Study on Amine-Based Onboard Carbon Capture and Storage System for Long-Range Marine Transportation

Long-range marine transportation is crucial for the global economy, and the carbon dioxide (CO2) released by this industry contributes about 3% of global man-made CO2 emissions. Capturing CO2 directly from engine exhaust and storing it onboard are promising solutions to decarbonize the marine transport industry. In this article, an amine-based onboard carbon capture and storage (AOCCS) system has been systematically developed for large marine vessels. It contains four subsystems: (i) nitrogen oxide (NOx) and sulfur oxide (SOx) removal (NSRP), an amine-based scrubbing process (ASP), a glycol dehydration process (GDP), and a CO2 liquefaction and storage process (CLSP). Meanwhile, an alternative AOCCS configuration with a heat pump process (HPP) is also introduced. The entire AOCCS system has been integrated, modeled, and simulated under different operating conditions such as different ASP operating conditions. This system is able to achieve 90% NOx and 99% SOx reduction, as well as 16.3–30.3% CO2 capture. In addition, relevant energy consumption for this emission reduction and carbon capture system is presented. The study not only provides valuable design and operating data for onboard emission reduction and storage but also lays out a solid foundation for future comparisons between AOCCS and other emission reduction systems in large vessels.