink for excess
CO 2 , are being dep leted (Tamakloe, 200 9).
Annual carbon dioxide em issions per capita
emissions for Ghana from 1950 to 2006 are given in the
Fig. 2. All emission estimates are expressed in thousand
metric tons of carbon while per capita emission estimates
are expre ssed in metric tons of carbon. The emissions
considered include carbon emissions from fossil fuel
combustion, cement manufacture and gas flaring.
From the values given in Fig. 1, it is evident that
carbon dioxide emission in Ghana has been increasing.
This implies that Ghanas contribution to global warming
is also increasing. Fig. 1 and 2 give the trend of carbon
dioxide emission in Ghana. The horizo ntal axis represents
years from 1950-2006 and the vertical axis represents
total CO 2 emission (in 1000 metric tons) and CO 2
emission per capita (metric tons) respectively for Fig. 1
and 2 of the country.
On average carbon dioxide emission increased
steadily in values from the beginning of the 1950s through
to the end of the 1980s (Fig. 1). There is a rapid increase

where,
R = CH 3 CH 2 OH (ethanol)
This reaction is reversible, allowing the CO 2 gas to be
liberated by heating in a separate stripping column as
described by the Fluor Daniel ECO NA MIN E FG P rocess.
Therefore, the major advantage to this techn ique is that,
in the ideal situation, the amine is not consumed and may
be continuously recycled through the process.
The amine used in this p rocess is most commonly
one
of
several
alkanolamines
including
monoethanolamine (MEA) as used by the Fluor Daniel
ECONAMINE FG Process, diethanolamine (DE A),
methyldiethanolamine (MDEA ), or diisopropanolamine
(DIPA).The technology was originally developed not for
the purpose of carbo n sequestration, but in order to
sweeten natural gas streams by removing CO 2
(Maddox, 1 97 4). M ore recently, it was succe ssfully
adopted for recovery of CO 2 from flue gas of coal-fired
electric pow er gen erating plants (Arnold et al., 1982). In
this case, rather than CO 2 sequestration, the CO 2 has been
used for com merc ial purposes such as enha nced oil
recovery and the carbonation of brine as we ll as food
industry uses. Currently there are three electric power
generating stations in the U. S. that capture CO 2 from flue
and six other major flue gas CO 2 capture facilities
worldwide. All nine use MEA as the chemical absorbent
(Herzog, 1999).
There is only one operation in the world that
performs CO 2 separation for the purpose of sequestration.
246

Res. J. Environ. Earth Sci., 2(4): 245-254, 2010

central location on the world map. The closest land to the
Equator, Prim e M eridian, and Sea Level is Cape
Three
Points,
about 80 km west of Takoradi
(Anonymo us, 2010b).
Sekondi-Takoradi is one of the hubs of industrial
activities in Ghana. It is the third most industrialized city
in the country. It is one City the Government is counting
on to lead the industrial revolution in the Cou ntry because
of its seaport. The city can boast of hosting some of the
big man ufactu ring ind ustries in the country. However
commerce continues to be the dominant sector of the
economy with 33% of the population engaged in buying
and selling. At the National economic level, buying and
selling still dominates the economy with 30% engaged in
the sector followed by agriculture 20%, Manufacturing
18% and social services 18%. A large and growing
population of skilled and semiskilled persons provides
bases and market for a wide range of goods and services.
To make the economy more vibrant, various
measures are being put in place to attract inv estments both
local and foreign. They include the expansion of the
infrastructure base, provision of firm investment
guarantees, reduc e costs as well as cutting down delays in
setting up businesses in the M etropolis and the C ountry
as a wh ole (Ano nymo us, 2010c).

