Sensitivity analysis of the MATIANT cycle

In this paper, a novel technology based on the zero CO2 emission MATIANT cycle is presented. This latter is basically a regenerative gas cycle operating on CO2 as the working fluid and using O-2 as the fuel oxidizer in the combustion chambers. The cycle uses the highest temperatures and pressures compatible with the most advanced materials in the steam and gas turbines and in the heat exchangers. In addition, a reheat and a staged compression and with intercooling are used. Therefore the optimized cycle efficiency is around 45% when operating on natural gas. A big asset of the system is its ability to remove the CO2 produced in the combustion process in liquid or supercritical state and at high pressure, without any costly and energy consuming system like "end-of-pipe" MEA scrubbers or membranes. CO2 is then ready for transportation, for reuse or for final storage. In this respect, there is a possible integration of the CO2 storage with the MATIANT power generation plant, unlike conventional CO2 capture, providing gaseous CO2 at atmospheric pressure. In the same way, other contaminants like NOx remain under control and are not released to the atmosphere. In this study, the cycle performances are calculated and a sensitivity analysis of the cycle is performed when the free parameters are varied. The optimal design point is then obtained for given internal constrains and boundary conditions. (C) 1999 Elsevier Science Ltd. All rights reserved.