Zero-emission fuel-fired power plants with ion transport membrane

Firstly, some points in relation to the history of zero-emissions power cycles are highlighted. Amongst the many schemes, only one which deals with the combustion of a fuel in “artificial air” (i.e. a mixture of oxygen and re-circulated carbon dioxide), is selected. This paper describes the zero emission, gas-fired power plant for electricity generation. In previous papers, the oxygen for combustion was supplied by commercially available cryogenic air separation techniques. In the publication, it is supplied by a new and innovative separation technology—ion transport membrane (ITM) oxygen. The ITM process uses dense, nonporous, mixed-conducting ceramic membranes to separate oxygen from air when the latter is supplied at a temperature between 800 and 900 °C and at a pressure between 15 and 40 bar. The only atmospheric emission from the plant is oxygen-depleted air, which is harmless. A schematic of the power plant, its description, and the results of a computer simulation are reported here. The cycle T–s diagram at a design point (not optimised) is given.