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Title: Rate-based process modeling study of CO{sub 2} capture with aqueous monoethanolamine solution

Journal Article · · Industrial and Engineering Chemistry Research
DOI:https://doi.org/10.1021/ie900068k· OSTI ID:21240410
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  1. Aspen Technology Inc., Burlington, MA (United States)

Rate-based process modeling technology has matured and is increasingly gaining acceptance over traditional equilibrium-stage modeling approaches. Recently comprehensive pilot plant data for carbon dioxide (CO{sub 2}) capture with aqueous monoethanolamine (MEA) solution have become available from the University of Texas at Austin. The pilot plant data cover key process variables including CO{sub 2} concentration in the gas stream, CO{sub 2} loading in lean MEA solution, liquid to gas ratio, and packing type. In this study, we model the pilot plant operation with Aspen RateSep, a second generation rate-based multistage separation unit operation model in Aspen Plus. After a brief review of rate-based modeling, thermodynamic and kinetic models for CO{sub 2} absorption with the MEA solution, and transport property models, we show excellent match of the rate-based model predictions against the comprehensive pilot plant data and we validate the superiority of the rate-based models over the traditional equilibrium-stage models. We further examine the impacts of key rate-based modeling options, i.e., film discretization options and flow model options. The rate-based model provides excellent predictive capability, and it should be very useful for design and scale-up of CO{sub 2} capture processes.

OSTI ID:
21240410
Journal Information:
Industrial and Engineering Chemistry Research, Vol. 48, Issue 20; ISSN 0888-5885
Country of Publication:
United States
Language:
English