Modeling Pilot Plant Performance of an Absorber with Aqueous Piperazine

Abstract

Pilot plant data for CO 2 capture with 8 m piperazine (PZ) were reconciled with an absorber model in Aspen Plus® using quantified error in pilot plant input data and a global correction to absorber performance parameters. Four global corrections were applied independently to adjust: interfacial area, liquid side mass transfer coefficient, solvent CO 2 content, or solvent piperazine (PZ) content. Each of the four cases resulted in a reconciled model with pilot plant data and provides a potential route to quantifying and correcting measurement and experimental error as well as enhancing understanding of real absorber performance. The modified absorber model was then used to quantify the performance improvement due to implementation of a spray nozzle in the absorber intercooling loop. The spray nozzle added the equivalent of 7% to 20% more packing to the column as a function of the flow rate through the nozzle.