Improvement of the Spray Column Performance for CO2 Capture in an Amine Absorption Process Using Multiple Nozzle Arrangement

The only commercially viable technology available today for CO₂ capture on an industrial scale is the amine absorption process. However, the capture cost is still significantly high and needs to be reduced to encourage more industries and businesses to implement the technology. One aspect of the process with a major scope of improvement is the absorber column. This research investigated the use of a spray column for gas–liquid contacting operation as compared to the currently used packed bed absorber, which is associated with high capital and maintenance cost. An experimental investigation was carried out using 30 wt % monoethanol amine as the solvent to obtain a CO₂ concentration and temperature profile along the spray column length and measure the overall absorption efficiency. The multinozzle arrangement used in this study showed the best performance as compared to the single-nozzle spray column with an increase in absorption efficiency by up to 10% under similar operating conditions.