Removal of high concentration CO_2 from natural gas at elevated pressure via absorption process in packed column

Carbon dioxide （CO2） removal is an essential step in natural gas （NG） processing to provide high quality gas stream products and minimize operational difficulties. This preliminary study alms to investigate the removal of CO2 at high concentration level from the mixture of CO2-NG gas stream at elevated pressure via absorption process. This is to explore the possibility of exploring high CO2 content natural gas reserves by treatment at offshore platform. A mixed amine solvent, Stonvent-II, was used for the absorption of approximately 75 vol% CO2 in CO2-NG stream at a pressure of 10 barg. The initial solvent temperature was varied in order to study the impact of initial temperature on the absorption performance. Preliminary study at temperatures of 35 ℃ and 45 ℃ indicates that Stonvent-II was able to perform almost 100% removal of CO2 under both conditions. However, the CO2 absorption effect took place faster when the initial liquid temperature was lower. This is because when the initial liquid temperature is high, the temperature increase in the packing bed caused by the reaction heat is high which impacts the efficiency of absorption negatively.

Extraction of Caprolactam from Aqueous Ammonium Sulfate Solution in Pulsed Packed Column Using 250Y Mellapak Packings

Liquid-liquid equilibrium (LLE) data of water-caprolactam-benzene-(NH4)2SO4 system at 303 K were measured for extraction of caprolactam from aqueous ammonium sulfate solution. The influence of fluid flow rate, pulsation intensity on flooding velocity and mass transfer was studied for extraction of caprolactam from ammonium sulfate solution in a laboratory pulsed packed column. The flooding velocities and overall apparent height of a transfer unit were given under various operation conditions. An industrial column developed based on above study is operated well. The scale-up effect is discussed.

CFD Analysis of Gas Distributor in Packed Column ——Prediction of Gas Flow and Effect of Tower Internals Geometry Structure

Computational fluid dynamics (CFD) simulations were carried out on the gas flow patterns of twin-tangential annular deflector gas distributor in the absence of liquid flow in a packed column (6.4 m in diameter), and the gas flow field in the column was presented close to reality on the whole. Furthermore, after ame-(lioration) of this gas distributor frame, turbulence energy and turbulence energy dissipation rate were both decreased greatly.Simulation results showed that the flow pattern and the distribution of gas flow were strongly affected by the column bottom frame; the proper column bottom frame could decrease the flow pressure drop greatly. Multifold factors, such as the column bottom geometry structure and distributor structure which affects the distribution capacity, must be considered.

Measurement of Mass Transfer Coefficients and Their Modelling of Continuous Counter-Current Aqueous Two-Phase System in a Packed Extraction Column

Overall dispersed side volumetric mass transfer coefficients for protein and amino acids were measured in continuous countercurrent PEG4000/KHP aqueous two-phase systems in a 57mm I.D. packed extraction column. A model for overall dispersed side volumetric mass transfer coefficients was derived by describing the motion of the drops based upon Navier-Stokes equation combined with the relationship between mass transfer coefficients and the drop velocity. The model provides good predictions and can be successfully used in aqueous two-phase extraction. The average relative deviation between calculated values and experimental data ranges from 8% to 14%.

Simulation of MEG Packed Distillation Column Using an Equilibrium Stage Model-Case Study on Operating Parameters of Farsa Petrochemical Company： Assaluyeh-lran

Two types of equilibrium and non-equilibrium stage models are generally used to simulate the mass transfer of packed distillation column. Using non-equilibrium model requires the calculation of mass transfer coefficients, thus, usually equilibrium-based methods are preferred to be used for simulations of distillation columns. In this paper, packed column distillation of production of Mono Ethylene Glycol in FARSA SHIMI Company （Assaluyeh-Iran）＇s Ethylene Glycol portion has been simulated through using the equilibrium model and solving the related equations. The simulation has been carried out in the MATLAB environment. The column also has been simulated in the Aspen Hysys and Aspen Plus ver. 2006.5 environments. Then, the output has been compared with software results, designing and operating data of the underlying columns which demonstrate good consistency with the model. Having the model validated, the effect of some operating parameters has been analyzed through the model.

