Modeling and Simulation of Hydrogen Sulfide Absorption with Amine Solutions in a Wetted Wire Column

Absorption of hydrogen Sulfide with Amine solution is one of the complicated processes in refinery units. Tray and packed absorption towers are the most common equipment in this field. For modeling of these equipments, equilibrium and rate-based techniques can be used. Since, the hydrogen sulfide absorption with amine solutions is a reactive absorption, application of equilibrium models will not lead to accurate results. In this study, the wetted wire column was introduced and low pressure pilot of hydrogen sulfide absorption plant with amine solutions was constructed and several category of experiments were conducted, the heat transfer coefficient, the gas phase mass transfer coefficient based on liquid flow, liquid and gas temperatures, amine weight percent and hydrogen sulfide loading were determined experimentally. Also by assuming annular liquid distribution on wires, velocity distribution and liquid phase mass transfer coefficient based on liquid flow and mean temperature of liquid and gas streams were calculated. Modeling and simulation of the wetted wire column with rate-based method using MATLAB software was carried out and comparison of experiment and model results shows a good consistency, the effect of different parameters on absorption process was studied.