Fig. 2: CO2 emission per capita versus time in years (Source:

Anonymous, 2009)
from the beginning of the 1990s and ev en m ore rap id
increase from 1998 to date. This later trend from 1998
may be attributed to the introduction of thermal power
generation of electricity in G hana from 1997. That is
since the establishment of the Takoradi Thermal Power
Station, carbon dioxide has increased very sharply.
Also, Fig. 2 establishes the fact that even though the
population of Gha na is increasing, carbon dioxide
emission is increasing at a rate faster than that of the
population and hence CO2 emission per capita is also
increasing.

The VR A section of the plant: The VRA section of the

plant is a 330 MW com bined cycle plant made up of two
110 MW combustion Turbines and one 110 MW steam
turbine (ST). T he co mplete com bined cycle plant
comprising Combustion Turbine G enera tors One and Two
(CTG 1 and CTG 2) with H eat Recovery Steam Generator
(HRSG) which became operational in 2000
(Badg er, 2007). It is a dual fuel plant. Distillate Fuel Oil
(DFO) is currently used for the start-up and shut-down
operations of the plant w hile Lig ht Cru de O il (LCO) is
used for the rest of the opera tions. The rep orted o verall
plant efficiency in the combined cycle mode is between
39 and 43% (Yawson et al., 2007).
The Takoradi Thermal Power Station is a plant which
generates electrical power by burning fossil fuels. The
exhaust gases that are generated as a result of the
generation process contains some amounts of greenhouse
gases especially Carbon dioxide (CO 2 ). No matter how
insignificant it is when it is looked at on the global scale,
it also contributes to glob al wa rming .
The company knowing the effects of these gases when
vented out into the atmosphere is do ing its best to
minimize the emission of carbon dioxide into the
atmosphere by treating its fuels to make them as clean as
possible. The com pany also uses d emineralised water in
the production of steam for its steam turbine. The effect
of these actions on the CO 2 reduction is very much
insignificant. Therefore the company is planning to use in
the near future Liquefied Petroleum Gas (LPG) to fire its

MATERIALS AND METHODS

Study area: Power generation in Ghana has been an issue
of public concern given the number of power crises the
country has gone through in recent time s. It was in
anticipation of such occurrences that the government
established the Takoradi Thermal Power Station (TTPS)
to supplement the hydropower generation plants at
Akosombo and Kpong. The Takoradi Thermal Power
Station comprises the Volta River Authority (VRA)
portion and the Takoradi International Company (TICO)
portion located in the Sekondi T akoradi Metropolitan
Area (Fig. 3). The VRA portion is the subject of
discussion in this stud y.
The Sekondi Takoradi M etropo litan Area, w ith
Sekondi as the administrative capital, occupies the southeastern part of W estern Region. It shares boundaries with
Ahanta W est, Mpohor W assa East and Komenda-EdinaEguafo-Abrem Mu nicipal. It is located on the coast, about
200 km west of Accra. This makes it the smallest, but
easily the most highly deve loped of the 13 districts of the
W estern Region. Indeed, it is the third largest m etropo lis
in the whole of Ghana (Anonymous, 2010a). At 4 55! 0"
N, 1 46! 0" W Takoradi is the large st city closest to the
Equator and the Prime Meridian, making the city the most

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Res. J. Environ. Earth Sci., 2(4): 245-254, 2010

Fig. 3: Map of Ghana showing the location of Sekondi-Takoradi

Fig. 4: Heat recovery and power generation cycle (Source: Rnning et al., 1998)
turbines since LPG burns very clean and produces very
little amounts of green house gases.

