Design of absorber

Introduction:

It is basically separation equipment and can be used according to your requirement, it

brings gas and liquid phases in contact so that contaminants in the gas phase absorb into
the liquid as a result of their contact through various technique like plate or packed bed.

Absorption:

In Engineering, absorption is a physical or a chemical process in which atoms, molecules or

ions enter in the bulk phase liquid or a solid and get absorbed. It is a bulk phenomenon as
atom molecule or ions get absorbed in the volume. And as per the IUPAC, Absorption is the
process in which one material (absorbate) being retained by another (absorbent); this may
be physical solution of gas, liquid or solid in a liquid, attachment of molecules of a gas,
vapors, liquid, or dissolved substance to a solid surface by a physical forces, etc.

Types of Absorption:

There are two types of absorption which are cited below

Physical Absorption:

There is just a physical phenomenon of absorption like hydrophilic solids that readily
absorbs water. Polar interactions between water and the molecule of the solid favors
partition of the water into the solids, which can allow significant absorption of water into
the solid even in relatively low humidity.

Chemical Absorption:

There is a chemical reaction between the absorbed and the absorbing substances.
Sometimes it combines with physical absorption, but this type of absorption depends upon
the stoichiometry of the reaction and the concentration its reactants.

The absorption is carried out in packed as well as plate columns.

Packed and Plate Column:

The type use to absorb the material highly depends upon the factor that how much
absorption need to be done and ultimately it’s depend upon the type of column you used.
In packed columns there is a need of packing (several numbers of packing are available in
the market) that increases the surface area to increase the contact of liquid and gas as much
as possible that enhances the absorption, it also provide the strength to the column when
there is low pressure inside as compared to outside. Just make sure to calculate the capacity
and efficiency of that packing. It is expensive than plate column. For thermally sensitive
material packed column is used.

In plate column (several types of plates are available in market) plates are used and there is
no such big difference in it. Pressure drop is dependent on flowrate of gas and liquid in both
cases but in plate column pressure drop is large and if the flowrates are very high then the
efficiencies are about to maximum. Plate column will preferred when there is high residence
time of liquid is in demand.

As a rule of thumb, plates are always used in columns of large diameters and towers that
have more than 20 to 30 stages.

Conditions of absorption column:

Temperature of Column = 40℃

Column Pressure = 23 bar

Mass flowrate of gas = Vw = 9300.00 kg/hr or 2.58 kg s

Mass flowrate of MEA = Lw = 3657.66 kg/hr or 1.0160 kg s

Average molecular weight of gas = Mv = 15.65 kg/kmol

Molecular Weight of MEA = ML = 61.08 kg/kmol

Physical Properties

Properties Density (Kg/m3 ) Viscosity (Ns/m2 ) Diffusivity (m2 /s)

Syngas ρv = 14.37 μv = 7.9×10-4 Dv = 7.51×10-5
MEA ρL = 998.5 μL = 6.2832×10-4 DL = 3.37×10-9
Assumptions:

Packing Type = Intalox saddle ceramic

Packing Size = dP = 0.050 m = 50mm

Packing Factor = FP = 131.23 m-1

Surface Area = a = 115 m2/m3

Voidage = 75%

Column Diameter:

Flow Parameter = FLV = (Lw/Vw) √ ρ v / ρL

FLV = (3657.66/9300.00) √ 14.37/998.5

FLV = 0.04718

Pressure drop = 0.115FP0.7

Pressure drop = 1.18 inch water/meter of packing

Pressure drop = 96.78 mm water/meter of packing

Now,

Velocity

uvf = 2.78ft/s

uvf = 0.847344m/s

K4 at pressure drop = 2.9

K4 at flooding line = 4.3

%flooding = (K4 at pressure drop K4 at flooding/ K4 at flooding line) 0.5 x 100

%Flooding = (2.9/4.3) 0.5 x 100

%Flooding = 82.12%
Now,

Vw* = 7.285 kg/m2s

Area = Vw/Vw*

Column Area = A = 2.58/7.285 = 0.3541 m2

Column Diameter = D = √ 4A /π

D = 0.67 m

Height of the Column:

