Numerical Study of the CO2 Absorber Performance Subjected to the Varying Amine Solvent and Flue Gas Loads

摘要

The paper is devoted to the amine-based post-combustion carbon dioxide capture technology. The aim of the paper was to analyze the effect of varying flow conditions on the CO2 capture efficiency of the absorber column. As a research tool, a numerical model of the chemical absorption with aqueous monoethanolamine solution in a packed bed was employed. A complex physio-chemical process including two-phase flow hydrodynamics, heat transfer, and absorption chemistry was simulated by Ansys Fluent commercial software. The parametric study was focused on CO2 capture efficiency in terms of varying loads of amine solvent (liquid) and flue gas. The corresponding changes of liquid holdup, species concentration, temperature and reaction rate distributions are discussed in detail allowing to better understand the absorption column operation. The simulation results have shown clearly the mutual interactions of partial processes and the sensitivity of the system to varying column loads. They have been found to be useful in defining the optimal ranges of operational parameters.