Three-dimensional CFD simulation of an MgO-based sorbent regeneration reactor in a carbon capture process

• Published in: Powder technology Vol. 318; pp. 314 - 320
• Main Authors: Ghadirian, Emad, Abbasian, Javad, Arastoopour, Hamid
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Lausanne Elsevier B.V 01.08.2017; Elsevier BV
• Subjects: Carbon capture and sequestration (CCS); Carbon dioxide; Carbon sequestration; Carbonation; Computational fluid dynamics; Computational fluid dynamics (CFD); Computer applications; Computer simulation; Electric power plants; Fluid dynamics; Fluidization technology; Fluidized bed boilers; Fluidized bed reactors; Fluidized beds; Gasification; Greenhouse effect; Greenhouse gases; High temperature; Hydrodynamics; Magnesium oxide; Nuclear reactors; Power plants; Reactive gas-solid multiphase flow systems; Reactors; Regeneration; Solid sorbent regeneration; Sorbents; Steam electric power generation; Studies; Fluidized bed reactors; Carbon capture and sequestration (CCS); Fluidization technology; Solid sorbent regeneration; Computational fluid dynamics (CFD); Reactive gas-solid multiphase flow systems
• ISSN: 0032-5910; 1873-328X
• DOI: 10.1016/j.powtec.2017.06.012

Carbon dioxide is the primary greenhouse gas emitted through human activities; therefore, efficient reduction of CO2 is regarded as one of the key environmental challenges of the current century. Different processes have been introduced in the literature for CO2 capture; among these, solid sorbent processes have shown potential advantages such as easy regeneration and high capacity. In order to achieve steady CO2 capture using solid sorbents, a circulating fluidized bed (CFB) is used that consists mainly of a carbonator reactor (where the CO2 is adsorbed by solid sorbents) and a regenerator (where carbonated sorbents release CO2 and a concentrated CO2-steam mixture is produced). Different solid sorbents have been developed to be utilized in carbon capture units such as MgO-based sorbents and CaO-based sorbents. In this study, an MgO-based solid sorbent was used due to its capability to capture CO2 at high temperature (300–550°C), which is in the vicinity of the operating conditions of advanced power plants (e.g., integrated gasification combined cycles [IGCC]). The use of MgO-based sorbents results in a lower energy penalty in the carbonation/regeneration cycle of MgO-based sorbents. In this study, three-dimensional computational fluid dynamics (CFD) simulations of the regeneration unit of the carbon capture process using MgO-based solid sorbents were investigated and the performance of the fluidized bed regenerator unit (operating at different conditions) was studied. [Display omitted] •A fluidized bed reactor for CO2 regeneration was modeled.•Shrinking core model was coupled with TFM model.•An EMMS approach was used for drag calculations.•MgO-based solid sorbents were investigated.