Experimental determination of mass-transfer coefficients and area of dumped packing using alkanolamine solvents

The absorption process is strongly influenced by the effective contact area. In absorber columns, this is related to the type of the internals used in the columns. Therefore, a good representation of the effective mass-transfer area and mass-transfer coefficients (k_L or k_g) is also essential for accurately represent and design a process. For CO₂ capture process packed columns are usually preferred. The mass transfer area and coefficients for several packing (both structured and random) are correlated elsewhere. In this work mass transfer experiments using concentrated MEA solution in the Procede acid gas treating pilot plant are performed. However, due to the fast reaction between MEA and CO₂, both the gas side and liquid side mass transfer resistances are relevant and the mass transfer area cannot be determined experimentally. Nevertheless, the volumetric mass transfer coefficient is calculated and it showed to be relatively constant for all the runs. The results from the pilot plant are compared to simulated results using Procede Process Simulator (PPS). The mass transfer area and mass transfer coefficients were calculated through the default correlations implemented in PPS. Very good agreement is achieved between the experimental and simulated results.