Height of packing = Z = HOGNOG

HOG = height of overall gas phase transfer unit

NOG = number of overall gas phase transfer unit

As we know

HOG = HG + m (G/L) HL

m = slope of the equilibrium line

L/G = Slope of the operating line

To calculate the HOG there are two methods

 Cornell’s method
 Onda’s method

We use Onda’s method

Individual height of gas phase transfer unit Calculations:

Universal gas constant = R = 0.08314 bar m3/kmol-K

Gravitational constant = g = 9.8 m/s2

Surface Tension of MEA = 𝜎L = 53.98×10-3 N/m

Surface Tension for ceramics = 𝜎c = 61×10-3 N/m

Lw* = Lw/A = 1.0160/0.3541 = 2.87 kg/m 2-sec

Molar gas flowrate per unit cross-sectional area = Gm = 7.286/15.65 = 0.4655 kmol/m 2-sec

Molar MEA flowrate per unit cross-sectional area = L m = 2.87/61.08 = 0.04698 kmol/m 2/sec

Now,

Effective interfacial area of packing per unit volume = a w

aw = 71.37 m2/m3
Calculation of liquid film mass transfer coefficient:

KL = 2.20 ×10-4 m/s

Now, total Concentration

CT = Liquid density/liquid molar mass = 998.5/61.08 = 16.34 kmol/m 3

HL = Lm/KL aw Ct

HL = 0.04698/2.20×10-4×71.37×16.34

HL = 0.1831m

Calculation of Gas film mass transfer coefficient:

KG = 2.478 ×10-4

Now, HG = Gm/KG aw P

HG = 0.4655/2.478 ×10-4 × 71.37 × 23

HG = 1.14 m

Now Solubility Data of MEA-water at 40°C

Solubility of Co2 ( mol Co2/mol MEA) Partial Pressure (Mpa)

0.465 0.0015
0.486 0.0025
0.516 0.005
0.522 0.009
0.55 0.02
0.566 0.035
0.575 0.049
0.592 0.068
So, by data slope = m = 0.0503067

mGM/LM = 0.4984

By graph, NOG = 6

Now,

HOG = HG + (mGM/LM) HL

HOG = 1.24

And

Z = HOG . NOG

Z = 7.46m

Allowances for liquid distributor = 1 m

Allowances for liquid redistributor = 1 m

Total height of column = Zt = 9.46 m

Volume of Packing:

VP = ∏r2h

VP = 2.62 m3

Liquid holdup:

NReL = Inertial force/ Viscous force = μL ρL/a μL

NReL = (6.28 ×10-4 × 998.5/115 × 6.28 ×10-4) = 8.68

NFr = (μ2L a/g)

NFr = ((6.28 ×10-4)2 × 115/9.8) = 4.627 ×10-6

As NReL > 5. So,

ah/a = 0.85 Ch NReL0.25 NFr0.1

ah/a = 0.427

Now,

hL = (12 NFr/ NReL)1/3 (ah/a)0.1

hL = 0.0105 m3/m3
Specification Sheet of Absorber:

Temperature 40℃
Operating Pressure 23 bar
Packing Type Intalox Saddle Ceramic
Packing Size 0.050m
Pressure Drop 96.78 mm water/meter of packing
Column Area 0.3531m2
Diameter 0.67m
%Flooding 82.12%
Effective interfacial area aw 71.37 m2/m3
KL 2.20 ×10-4 m/s
KG 2.478 ×10-4 m/s
HOG 1.24m
NOG 6
Z 7.46m
Zt 9.46m

Cost of Absorber:
Cost = Bare equipment cost × Installation Cost × Module factor

Diameter = 2.19 ft

Cost $/ft of column height = $2300

Height of Column = 22.9 ft

Total Cost = $57270

By using above equation C = $409778

This is the cost in year 1987 and for the year 2021 the cost of equipment at the inflation rate of 3%
C1=$409778×(1.03)33=$1086868=$1.08Million

Size = 1.96 in.

Material = Intalox saddle porcelain

Cost $/ft3 = 16.1

Total Cost = 16.1 × 7769.2 = $125084.12

C = $125084.12 × 0.4 = $50034

C2 in 2020 = $50034 × (1.03)33 = $132707

Total Absorber Cost = C1 + C2 = $1219575 = $ 1.219 Million