These approaches taken by the company show how

important it is for the company to eliminate the

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Res. J. Environ. Earth Sci., 2(4): 245-254, 2010

greenhouse gases that are vented out into the atmosphere.
Since the above considerations have not been so
successful, a more significant method and approach w ill
be proposed in this study.

weight of the column, the gas turbine is operated with

recycling of exhaust gas. The exhaust gas (11) leaving the
HRSG (4) is cooled to 30C and 40% of the total volume
is recycled (12) and mixed with fresh air between the air
filter and the compressor inlet. The principal limitation of
recycling is the oxygen content of the co mbustion air.
Problems with instability and quenching of the flame may
occu r if the oxygen con tent is too low.
The exhaust gas from the heat recovery (11) and
power generation units pass through an exhaust gas cooler
(14) and an exhaust ga s blowe r (15), Fig. 5, before
entering an absorption column (tower). Through the
absorption column (7), the carbon dioxide content of the
exhaust gas (11) is removed and absorbed by means of a
chem ical (an amine) inside the column (Fig. 5).
The chemical (amine) used for the CO 2 remo val is
MEA (CH 3 CH 2 (NH2 )OH) and the temperature inside the
absorption column is in the range of 20-70C. The
chemical reaction between the amine (MEA) and the CO 2
(Maddo x, 1974) is:

The fluor daniel ECONAM INE FG process: The Fluor

Daniel ECO NA MIN E FG P rocess relates to a method for
removing and preventing emissions of CO 2 into the
atmosphere from exhaust gases from gas turbines for the
production of oil and gas. The process is summarized in
the following steps:
C
Natural gas and air are introduced into a gas turbine
in which natural gas is burnt and converted into
mechanical energy
C
The exhaust gas from the gas turbine is passed
through a heat recovery unit for recovery of the heat
content in the exhaust gas
C
After emitting heat in the heat recovery unit whereby
the temperature of the exhaust gas has been reduced
to between 20-70C, the exhaust gas is passed to an
absorption column containing an absorption liquid,
whe re the CO 2 is absorbed in the said liquid, and
purified exhaust gas, essentially free of carbon
dioxide, is vented to the atmosp here
C
The absorption liquid containing CO 2 is passed to a
stripping column where the CO 2 is removed from the
absorption liquid by hea ting to a temperature of 120150C
C
The regenerated absorption liquid which is
essen tially free of CO 2 gas is passed to a compression
stage for compression and utilization.

2(R-NH2 ) + H 2 O + CO 2 W (R-NH 3 ) 2 CO 3
This reaction is reversible and the equilibrium can be
altered by altering the temperature. Hence at low
temperatures in the range of 20-70C as in the absorption
column, the equilibrium shifts to the right and the forw ard
reaction is favoured hence CO 2 is absorbed by the MEA
(18) in Fig. 6. At high temperatures usually in the range
of 120-150C, the equilibrium shifts to the left and the
reverse reaction is favoured hence the MEA (18) gives off
the carbon dioxide.
Inside the absorption column (7) are gas absorption
membranes (19). The gas absorption membranes (19) are
membranes which are employed as contacting devices
between the exhaust gas (17) inside the absorption
column (7) and the MEA (18). The separation is caused
by the presence of the absorption liquid (MEA) on one
side of the membrane which selectively removes the
carbon dioxide from the exhaust gas on the other side of
membrane. The m embran e (19) is intended to provide a
contacting area which prevents mixing of the exhaust gas
(11) and the absorption liquid (18). The membrane (19)
however should be highly permeable to the carbon
dioxide (16) which is required to be removed. The
selectivity in the separation process is derived from the
absorption liquid. A high selective separation can be
achieved throug h an appropriate choice of the absorption
liquid (Fig. 6).
The membrane should be porous and hydrophobic
and its pores size should be about 0.2 :m in diameter. The
membrane in com bination with a suitable absorption
liquid (in this case the amine MEA ) enhances the CO 2
absorption process. As a resu lt of the memb ranes
hydrophobic nature and small pore size the exhaust gas
and MEA flow are kept separate.

