A DYNAMICALLY OPERATED DUAL CFB CAL TAILORED FORCARBON CAPTURE OF FUTURE IRON & STEEL INDUSTRIES DEVELOPMENT AND MODEL INVESTIGATION

Instances necessitating the limitation of global warming to a 1.5 °C temperature increase mandate the deployment of carbon dioxide removal technologies [1]. The steel industry presents a formidable challenge due to its substantial global contribution to greenhouse gas emissions [2]. The complexity of emissions abatement in this sector is compounded by the batch-oriented nature of the steelmaking process and the inherent variability in both flue gas flow rates and properties.
Sumitomo SHI FW (SFW) continues its pioneering efforts for the development of carbon capture technologies together with core partners. The special focus of this study is the adaptation of the well-known calcium looping process (CaL) to capture CO2 from the steelmaking industry, which is a novel application. This study shows the fundamental stages of steel production and identifies the predominant greenhouse gas emission sources associated with it. Furthermore, it presents the steel case-specific conceptual aspects of the CaL pilot facility, which is under engineering phase and will be used for the demonstration of CO2 capture in steelmaking. Additionally, the study provides modelling principles regarding a 1.5D dynamic simulation tool and offers preliminary simulation results relating to the time-dependent operation of the CFB-CaL process.
The simulations confirm that the dynamic nature of flue gas originating from the steel production process introduces additional complexities in managing the operation of the CaL system. Owing to the interdependence of material and heat capacity flows, specific design solutions are needed to provide sufficient operational flexibility and particular attention is necessary for developing the control strategies.