<scp>3D</scp> models guide the design of hollow fiber membrane contactors with complex internal structures for <scp>CO<sub>2</sub></scp> capture
Yihan Yin, Qi Liu, Hongxia Gao, Min Xiao, Teerawat Sema, Zhiwu Liang
Abstract
Abstract Membrane contactors have good prospects in the field of CO 2 capture. In this study, the effects of operation conditions (gas velocity, liquid flow, CO 2 pressure, amine concentration, and CO 2 loading) on CO 2 absorption flux (J CO2 ) for CO 2 absorption into N ‐methyl‐4‐piperidinol (MPDL) solution in membrane contactors were investigated through experiments and simulations. A three‐dimensional (3D) model was developed using COMSOL Multiphysics software to study the comprehensive CO 2 mass transfer process in the multifiber membrane contactor and the effect of the number of fibers on the flow and CO 2 concentration distribution without simplifying the geometry compared with those of traditional one‐dimensional (1D) and two‐dimensional (2D) models. Non‐ideal effects occurring in hollow fiber membrane contactors can be explained using a 3D modeling. By comparing the simulated with the experimental , the effectiveness of the model was determined. The simulation results emphasize that the spatial concentration distribution has a great correlation with the corresponding velocity distribution. Additionally, reducing the uneven velocity distribution of gas and liquid is a very important factor to improve the mass transfer performance of CO 2 . Increasing the number of fibers with a constant total volumetric flux can reduce the thickness of the boundary layer and promote the mass transfer.