Absorption of Carbon Dioxide with Hot Potassium Carbonate Solution: Modeling and Statistical Analysis of Known Experimental Data

Abstract

The process of absorbing carbon dioxide with an aqueous solution of hot potassium carbonate is widely used in industry for gas purification. The results of numerical modelling of the process are compared with a limited set of experimental data in well-known works. In this paper, a mathematical model of the process in a packed absorber is developed; fitting parameters are taken on the basis of processing known experimental data. The model is based on the equations of heat and mass transfer. Main characteristics: concentrations of substances and temperatures in the liquid and gas phases, depend on one coordinate z directed along the height of the absorber. The heat and mass transfer coefficients were calculated using the Onda formulas. The CO₂ equilibrium at the liquid-gas interface was determined by Sechenov relation. The adequacy of the model was checked by comparing the calculations of carbon dioxide concentration along the absorber with the known experimental data not included in the sample from which the model parameters were determined. The numerical dependences of the CO₂ content in the scrubbed gas on the physical characteristics of the process are obtained.