(590c) Advanced Characterization of CO2 Absorption Into Dispersed Aqueous Amine Solvents

Sprays have numerous industrial applications in the energy, chemical, pharmaceutical, and agricultural industries. Simplicity of construction and low gas phase pressure drop make spray columns ideal for a variety of applications in the process engineering industry including flue gas desulphurization, gas treating, humidification, and heat transfer. For natural gas treating and post-combustion carbon capture applications, the low gas phase pressure drop can potentially result in significant cost savings. Despite the wide use of sprays, mass transfer in spray systems for CO₂ removal is poorly understood, and design practices for spray columns in these cases are typically empirical. There is a scarcity of reliable absorption data which is essential in developing more robust designs. This paper presents the efforts underway at Oklahoma State University in measuring absorption rates for a variety of CO₂-amine systems in a laboratory spray column. The experimental setup, operating procedures, and measurement techniques will be discussed. Results from the experiments will assess the effect of solvent concentration, gas flow rate, liquid flow rate, gas composition, and nozzle type on the mass transfer. A phase doppler interferometer (PDI) is integrated into the unique experimental setup to measure the droplet size and velocity of the resulting droplets, thereby leading to the measurement of the effective surface area of the spray. The data and methodology presented will be essential for subsequent design of large-scale absorption systems.