CFD simulation of CO2 absorption by single and blended aqueous amine solvents in hollow fiber membrane contactors (HFMC)

This paper presents a numerical simulation using computational fluid dynamics (CFD) of momentum and mass transfer in a hollow fiber membrane contactor for laminar flow conditions. Axial and radial diffusion were considered in the mass transfer equations. The simulations were carried out for physical and chemical absorption of CO2 by single and blended aqueous amine (MEA and MDEA) solvents. The simulation results showed that Adding a little of MEA into MDEA aqueous solution increases the removal of CO2. Furthermore, the simulation results indicated that the removal of CO2 increased with increasing liquid velocity in the membrane contactor. CFD also represents a design and optimization tool for membrane gas absorption processes.