Physical Absorption of CO2 Using Polyvinylidene Fluoride Membrane Contactor at High Pressure and Mathematical Simulation

The removal of CO2 from natural gas using polyvinylidene fluoride ( PVDF) hollow fiber membrane contactor was studied at high pressure. The distilled water was used as absorbent. The effects of operating pressure, inlet gas flow rate and liquid flow rate on removal efficiency of CO2 were investigated. Based on the physical mass transfer process, the mass transfer equation of gas phase, membrane phase and liquid phase were established. The outlet CO2 content could be predicted using Multiphysics ( COMSOL) combined with 2-D mathematical model and corresponding boundary conditions. The results showed that the removal efficiency of CO2 was affected significantly by the partial wetting of membrane. The predicted results were in good agreement with the experimental data if the wetting ratio of membrane was considered in the mathematical model.