Membrane contactors for intensified gas-liquid absorption processes with physical solvents: A critical parametric study

Abstract

Membrane contactors offer promising performances for the intensification of gas liquid absorption processes. Impressive volume reduction factors compared to packed columns have been reported, mostly for absorption in chemical solvents (e.g. CO2 post combustion capture with MEA). A very limited number of studies addressed however the potentialities of membrane contactors for physical absorption processes. Moreover, the interplay between volume reduction and energy requirement, which is expected to be of major importance for physical solvents, is unexplored. In this study, a systematic parametric analysis of the intensification and specific energy requirement of membrane contactors for CO2 absorption in 5 different physical solvents is reported. The best flow configuration, module packing fraction and membrane properties (mass transfer performances) are identified for the different solvents. Very high intensification factors compared to the baseline technology (i.e. packed column) are shown to be potentially achievable.