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Full-Scale CFD Modeling of Multiphase Flow Distribution in a Packed-bed Absorber with Structured Packing Mellapak 250Y

  • Omar M. Basha , Rui Wang , Isaac K. Gamwo , Nicholas S. Siefert and Badie I. Morsi EMAIL logo

Abstract

A full-scale multi-environment Eulerian CFD model for a countercurrent packed-bed absorber with structured packing Mellapak 250Y was built in ANSYS Fluent 2019 R1 in order to model CO2 capture using physical solvents. The objective of the model is to predict the overall absorber gas-liquid internal flow profiles within the complex packing geometry, while accurately predicting the hydrodynamic parameters, such as liquid holdup and pressure drop. The gas-solid and gas-liquid drag coefficients were fitted and validated using the following experimental data by Green et al. (2006. “Hydraulic Characterization of Structured Packing via X-ray Computed Tomography”; 2007. “Novel Application of X-ray Computed Tomography: Determination of Gas/liquid Contact Area and Liquid Holdup in Structured Packing.” Industrial & Engineering Chemistry Research 46: 5734–53.): dry pressure drop, irrigated pressure drop, and liquid holdup. The validated CFD model was used to study the effect of liquid distributor design on the liquid distribution in the absorber using three distributors provided with seven, thirteen, and twenty orifices of 0.2 mm diameter. The CFD model predictions revealed that the distributor with the largest number of orifices resulted in the least liquid maldistribution in the absorber, which led to increasing the overall CO2 absorption efficiency in Selexol as a physical solvent. Also, the overall CO2 absorption efficiency decreased with increasing the superficial liquid velocity due to the shorter contact times between CO2 and Selexol in the absorber at higher superficial liquid velocities.

Nomenclature

a

Gas-liquid interfacial area per unit liquid volume (m−1)

ap

Specific surface area of the packing per unit volume (m−1)

aw

Specific wetted interfacial area of the packing per unit volume (m−1)

C*

Equilibrium concentration at the gas-liquid interface (kg·m−3)

CL

Concentration of in the liquid bulk (kg·m−3)

CD

Drag coefficient (–)

dC

Column diameter (m)

dp

Equivalent diameter of the packing (m)

FrL

Froude number for the liquid phase = uL2apS

g

Acceleration due to gravity, m·s−2

k

Turbulent kinetic energy (J·mol−1)

Ka

Kapitza number=σρ(gsin(β))1/3(ϑ)4/3 (–)

kG

Gas-side mass transfer coefficient (kg·m−2·Pa−1)

Kk-n

Interphase drag coefficient (kg·m−3·s−1)

kL

Liquid-side mass transfer coefficient (m·s−1)

kLa

Volumetric liquid-side mass transfer coefficient (s−1)

m˙kn

Mass transfer rate between phases k and n due to interfacial mass transfer (kg·m−3·s−1)

Mk

Momentum exchange (N·m−3)

MW

Molecular weight (kg·kmol−1)

n

Number of the experimental points

P

Pressure (Pa = kg·m−1·s−2)

P*

Gas partial pressure at the gas-liquid interface (kg·m−1·s−2)

PG

Gas partial pressure in the gas bulk, (kg·m−1·s−2)

Pv

Liquid-phase saturation pressure (kg·m−1·s−2)

Re

Reynolds number (–)

ReL

Reynolds number for the liquid = uLρLapμL

s

Characteristic filtered strain rate (s−1)

t

Time (s)

T

Temperature (K)

U

Mean velocity (m·s−1)

uG

Superficial gas velocity (m·s−1)

UGe

Effective gas velocity (m·s−1)

uk

Velocity of phase k (m·s−1)

ukn

Relative velocity between phases k and n (-)

ULe

Effective Liquid velocity (m·s−1)

v

Linear flow velocity (m·s−1)

WeL

Webber number for the liquid = uL2ρLapσL

Greek Letters
Δ

Filtered eddy width (m)

α

Volume fraction of each phase (–)

β

Inclination angle (degrees)

ε

Turbulence dissipation (m2·s−3)

μ

Viscosity (kg/m·s)

μM

Molecular viscosity (kg·m−1·s−1)

μT

Shear induced turbulence viscosity (kg·m−1·s−1)

ϑ

Kinematic viscosity (m2·s−1)

υ

Local velocity of the dispersed phase (m·s−1)

ρ

Density (kg·m−3)

σ

Surface tension (N·m−1)

τ

Viscous stress tensor (N·m−2)

τrz

Reynolds shear stress (N·m−2)

κ

Coefficient of bulk viscosity

Subscripts
G

Gas

k

Phase

L

Liquid

s

Solid

w

Wall

Acknowledgements

This research was supported by the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE), National Energy Technology Laboratory (NETL) administered by the Oak Ridge Institute for Science and Education (ORISE).

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Received: 2019-11-14
Revised: 2020-01-21
Accepted: 2020-02-02
Published Online: 2020-03-07

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