Enhancing CO2 capture efficiency in a lab-scale spray tower: An experimental study on flow configurations using potassium carbonate

Abstract

Spray towers have proven to be efficient in capturing gases and vapours, finding widespread use across various applications including CO₂ capture. As there is scarce reference material regarding spray tower performances with different flow configurations other than the conventional counter-current flow, as well as the use of substitute solvents to MEA, there is a need to study different configurations and setup designs, including different placements of gas and liquid inlets in the absorber tower, to find the optimal configuration. In this study, the capture of CO₂ from a CO₂/N₂ mixture using unpromoted potassium carbonate as the absorbent in a lab-scale spray tower was experimentally measured in four different flow configurations over a wide range of operating conditions, including gas and liquid flow rates, CO₂ concentration, K₂CO₃ concentration and solvent temperature. Among four different configurations, the two sides co-current configuration, with gas nozzles positioned on opposite sides of the column and liquid coming from above, was found to be the most effective setup for enhancing CO₂ capture efficiency by promoting better mixing and contact between gas and liquid.