Novel predictive tool for accurate estimation of packed column size

Traditionally the majority of fractionation columns in natural gas processing plants were equipped with trays.However an option to trayed columns is to use packing.Packed columns offer a larger surface area per unit volume for mass transfer and the continuous gas to liquid contact throughout the column rather than at specific levels （such as in tray columns）.For process design purposes,it is essential to estimate the pressure drop for enabling the proper operation of packed columns.In this study,a simple generalized pressure drop correlation （GPDC） which is easier than existing approaches requiring more complicated and longer computations is developed for sizing randomly packed fractionation columns for pressure drops up to 150 mm water per meter of packing.This correlation can be used to estimate pressure drop for a given loading and column diameter.Alternatively,for a given pressure drop the diameter can be determined.The predictions from the proposed correlation have been compared with reported data and found good agreement with average absolute deviation hovering around 4.9%.The proposed predictive tool is superior owing to its accuracy and clear numerical background,wherein the relevant coefficients can be retuned quickly if new and more accurate data are available in the future.This proposed simple-to-use approach can be of immense practical value for the engineers and scientists to have a quick check on the pressure drop in packed columns for a given loading and column diameter.In particular,gas engineers would find the proposed approach can be used very friendly involving no complex expressions with transparent and easy-to-handle calculation steps.

A NEW MATHEMATICAL MODEL FOR MASS TRANSFER IN A PACKED COLUMN

A new mathematical model,designated as stochastic state pool model,is proposed for simulating the liquid flow andmass transfer behaviour,including the concentration profiles of liquid and gas phascs in a packed column.Application ofthe new model is demonstrated by an example of the desorption of CO2 in a packed column.

CONTRIBUTION TO PACKED COLUMNS SCALE-UP IN SEPARATION PROCESSES

Correlations will be presented to describe liquid hold up, loading and flooding capacity, volumetric mass transfer coefficients on liquid and gas or vapour phase and the pressure drop as a basis for computing packed columns, dumped and regular as well, including the influence of end effects on scaling. The relationships are found on a sound physical and mathematical basis and their validity were confirmed by experimental investigations of many packings; some of them were selected to be considered in this work.

HYDRODYNAMICS AND MASS TRANSFER IN A NEW TYPE(FG)STACK PACKED EXTRACTION COLUMN

Hydrodynamics and mass transfer experiments were carried out in a 0.1m diameter extraction column with a new type (FG) stack packing developed recently in our laboratory.The working systems used were n-Butano1/Succinic acid/water with low interfacial tension of 1.50×10-3N·m-1 and 30% TBP (Kerosene)/Acetic acid/water with interfacial tension of 10.0×10-3N· m-1. Experimental results obtained indicated that (FG) stack packed extraction column was proved to possess high throughput capacity and excellent mass transfer efficiency. Replacing rotary discs with FG packings in a lube furfural extraction tower was quite success with significant economical benefits being claimed.

A Reynolds mass flux model for gas separation process simulation:Ⅱ.Application to adsorption on activated carbon in a packed column

Simulations of adsorption process using the Reynolds mass flux model described in Part I of these serial articles are presented. The object of the simulation is the methylene chloride adsorption in a packed column(0.041 m id,packed with spherical activated carbon up to a length of 0.2 m). With the Reynolds mass flux model,breakthrough/regeneration curves, concentration and temperature as well as the velocity distributions can be obtained. The simulated results are compared with the experimental data reported in the literature and satisfactory agreement is found both in breakthrough/regeneration curves and temperature curves. Moreover,the anisotropic turbulent mass diffusion is characterized and discussed.

SIZE EXCLUSION CHROMATOGRAPHIC COLUMN PACKED WITH REGENERATED CELLULOSE GELS

Microporous regenerated cellulose gel particles were prepared by mixing cellulose cuoxam with silk fibroin as pore former, and the mean pore size and pore volume of the particles were 525 nm and 7.27 mt g(-1), respectively. A preparative size-exclusion chromatography (SEC) column (550 mm x 20 mm) packed with the cellulose gel particles was used for the fractionation of two polysaccharides Dextran 07 (M-W = 7.14 x 10(4), d = 1.7) and Dextran 50 (M-W = 50.5 x 10(4), d = 3.8) in water phase. The fractionation range of the stationary phase covered M, from 3 x 10(3) to 1.1 x 10(6). The daily throughput was 2.9 g for Dextran 07 (D07) and 4.3 g for Dextran 50 (D50) with a flow-rate of 1.5 mt min(-1). The fractions obtained by using the SEC were analyzed by an analytical SEC combined with laser light scattering (LLS), and the polydispersity indices of fractions for Dextran 07 and Dextran 50 were determined to be 1.34-1.57 and 1.53-3.36, respectively. The preparative SEC is a simple, rapid, and suitable means not only for the fractionation of polysaccharides in water but also for other polymers in organic solvents.

