Numerical simulation of CO₂ absorption process by mixture of MEA and single atom solution in hole jet reactor

In order to intensify CO₂ absorption, a radial and spiral hole jet reactor is integrated with MEA-Fe solution (MEA solution with Fe single atom solution) system to capture CO₂. A hole jet reactor model was developed to investigate the intensification effect of ejection on gas–liquid mass transfer. MEA-Fe solution was employed for CO₂ absorption to enhance the transfer process. The effects of MEA-Fe feeding velocity (V_MEA), CO₂ concentration (Wco₂), MEA concentration (W_MEA) and temperature (T) on CO₂ absorption were discussed based on the model. The comprehensive influence of multiple factors was investigated through an orthogonal experiment. It is found that MEA-Fe feeding velocity significantly affected the CO₂ absorption, which was followed by the order of CO₂ concentration, MEA concentration and temperature. The results demonstrated that the radial and spiral hole of the hole jet reactor enlarged the contact area between the reactants by increasing the helical disturbance effect of the fluid. The optimal conditions were determined as Wco₂ of 0.15, W_MEA of 0.6, V_MEA of 7.5 m/s and T of 325 K. The CO₂ desorption energy consumption was determined as 1.33 GJ/t CO₂, which was 51.64 % less than that of the traditional MEA solution. The research provided an alternative way for hole jet reactors in CO₂ capture process.