Review on the mass transfer performance of CO2 absorption by amine-based solvents in low- and high-pressure absorption packed columns

Abstract

The gas-phase volumetric overall mass transfer coefficient (K_Ga_V) plays a key role in the assessment of an absorption packed column's performance since it determines the height of an absorber column. The effective and useable data provided by K_Ga_V is necessary for designing and scaling up absorption packed columns. This study provides the first comprehensive review of mass transfer performance in terms of K_Ga_V for CO₂ (K_GCO2a_V) absorption into amine solutions for absorber columns with random and structured packing. To date, researchers associated with the K_GCO2a_V parameter have focused on two main fields: experimental works and developing empirical correlations. For experimental works, K_GCO2a_V has been evaluated in the literature for a large number of conventional and improved amines over a range of operating parameters in laboratory-scale packed columns. In addition, researchers have developed empirical correlations for K_GCO2a_V based on operating parameters affecting K_GCO2a_V and physical properties. The details of research determining the K_GCO2a_V have been reviewed for low- and high-pressure absorption packed columns. Finally, directions for future research of the mass transfer performance for absorber packed columns in the CO₂ capture process have been discussed.