Recent developments in solvent absorption technologies at the CO2CRC in Australia.

Abstract: A 25 TPD post-combustion CO₂ capture plant for brown coal and a 0.5TPD pre-combustion CO₂ capture IGCC process have been designed and are being built in Victoria, Australia to assess developments in solvent absorption capture technologies. In this paper, the flowsheets developed for these processes will be discussed along with the underpinning research in the following areas: [•] New contact equipment — recent work has shown that the SMR packing has enhanced performance over structured packing and standard Pall rings. [•] The influence of promoters to enhance kinetics - using a wetted-wall column, experiments have been conducted with boric acid added to potassium carbonate solvent with results showing an enhancement in CO₂ absorption rates. [•] The influence of flue gas impurities - post-combustion impurities, including SO _x and NO _x , have been studied with potassium carbonate to evaluate their effects on CO₂ absorption. [•] Process modeling — ASPEN Plus™ simulations have been developed to predict column performance and the effects of impurities on the equilibrium relationship. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]