Flow of gas-liquid-solid system and its application in packed flotation column

A packed flotation column, which is packed with multiple board ripple packings, was described. Based on comprehensive steady state models, chemical reactor developed previously in chemical engineering subjects, have been extended to packed flotation column for mineral separation. The experimental results verify that tanks in series model is better than axially dispersed plug flow model to describe flow pattern in the collection zone of column by RTD (residence time distribution), and the error of experimental data and calculated data of both models are 0.07% ～ 0.1% and 0.18% ～ 0.45% respectively. And, RTD of gas phase was also considered, results also show that gas in the whole column appears plug flow. The cleaning process through adding wash water in froth zone of column was described, and the effect of superficial air velocity and superficial wash water velocity on the cleaning action of froth zone were discussed. Flotation experiment for single column was conducted for phosphate ores. The recovery for P 2O 5 was 85.8%, and the grade was 26.8%.

Flow Regimes in Bubble Columns with and without Internals: A Review

Hydrodynamics characterization in terms offlow regime behavior is a crucial task to enhance the design of bubble column reactors and scaling up related methodologies.This review presents recent studies on the typicalflow regimes established in bubble columns.Some effort is also provided to introduce relevant definitions pertaining to thisfield,namely,that of“void fraction”and related(local,chordal,cross-sectional and volumetric)variants.Experimental studies involving different parameters that affect design and operating conditions are also discussed in detail.In the second part of the review,the attention is shifted to cases with internals of various types(perfo-rated plates,baffles,vibrating helical springs,mixers,and heat exchanger tubes)immersed in the bubble columns.It is shown that the presence of these elements has a limited influence on the global column hydrodynamics.However,they can make the homogeneousflow regime more stable in terms of transition gas velocity and transi-tion holdup value.The last section is used to highlight gaps which have not beenfilled yet and future directions of investigation.

Design of Pilot Plant Packed Column for the Dehydration of Water from Ethanol-Water Mixtures

This use of biomass-based adsorbent has been explored for the column study of the adsorptive dehydration of water in ethanol-water mixtures. The column study was carried out using enzyme modified corn starch and the breakthrough curve parameters were used to design the packed bed column. The effect of flow rate on the breakthrough curves revealed that adsorption efficiency decreased with increased inflow rate. The empty bed contact time (τ) of the pilot plant packed column was 35.35 min while the breakthrough time is 40.78 min. 66.7% was the fraction of capacity left unused for the pilot plant from the design.

Consolidation of high replacement ratio stone column-reinforced ground:Analytical solutions incorporating clogging effect

The utilization of stone columns has emerged as a popular ground improvement strategy,whereas the drainage performance can be adversely hampered by clogging effect.Despite the ample progress of calculation methods for the consolidation of stone column-improved ground,theoretical investigations into the clogging effect have not been thoroughly explored.Furthermore,it is imperative to involve the column consolidation deformation to mitigate computational error on the consolidation of composite ground with high replacement ratios.In this context,an analytical model accounting for the initial clogging and coupled time and depth-dependent clogging of stone columns is established.Then,the resulting governing equations and analytical solutions are obtained under a new flow continuity relationship to incorporate column consolidation deformation.The accuracy and reliability of the proposed model are illustrated by degradation analysis and case studies with good agreements.Subsequently,the computed results of the current study are juxtaposed against the existing models,and an in-depth assessment of the impacts of several crucial parameters on the consolidation behavior is conducted.The results reveal that ignoring column consolidation deformation leads to an overestimate of the consolidation rate,with maximum error reaching up to 16%as the replacement ratio increases.Furthermore,the initial clogging also has a significant influence on the consolidation performance.Additionally,the increment of depth and time-clogging factors a and b will induce a noticeable retardation of the consolidation process,particularly in the later stage.

A separation column for liquid mixture based on phase transform:Experiment and simulation

The concentric internally heat-integrated distillation column(HIDi C) has advantages of low energy consumption and high thermodynamic efficiency. However, its drawbacks of limited heat transfer area,complex internal structure, and large number of control parameters hinder its widespread industrial applications. To solve these challenges, in this work a novel sleeve-like concentric heat-integrated separation column, namely temperature-controlled phase change column(TCPC), was developed to separate liquid mixtures in a more effective and energy-saving way with reflux section being moved and trays being replaced with spiral corrugation blades. The comprehensive performances of TCPC in ethanol-water system was firstly evaluated by experiments. The results showed that TCPC performs well in ethanol-water separation due to the internal spiral corrugation significantly reducing the vapor-liquid contact in separation section. Meanwhile, compared to the concentric HIDi C, TCPC has a higher total heat transfer coefficient due to the larger heat transfer area. Computational fluid dynamics simulation reveals the internal design of TCPC inducing secondary vortices of the vapor, enhancing condensation heat transfer and separation efficiency. Further, increasing the mass flow rate within a certain range would enhance the comprehensive performance factor and lead to more effective separation.

