Exergy analysis in a coal fired power plant with amine scrubbing, calcium looping and oxyfuel for CCS.
MEA case: 7.7% of the exergy input is lost in the capture unit and 1.0% during CO2 compression.
CaL process: the capture option with the lowest exergy penalty (−9.0% compared to reference case).
Oxy-fuel: most of the exergy losses (5.1% of exergy input) are observed in the ASU.
High quality heat from fuel combustion is the best exergy medium for CCS in thermal plants.