(27d) Field Trial of Spiral-Wound Facilitated Transport Membrane Module for CO2 Capture from Flue Gas

A field trial with 1.4 m² spiral-wound (SW) membrane modules fabricated from an amine-containing facilitated transport membrane was conducted with actual flue gas at the National Carbon Capture Center (NCCC) in Wilsonville, AL. Prior to the field test, the membrane modules were systematically evaluated with simulated flue gas to identify the optimal operating conditions. Significant responses to various operating conditions have been noted, particularly with respect to the feed flow rate, feed pressure, operating temperature, and CO₂ concentration. The concentration polarization behavior and feed side pressure drop were significantly affected by the choice of feed flow rate, which retroactively influences the stage cut, or the CO₂ recovery of the module.

With the actual flue gas, the membrane modules showed ca. 1450 GPU CO₂ permeance and 185 CO₂/N₂ selectivity at 67°C with feed and permeate pressures of 4 and 0.3 atm, respectively. The module performance results were essentially identical to those obtained from both membrane modules and flat-sheet membrane samples tested at OSU using simulated flue gas. A 500-h stability was demonstrated despite the interference of system upsets and flue gas outages at NCCC. During the field trial, carbon capture rates of better than 40% were achieved by a single SW module with coal-derived flue gas. Except for a few flue gas upsets, the CO₂ purities in the captured stream were about 95% or better on dry basis. In addition, a short transient time of the membrane system was observed, which benefits the dynamic integration of the carbon capture technology into the power plant. Further analysis of the tested membrane revealed that no detectable amounts of the heavy metals, Cr, As, Se and Hg, were deposited on the membrane. The data obtained from this project validate the membrane material and provide basis for the design and fabrication of the full-scale SW module with a membrane area larger than 50 m².