This method is chara cterized in that ap proximately

40% of the exhaust gas is recycled to the compressor air
inlet of the gas turbine before the exha ust gas is passed to
the absorption stage (Rnning et al., 1998).
Detailed description of the fluor daniel ECONAMINE
FG process: Fuel enters into the combustion chamber of
the gas turbine (2) and it is burnt to produce flue gas (3)
after it has been expanded through the gas turbine (2). The
exhaust gas (3) then enters the heat recovery steam
generator (HRSG). The HRGS (4) is designed for
superheated steam production at two pressure levels (40
bar and 4 bar). The high pressu re superhea ted steam (5) is
journeyed to a steam turb ine (6). T he stea m turb ine is
coupled via a gear to an electrical generator which
provides the absorption and compression unit and plant
platform with electricity (Fig. 4).
The steam turbine produces approximately 3 MW of
surplus energy per gas turbine which can be utilized for
other purposes on an offshore platform. The low pressure
steam (9) is used to heat the stripping column reboiler.
In other to reduce the volume of the exhaust gas
entering the absorption column and reducing the size and
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Res. J. Environ. Earth Sci., 2(4): 245-254, 2010

Fig. 5: Fluor daniel ECONAMINE FG process (Source: Rnning et al., 1998)

time. The by-products of MEA degradation are known to
decrease the efficiency of CO 2 capture and have also
been implicated in the corrosion of machinery
(DuP art et al., 1993 ). In orde r to com pensate for this
degradation, current facilities include distillation of the
amine to remove by products while continuously adding
fresh amine to the sy stem.
Unfortunately, this leads to increased material and
waste disposal costs. In addition, degradation processes
have forced the use of lower concentrations of M EA
(usua lly less than 20%) leading to larger overa ll
equipment size, higher solvent circulation rate, and
therefore increased energy requirements for CO 2
regeneration from the rich amine (Leci, 1997). This
increased energy requirement is especially significant
since it increases the parasitic load on the power plant
leading to incre ased fuel co nsum ption, h igher
maintenance costs, and increased CO 2 production relative
to the power outp ut of the plant.

Fig. 6: Gas absorption membrane and separation process

(Source: Rnning et al., 1998)
Now the CO 2 enriched MEA is passed to a stripper
(20) (Fig. 5) whe re the CO 2 is released at temperatures of
120-150C.
The regenerated MEA is pumped back through a
cooler into the absorption colum n for the absorption cycle
to continue. In the cooler, the MEA is cooled to the
required temperature before entry into the absorption
column (7). The CO 2 which has been given of by the
MEA in the stripping column (20) is passed to reflux
drum where the CO 2 is dried and sent to compressor (21).
The CO 2 at a temperature of about 120-150C, has to be
cooled before entry into the reflux drum.

Modification of fluor daniel ECONAMINE FG process

for TTPS: Some aspects of the Fluor Daniel
ECONAMINE FG Process cannot be applied to the
TTPS. The parts which may not be app licable to TTP S are
considered in this section . These parts of the process will
be modified to suit the application of TTPS.
Recycling of exhaust gas: In the Fluor Daniel
ECONAMINE FG Process there is partial recycling of
exhaust gas. This is done in order to reduce the volume of
exhaust gas for treatment in the absorption process. The

Degradation of MEA in carbon dioxide capture: A

significant problem with the MEA absorption technique
in its current form is the degradation of the amine over
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Res. J. Environ. Earth Sci., 2(4): 245-254, 2010

exhaust gas which leaves the HRSG is cooled to about
30C and about 40% of the total volume of exhaust gas is
recycled and m ixed with fresh air between the air filter
and compressor inlet. At TTPS, the main goal of
operation is to gen erate electricity and not to produce oil
and gas hence when a fraction of the exhaust gas is
recycled to the compressor air inlet and there is not
enough oxygen to mix with the exhaust gas, the net power
output of the gas turbine will be decreased due to high
carbon dioxide content of the exhaust gas. S ubse quently
the net power output of the plant will be decreased. This
is highly undesirable due to current energy demands of
the people of Ghana.
Moreover, the operation of the gas turbines at TTPS,
does not include recycling of exhaust gas, hence the
above process will not be applicable to TTPS and
subsequently it will be eliminated.

