Techno-economical analysis and comparison of different process routes for the production of sustainable fuels

Abstract

In this master thesis, different combinations of process technologies are set up and run in the Aspen Plus simulation environment to produce synthetic fuels. Air and cement exhaust gases are used as carbon sources in a direct air capture and monoethanol scrubbing process to provide carbon dioxide. Currently widely applied proton exchange and less common solid oxide electrolysis are implemented to supply hydrogen. The feed is upgraded to syngas by a reverse water gas shift reaction and fed to a Fischer-Tropsch and methanol synthesis. Furthermore, waste gases produced in the process are combusted in a purge process whereas the provided heat flow is integrated into the overall process to increase energy efficiency. With the use of the TEPET tool developed internally at DLR, the process combinations are compared on the basis of technical and economic factors. Additionally, the environmental impact of the processes will be investigated