Simulation and assessment of an integrated acid gas removal process with higher CO2 capture rate

An integrated acid gas removal process with high CO2 capture rate is proposed, which is featured by Rectisol process heat integrated with CO2 multistage compression. Detailed modeling and simulation of the integrated process are conducted. Three key factors that contribute to CO2 capture rate have been identified, which also serve as the foundation to process utility and investment analysis. Results revealed that three factors that affect the CO2 capture rate are: the temperature of rich solvent after heating by compression section, the pressure of low pressure flash, and the rich solvent input ratio between CO2 desorption and H2S concentration column. The capture rate of 80-90% is determined as the optimal range. The optimal energy consumption is around 0.93 GJ/tCO(2), while the conventional process requires an energy consumption of 1.07 GJ/tCO(2). The optimal operation cost is close to 24 US$/tCO(2), which is 6.1% less than that of the conventional process. (C) 2015 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.