Numerical simulation of the mass transfer process of CO2 absorption by different solutions in a microchannel

Abstract

AbstractThe flow and mass transfer characteristics of CO2 absorption in different liquid phases in a microchannel were studied by numerical simulation. The mixture gas phase contained 5 vol% CO2 and 95 vol% N2, and the different liquid phases were water, ethanol solution, 0.2 M monoethanolamine solution, and 0.2 M NaOH solution, respectively. Based on the permeation theory, the distribution of velocity and concentration in the slug flow was obtained by local simulation of flow and mass transfer coupling and was described in depth. The influence of contact time and bubble velocity on the mass transfer of the whole bubble was highlighted. The volumetric mass transfer coefficient on the bubble cap and liquid film, CO2 absorption rate, and enhancement factor were calculated and analyzed. The results showed that the volumetric mass transfer coefficients of chemical absorption were ~3 to 10 times that of physical absorption and the CO2 was absorbed more completely in chemical absorption. The new empirical correlations for predicting the mass transfer coefficient of the liquid phase were proposed respectively in physical absorption and chemical absorption, which were compared with the empirical formulas in the literature. The volumetric mass transfer coefficients obtained by predictive correlations are in good agreement with those obtained by simulation in this paper. This work made a basic prediction for CO2 absorption in microchannel and provides a foundation for later experimental research.