Improvement of Spray Column Performance for Post-Combustion Carbon Dioxide Capture using different Column Configurations

Date
2024-08-20
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Abstract

Amine absorption process is recognized as the most mature technology available today for post-combustion CO2 capture. The absorption process is generally carried out in a packed bed absorber where flue gas and solvent are brought into intimate contact for mass transfer. However, this type of contractor suffers from limitations such as low gas handling capacity, significant pressure drop and expensive internals which has necessitated the search for a better alternative. Based on the findings from literature, a spray column is seen to be a promising alternative, however, needs further design improvements to achieve a comparable gas-liquid contact efficiency. Recent work in this field indicates that for a spray column, the mass transfer coefficient is highest in zones near the spray nozzle (spray zone), and it is expected that increasing the number of spray zones will enhance the column performance. This finding formed the basis of my research where experimental investigation into the performance improvement of spray column using three distinctive design configuration was carried out in a laboratory scale glass column of 1.1 m height and 0.2 m internal diameter. The base case design consisted of single spray nozzle at the column top while the second and the third configurations consisted of two spray nozzles, one nozzle at the top and the second nozzle at the middle section with equal flow distribution. The results obtained from this work indicate that there is a substantial step change in terms of CO2 absorption as the gas moves closer to the nozzle, validating the understanding that mass transfer coefficient is higher in the spray zone. Further, increasing the number of spray zones in the column with configuration 2 and configuration 3, the performance of the column was improved significantly with an increase in absorption efficiency by up to 10% for configuration 3 as compared to the base configuration. Overall, the experimental investigation carried out as part of this research work shows that spray column performance can be improved with a design that incorporates more spray zones in the column and can potentially achieve removal efficiencies that makes it a promising alternative to the conventionally used packed columns.

Description
Keywords
Spray Column, Multiple Spray Nozzles, Carbon Capture, Amine Absorption Process
Citation
Dave, M. R. (2024). Improvement of spray column performance for post-combustion carbon dioxide capture using different column configurations (Master's thesis, University of Calgary, Calgary, Canada). Retrieved from https://prism.ucalgary.ca.