2 replies to this topic

[Andy Craig]

Hey,

I'm trying to complete an estimated ecconomic assessment of my design of a CO2 removal system. I am required to calculate the capital costs of equipment, the operating costs and the profit made form the sale of my CO2, i was just wondering where i would get the neccesary information to complete this. I need information on:

• Selling price of 99.95% CO2 per kg
• The cost of absoprtion and stripping columns (i know the dimensions, just don't know the material of construction and hence the price)
• The cost of energy (i know the amount of kW of hot and cold utilities i need)
• the cost of heat exchangers (i know the heat duty and flow rate passing through each)

Any help would be much appreciated.

Regards

[Zauberberg]

Andy,

You've gotten a difficult task. Not only that you have limited input information, but also there are several factors that can make your task almost impossible. When we realize that there are entire departments and groups of people who deal with the cost estimation for a project, that can create a picture of how difficult it is to get some realistic figures.

Some two years ago, Art Montemayor had written an excellent reply on the same topic (I wish I can remember what was all about and post the link here). Some of the items that he had put on the table - and which was not 100% clear to me before I started my own work - were:

- Location of the plant and availability of different vendors (delivery and market competition issues)
- Changes in cost of raw materials (in a few years from now, some items could have a price that is totally different from the current price)
- Is this your design the optimum design (RAM study should answer majority of these questions)

Probably the best way to do it is to contact various vendors of equipment you are interested in, they will give you - if they are willing to do so - the most accurate information. And this is only for the time being, tomorrow it can be completely different story.

Good luck,

[kkala]

I'm trying to complete an estimated ecconomic assessment of my design of a CO2 removal system. I am required to calculate the capital costs of equipment, the operating costs and the profit made form the sale of my CO2, i was just wondering where i would get the neccesary information to complete this. I need information on:
[*]Selling price of 99.95% CO2 per kg
[*]The cost of absoprtion and stripping columns (i know the dimensions, just don't know the material of construction and hence the price)
[*]The cost of energy (i know the amount of kW of hot and cold utilities i need)
[*]the cost of heat exchangers (i know the heat duty and flow rate passing through each)

For a rather precise estimate you have to contact suppliers, as Zauberberg advised. If this is an exercise accepting rough guess (due to limited time) following may be worthy of consideration.
- Selling price of CO2 = 0.0 . This because there are deposits of pure CO2 in the earth, like those of natural gas. In 2001 we looked in a local natural gas deposit been rich in CO2 and were told that its CO2 content will have no commercial value due to this fact. Not to say that treatment of CO2 can be necessary in the future! But do not consider the latter, supposing that such an investment will be covered by grants (nothing seems clear nowadays).
- Cost of electricity. Consult local electricity producers for industrial electricity according to plant needs. Present price in Greece 0.11-0.13 €/kWh. Tariff can be a bit complex including standing & energy charges.
- Cost of fuels. Assume a "representative" price of today and escalate to 3% yearly for constant prices, which means nominal prices should bear additional increase (over constant prices) due to inflation.
- Capital cost of equipment. Use standard sources, such as Perry (Chemical Engineers handbook) or Peters & Timmerhaus (Plant design and economics for chemical engineers), as well as cost indexes to bring the cost to present value. Remember that installed cost can be more than two times purchased equipment cost. Lang factor, that is total plant capital (including piping, civil works, metal structures, etc) to delivered cost of all pieces of equipment, is 4.74 for a fluid plant or 3.63 for a solid fluid plant. This statistic result is based on old data and cannot be precise, giving just an idea of the capital required.

Edited by kkala, 24 April 2010 - 12:51 PM.