there will be no steam to the stripper column boiler from

which it will use to provide the heat required to heat the
stripper.
Rectification of problems:
Recycling of exhaust gas: To control the vo lume of
exhaust gas entering the absorption column and hence
maintaining the absorption column pressure at 11.386 bar
while simultaneously eliminating the recycling process,
there will be anoth er column w hich w ill act as a silo
placed adjacent to the absorption column just before the
entry of the exhaust gas into the absorp tion column . A
flow control valve system and a pressure sensor (red spot
on the absorption column) connected to the flow control
valve w ill be attached to the abso rption colum n (Fig. 7).
Principle of operation: Before the exhaust gas enters into
the absorption column, it passes through the silo, then
through the control valve and finally into the absorption
column. As the volume of the exhaust gas increases as it
enters the absorption column, pressure builds up inside
the absorption colu mn.
The maximum permissible pressure inside the
absorption column is 11.386 bar and this should not be
exceeded. The pressure sensor which is attached to the
absorption column and connected to the flow valve
measures the pressure inside the absorption column and
send s signa ls (electronically) to the flow contro l valve.
The control valve then either cuts the flow of the
exhaust gas into the absorption column (when the sensor
measures pressure higher than the maximum value) or
opens to allow flow of the exhaust gas into the absorption
column (when the sensor reads pressures less the
max imum ).
W hen the valve closes, the exhaust gas which is still
coming from the HRSG is stored temporarily by the silo.
This stored untreated gas is later released from the silo
into the absorption column when the treated exhaust gas
in the absorption column leaves.
Such a pressure sensor can be the Bourdon Pressure
Sensor (Fig. 8) because of its simple design and ease of
operation.

Problem that will result from the elimination of the

recycling process: Recycling of exhaust gas in the Fluor
Daniel ECO NA MIN E FG P rocess is essential in that it
controls the volume of the exhaust gas entering the
abso rption column ensuring that there is a maximum
removal of carbon dioxide from the exhaust gas. Again,
it ensures that the max imum permissible pressure of the
absorption column is not exceeded.
W hen this process is eliminated, the volume of the
exhaust entering the absorp tion column will not be
checked and this may result in the pressure increasing
beyond the required value inside the absorption column.
The required pressure in the absorption column is 11.386
bar.
HRSG and the stripper column boiler: The heat
recovery steam generator for the Fluor Daniel
ECONAMINE FG Process is designed such that it
produces steam at two pressure levels. A high pressure
superheated steam at 40 bar and a low pressure
superheated steam at 4 bar. The high pressure steam is
journeyed to the steam turbine which is coupled to a
generator to generate electricity. The low pressure steam
is journeyed to the stripper column boiler which provides
the stripper c olum n with the ne eded heat in order to
separate the carbon dioxide from the MEA.
The heat recovery steam generator at TTP S is
designed to produce steam at one pressure level that is a
high pressure superheated steam at a pressure of 58 bar
and all of it is journeyed to the steam turbine which is
coupled to a generato r to generate electricity. Hence no
steam is sent to the stripper column boiler.

Bourdon pressure sensor: This is basically a thin-walled

closed tube with an oval cross section bent lengthwise
into an arc of 270 to 300 . Pressure ap plied to the interior
of the tube tends to distend the flattened tube into its
original round shape, which causes the tube to straighten
slightly. The moveme nt of the tip of the tube drives a
meter gear mechanism w hich m oves the scale point to
measu re the pressure which can be transmitted
electronically to the control valve. Shown in Fig. 9 is a
butterfly contro l valve which can be emplo yed.

Problem that w ill result from the unavailab ility of this

process: Since the HRSG at TTPS produces only a high
pressure steam which is passed on to the steam turbine,
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Res. J. Environ. Earth Sci., 2(4): 245-254, 2010

Fig. 7: Modified fluor daniel ECONAMINE FG process

Fig. 8: Bourdon pressure sensor (Source: Anonymous, 2000)

Butterfly control valve: Butterfly valves are built on the
princip le of a pipe damper. The flow control element is a
disk of approximately the same diameter as the inside
diameter of the adjoining pipe , which rotates o n either a
vertical or horizontal axis. W hen the disk lies parallel to
the piping run, the valve is fully opened. W hen the disk
approaches the perpendicular position, the valve is shut.
Intermediate positions, for throttling purposes, can be
secured in place by handle-locking devices.

