Assessment of mass transfer and hydraulic aspects of CO2 absorption in packed columns

The paper evaluates, using modeling and simulation techniques, CO2 capture process from flue gases produced by power generation sector (post-combustion capture) in aqueous solution of mono-ethanolamine (MEA). The aim of the present article is to validate the absorber model as well as to understand the dynamic behavior of CO2 absorption process. The mathematical model of carbon dioxide absorption includes differential equations, e.g. mass and heat transfer models to study the coupled effect of temperature and concentration on the absorption rate, reaction kinetics, vapor–liquid equilibrium (VLE), hydrodynamic aspects, etc. Determinant parts of the absorption model are the effective interfacial area, the mass transfer coefficient, pressure drop and liquid hold-up models. The simulation results have shown that the column operating conditions highly influence the accuracy of the absorber model and the importance of the mass transfer and hydraulic model selection for minimize the deviation of the model results from experimental data value. The present absorber model can be applied to study column operability during dynamic operation.

► Dynamic modeling and validation of CO2 capture for wide operating conditions domain.
► Assessment of mass transfer and hydraulic aspects of CO2 absorption in MEA.
► Proposal of the best models combination that could be used for CO2 absorption.