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Modeling and simulation of high pressure water scrubbing technology applied for biogas upgrading

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Abstract

Depending on the end of use, the quality of biogas must be upgraded in order to utilize the maximum amount of energy necessary for proper applications. Upgrading biogas refers to the increase of methane concentration in product gas by removal of CO2, which increases its heating power. Several treatment technologies are available for biogas upgrading: high pressure water scrubbing (HPWS), pressure swing adsorption, membrane separation, chemical absorption, and gas permeation. Water absorption based on the physical effect of dissolving gases in liquids (HPWS) is a well-known technology and the most effective upgrading process, since provides a simultaneous removal of CO2 and H2S. This could ensure an increasing methane concentration and energy content per unit volume of biogas. In spite of this, few studies are published on biogas upgrading using pressurized water technology. In order to elucidate the performance of HPWS technology at industrial scale with the possibility of water regeneration and recirculation, effects of different operating parameters on the removal of undesired components from biogas were examined, based on modeling and simulation tools. For simulation, the commercial software tool Aspen Plus was applied. Equilibrium model was applied for simulating the absorption process. The simulation results were validated with experimental data from the literature. The results are summarized in terms of system efficiency, expressed as CH4 enrichment, methane loss, and CO2 removal. Finally, new data which can be further applied for scale-up calculations and techno-economic analysis of the HPWS process are provided.

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Notes

  1. The paragraph has been adapted from Environmental Engineering and Management Journal with permission of the Editor-in-Chief.

Abbreviations

AFR:

Air flow rate, Nm3/h

CH4Recirc:

CH4 recirculated from flash back to crude biogas (%)

CO2Recirc:

CO2 recirculated from flash back to crude biogas (%)

CO2 RE:

CO2 removal efficiency (%)

FWFR:

Fresh water flow rate (m3/h)

GFR:

Plant capacity/gas flow rate (Nm3/h)

G:

Total gas flow rate (Nm3/h)

HPWS:

Water scrubbing technology

L:

Total liquid flow rate (m3/h)

M%:

Methane losses (%)

P flash :

Pressure in flash (bar)

P stripper :

Pressure in stripper (desorber) column (bar)

P absorber :

Pressure in absorber column (bar)

PG:

Product gas which is equivalent to upgraded biogas

SG:

Off gas from stripper

T absorber :

Temperature in absorber column (°C)

T stripper :

Temperature in stripper (desorber) column (°C)

V WFR/V GFR :

Volumetric water flow rate to gas flow rate ratio (vol-based)

V FWFR/V GFR :

Volumetric fresh water flow rate to gas flow rate ratio (vol-based)

V WFR/V WPA :

Volumetric water flow rate to water pump-around flow rate ratio (vol-based)

V WPA/V GFR :

Volumetric water pump-around flow rate to gas flow rate ratio (vol-based)

V AFR/V GFR :

Volumetric air flow rate to gas flow rate ratio (vol-based)

\( {\text{X}}_{{{\text{CO}}_{ 2} ,p = 10}} \) :

Concentration of CO2 in liquid phase at the equilibrium pressure of 10 bar

\( {\text{X}}_{{{\text{CO}}_{ 2} ,p = 3}} \) :

Concentration of CO2 in liquid phase at the equilibrium pressure of 10 bar

YH2S,PG:

H2S content in product gas (vol%)

YCH4,PG:

CH4 content in product gas (vol%)

YCH4,SG:

CH4 content in off gas (vol%)

WFR:

Make-up water (% evaporated water per hour of WPA) (m3/h)

WPA:

Water pump-around flow rate (amount of recirculated water) (m3/h)

$$ {\text{CH}}_{4} \;{\text{recirculated}}\,(\% ) = \frac{{V{}_{{{\text{CH}}{}_{{_{4} }}{\text{REC}}}}}}{{V_{{{\text{CH}}{}_{4}{\text{RICH - SOL}}}} }} \times 100;\quad {\text{CO}}_{2} \;{\text{recirculated}}\,(\% ) = \frac{{V{}_{{{\text{CO}}{}_{{_{2} }}{\text{REC}}}}}}{{V_{{{\text{CO}}{}_{2}{\text{RICH - SOL}}}} }} \times 100, $$

where \( V_{{{\text{CH}}_{ 4} {\text{REC}}}} ,V_{{{\text{CO}}_{2} {\text{REC}}}} \) —CH4 and CO2 mol flow rate (kmol/h) at the top exit of flash (GAS-REC stream; the stream from flash recirculated back to absorber);\( V_{{{\text{CH}}_{4} {\text{RICH - SOL}}}} ,\;V_{{{\text{CO}}_{2} {\text{REC}}}} \)

CH4 and CO2 mol flow rate (kmol/h) at the bottom exit of the absorber

$$ {\text{Methane}}\;{\text{loss}}\,(\% ) = \frac{{V_{{{\text{CH}}_{4} {\text{OFF}}\,{\text{GAS}}}} }}{{V_{{{\text{CH}}_{4} {\text{Raw}}\,{\text{biogas}}}} }} \times 100, $$

where \( V_{{{\text{CH}}_{4} }} \) is the CH4 mol flow rate (kmol/h); the methane loss is expressed as % of the outlet stream of stripper (off gas) and inlet stream of biogas (raw biogas)

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Acknowledgments

This paper was carried out with the support of EURODOC “Doctoral Scholarships for research performance at European level” Project ID_59410, financed by the European Social Found and Romanian Government. The support of the Institute of Chemical Engineering - Vienna University of Technology, Austria in using Aspen Plus software tool is highly acknowledged. This work was partially supported by the Grant of the Romanian National Authority for Scientific Research, CNCS – UEFISCDI, Project Number PN-II-ID-PCE-2011-3-0559, Contract 265/2011.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Environmental Engineering and Management, “Gheorghe Asachi” Technical University of Iasi, 73 Prof. dr. doc. D. Mangeron Street, 700050, Iasi, Romania

    Petronela Cozma & Maria Gavrilescu

  2. Institute of Chemical Engineering, Vienna University of Technology, Getreidemarkt 9/166, 1060, Vienna, Austria

    Walter Wukovits & Anton Friedl

  3. Department of Chemical Engineering, “Gheorghe Asachi” Technical University of Iasi, 73 Prof. dr. doc. D. Mangeron Street, 700050, Iasi, Romania

    Ioan Mămăligă

  4. Academy of Romanian Scientists, 54 Splaiul Independentei, 050094, Bucharest, Romania

    Maria Gavrilescu

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  1. Petronela Cozma
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Correspondence to Maria Gavrilescu.

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Cozma, P., Wukovits, W., Mămăligă, I. et al. Modeling and simulation of high pressure water scrubbing technology applied for biogas upgrading. Clean Techn Environ Policy 17, 373–391 (2015). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10098-014-0787-7

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