Visual experimental study of nanofluids application to promote CO_(2) absorption in a bubble column

The addition of dispersed-phase nanoparticles in the liquid phase can enhance the gas-liquid transfer process as the suspended nanoparticles affect the transfer process inside the fluid through microdisturbance or micro-convection effects.In this article,a high-speed digital camera was used to visualize the bubble behavior of CO_(2) in pure water and nanofluids to examine the effects of CO_(2) gas flow rate,nanoparticle solid content and type on the bubble behavior in the fluids.The CO_(2) absorption performance in three water-based nanofluids were compared in a bubbler.And the mass transfer characteristics during CO_(2) bubble absorption and the reasons for the enhanced gas-liquid mass transfer effect of nanoparticles were analyzed.The results showed that the presence of nanoparticles affected the formation process of bubbles in the fluid,shortened the bubble detachment time,reduced the detachment diameter,effectively increased the gas-liquid contact area,and improved the bubbles detachment frequency.The system with MCM-41 corresponded to a higher overall mass transfer coefficient.Uncalined MCM-41 contained surfactant that enhanced foaming behavior in water.This prevented the transfer of CO_(2) to some extent,and the CO_(2) absorption by uncalined MCM-41/H_(2)O was 5.34%higher than that by pure water.Compared with SiO_(2) nanoparticles with the same particle size and the same composition,MCM-41 had a higher adsorption capacity and better hydrophilicity due to its larger specific surface area and rich porous structure,which was more favorable to accelerate the collision between nanoparticles and CO_(2) bubbles to cause micro-convection.Under the condition of 0.1%(mass)solid content,the enhancement of CO_(2) absorption process by MCM-41 nanoparticles was more significant and improved by 16.9%compared with pure water.

Comparative impact behaviours of ultra high performance concrete columns reinforced with polypropylene vs steel fibres

Polypropylene(PP) fibres have primarily used to control shrinkage cracks or mitigate explosive spalling in concrete structures exposed to fire or subjected to impact/blast loads, with limited investigations on capacity improvement. This study unveils the possibility of using PP micro-fibres to improve the impact behaviour of fibre-reinforced ultra-high-performance concrete(FRUHPC) columns. Results show that the addition of fibres significantly improves the impact behaviour of FRUHPC columns by shifting the failure mechanism from brittle shear to favourable flexural failure. The addition of steel or PP fibres affected the impact responses differently. Steel fibres considerably increased the peak impact force(up to 18%) while PP micro-fibres slightly increased the peak(3%-4%). FRUHPC significantly reduced the maximum midheight displacement by up to 30%(under 20°impact) and substantially improved the displacement recovery by up to 100%(under 20° impact). FRUHPC with steel fibres significantly improved the energy absorption while those with PP micro-fibres reduced the energy absorption, which is different from the effect of PP-macro fibre reported in the literature. The optimal fibre content for micro-PP fibres is 1% due to its minimal fibre usage and low peak and residual displacement. This study highlights the potential of FRUHPC as a promising material for impact-resistant structures by creating a more favourable flexural failure mechanism, enhancing ductility and toughness under impact loading, and advancing the understanding of the role of fibres in structural performance.

Experimental Study on the Axial Compression Performance of Bamboo Scrimber Columns Embedded with Steel Reinforcing Bars

In this paper,a new type of bamboo scrimber column embedded with steel bars(rebars)was proposed,and the compression performance was improved by pre-embedding rebars during the preparation of the columns.The effects of the slenderness ratio and the reinforcement ratio on the axial compression performance of reinforced bamboo scrimber columns were studied by axial compression tests on 28 specimens.The results showed that the increase in the slenderness ratio had a significant negative effect on the axial compression performance of the columns.When the slenderness ratio increased from 19.63 to 51.96,the failure mode changed from strength failure to buckling failure,and the maximum bearing capacity decreased by 43.03%.The axial compression performance of the reinforced bamboo scrimber columns did not significantly improve at a slenderness ratio of 19.63,but the opposite was true at slenderness ratios of 36.95 and 51.96.When the reinforcement ratio increased from 0%to 4.52%,the bearing capacity of those with a slenderness ratio of 51.96 increased by up to 16.99%,and the stiffness and ductility were also improved.Finally,based on existing specifications,two modification parameters,the overall elastic modulus Ec and the combined strength fcc,were introduced to establish a calculation method for the bearing capacity of the reinforced bamboo scrimber columns.The calculation results were compared with the test results,and the results showed that the proposed calculation models can more accurately predict the bearing capacity.