Experimental and Theoretical Investigation of Simultaneous Absorption of H2S and CO2 from gaseous mixtures by MEA

Absorption of H2S from a gaseous mixture containing H2S and CO2 by amine solutions is one of the promising techniques for preventing the serious environmental problems which could be caused by this nuisant compound. Usually these gases contain some considerable amounts of CO2 which compete H2S in being absorbed by amine solutions. So the problem of selective absorption of H2S by amine solution could be very interesting from economical and operational points of view. In this research a mathematical model is proposed for simultaneous absorption of H2S and CO2 with special emphasis on selectivity of absorption. The effects of different parameters such as pressure, amine concentration, L/G and packing size are studied on the selectivity of absorption. The effect of these parameters is discussed according to different nature of mechanism of H2S and CO2 absorption in amine, theoretically and experimentally. A pilot scaled plant is erected for measurement of the rate of absorption of H2S and CO2 in amine solution at different operating conditions. The results obtained by the proposed mathematical model are compared with the experimental data. Once the validity of the model is verified, it could be used for design and construction of industrial plants.

Keywords:

Simultaneous absorption , MEA , Selectivity