HRSG and the stripper column boiler: Since there w ill

be no low pressure superheated steam to heat the stripper
column, alternative for heating the absorption column
must be adopted. Two alternatives are available namely:
C
C

252

By the u se of electric heaters

W ith help from the Takoradi International Company
(TICO)

Res. J. Environ. Earth Sci., 2(4): 245-254, 2010

ensure that the volume of exhaust gas is controlled
thereby ensuring that the maximum volume of carbon
dioxide is removed and at the same time the maximum
perm issible pressure of the absorp tion column is
maintained as required b y the original design. Again, it
ensures TTPS is able to meet its power generation
requirement since no gas will be diverted into the
compressor air inlet for m ixing w ith fresh a ir as required
by the oil and gas industries.
The tapping of exhaust gas from TICO for heating the
stripper column boiler or the use of electric heaters for the
same purpose ensure that TT PS w ill not be required to
com pletely change their HRSG to meet the requirement of
the existing design. Either of these two mod ifications will
ensure that the desired steam for plant power production
is maintained and also ensure that the needed heat for
heating the stripper column boiler to separate the carbon
dioxid e from the M EA is maintained.

Fig. 9: Butterfly control valve (Source: Anonymous, 2000)

CONCLUSION

Electric heaters wh ich are capable of heating to

temperature betweens 120-150C can be installed as
shown in Fig. 7 at reasonable intervals around the
circumference of the stripper column and this can heat up
the stripper column and hence carbon dioxide can be
removed from the exhaust gas. This m ethod is simple and
easy but can increase total operational co st of the p lant.
The Takoradi International Company (TICO) is a
private company which also generates electricity by
burning fossil-fuels. It is located on the premises of TTPS.
TICO uses the simple cycle method to gene rate elec tricity
and hence the exhaust gas generated there is vented out
into the atmosphere.
If there could be a compromise between TTPS and
TICO, TTPS can use the exhaust gas generated at TICO
to heat the stripper column. This procedure may require
complicated plant engineering, which can be cumbersome
and will increase the size of the plant very much
significa ntly but once it has been done, the operational
cost of the plant will be less compared to the first option.
Looking at the two scenarios, incorporating both on
the stripper c olum n can be pro fitable to TTPS once it has
been completed. When TICO is in operation, their exhaust
gas will be used to heat the stripper and when TICO
breaks opera tion (perhaps for maintenance pu rposes),
TTPS can switch to electric heaters to heat the stripper
colum n.

These modifications made on the Fluor Daniel

ECONAMINE FG Process, will remove carbon dioxide
from the exhaust gases generated at TTPS w hen it is
incorporated into their system. Hence their carbon dioxide
emission levels will greatly improve. This method
removes between 85 - 95 % of carbon dioxide from
exhaust gases. H ence a much cleaner and safer exhaust
gas will be vented into the atmosphere.
RECOMMENDATION
It is recommended that before TTPS adop ts this
method, a cost feasibility study should be done on the
system. This will ensure that the company does not
operate at a m ajor loss.
ACKNOWLEDGMENT
The authors are grateful to Prof. I.A. Adetunde, Dean
of Faculty of Engineering, University of Mines and
Technology (UMaT), Tarkwa, Ghana for his advice,
suggestions and fo r mak ing this article publishable. Also,
the authors exp ress their deepe st gratitude to M r. KumiBoateng for his co ntribution to this p aper, M r. AddaiAsante Seth for making time to help in the collection of
data and the man agem ent of the plant.

DISCUSSION

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