(183c) Reduction in CO2-Absorption Column Height and Process Intensification Facilitated By Additively Manufactured Intensified Packing Devices

Solvent-based CO₂ absorption, which is technologically the most matured CO₂ capture pathway, still suffers from mid-column temperature rise brought about by the reaction enthalpy that lowers absorption efficiency. This issue can be typically dealt with by an external inter-stage heat-exchanger that cools the solvent; however, this approach increases the overall process footprint, capital, and operating costs. The current study explores a process intensification approach by incorporating inside the column an additively manufactured (3D-printed) intensified packing device that consists of corrugated plates and internal channels; the corrugated plates provide surface area for mass transfer between gas and liquid, while cooling fluid inside the internal channels removes heat from the exothermic reactive system. Not only the intensified device improves CO₂ capture efficiency, but it also provides an opportunity to decrease the column height, as each device has the potential to replace multiple commercial packing while keeping the overall performance intact. In the first phase of this project, two different intensified devices with specific surface areas of 250 m²/m³ and 350 m²/m³ were designed, manufactured, and tested by positioning, them one at a time, inside a 2.06-m long and 0.2-m diameter column packed with commercial Mellapak 250Y packing. In a second phase, columns with various combinations of intensified devices and commercial packings (ranging from 1 intensified device + 7 commercial packing elements to 4 intensified devices with no commercial packing elements) were tested for their CO₂-capture efficiency. A column with four intensified devices with zero commercial packing provides up to 60% reduction in column height. A steady-state kinetic model is also under construction to predict experimental column temperature and CO₂ capture performances.